Crooked cracks?

There has to be another post about this somewhere out there, but, diagonal cracks?  I'm developing at 5.8/5.9ish Yosemite cracks. However, whenever the crack turns slanty or diagonal, I can't seem to figure out the body language to not struggle like heck on it. In theory, I know it's probably best to jam on one side of your body and smear on the other, but I can't seem to gain the balance to work it. I usually barn door out, like the side with the good jams is a door hinge, lol, either into or away from the wall, but never in enough balance to actually climb the darn thing without a lot of cursing. Do I focus on jamming less and think of it as more of a face climb? Suggestions? Ideas of <5.10 cracks to practice the slanty on? (this seems to occur the most right now for me at 10a/10b specifically)

Desperate to climb more cracks (*clears throat* Stone Groove),

The Crack Baby

Barndooring into the wall is good. It's what allows you to easily smear one foot. You'll generally want to "swim" you hands (i.e. don't cross them), with the top hand thumbs down and the bottom hand thumbs up.

Grant's Crack and the 1st pitch of the Aid Route at Swan Slab are probably good ones to practice on. The 5.9 start to Nutcracker, too.

Mel Higgswrote:

There has to be another post about this somewhere out there, but, diagonal cracks?  I'm developing at 5.8/5.9ish Yosemite cracks. However, whenever the crack turns slanty or diagonal, I can't seem to figure out the body language to not struggle like heck on it. In theory, I know it's probably best to jam on one side of your body and smear on the other, but I can't seem to gain the balance to work it. I usually barn door out, like the side with the good jams is a door hinge, lol, either into or away from the wall, but never in enough balance to actually climb the darn thing without a lot of cursing. Do I focus on jamming less and think of it as more of a face climb? Suggestions? Ideas of <5.10 cracks to practice the slanty on? (this seems to occur the most right now for me at 10a/10b specifically)

I am a bit reluctant to try to answer this as I'm not a crack expert by any means but I have done many of the Valley hand and finger 10s so I have a sense of what you are trying to do. I can't remember specifically the moves on Stone Groove but I do remember cursing Bridwell - I often find his routes a bit thuggy - and thinking it was harder than Lunatic Fringe.  I wish we had a video of you where you are struggling.  It would be so much easier to analyze what you might change.  Perhaps you could take some next time you go out?

Perhaps if you are really barndooring, your hips are farther out from the rock than they should be?  If that is the case, increasing your hip flexibility might be important. But if what you are really describing is that the natural position is pulling your hips to the left side of the crack for a left angling crack, for example, then yes that is natural, and it is also natural and less strenuous to flag the left foot out for balance (in the left angling situation).  The best thing is if there is actually a small edge or nubbin to use - like face climbing, as you say. 

As to thumbs up/thumbs down, I just do what feels right in the moment, but again this could be a body dimension thing that is different for different people.

People always focus on hand size when describing crack difficulties, but I feel like crack climbing style can also be dependent on leg length and hip flexibility. 

I have video of me climbing a crack at my gym somewhere, which has a diagonal shift in it.  That might illustrate the flagging and how my hips move, let me see if I can find it...

Have you tried bleeding more, and screaming louder? 

              youtu.be/2Y06TnHQglc           

Here is the gym crack which angles a bit to the right at the bottom, is straight in the middle and angles a bit left at the top.  They rate it 10d with the chips, but for my hand size it's less hard than that and feet are not excruciatingly painful to jam, so I don't have to use the chips.  You can watch how my hips naturally stay over the crack in the straight section but shift to the left at the angling section.  Also you can see that my personal style is to keep my hips close to the rock and frog-angle my legs.  I have good hip flexibility so this is very comfortable and stable for me.  Again, not that I'm the world's strongest crack climber but it demonstrates specifically the situation you are asking about, so maybe it will give you some insight.

phylp phylpwrote:

I am a bit reluctant to try to answer this as I'm not a crack expert by any means but I have done many of the Valley hand and finger 10s so I have a sense of what you are trying to do. I can't remember specifically the moves on Stone Groove but I do remember cursing Bridwell - I often find his routes a bit thuggy - and thinking it was harder than Lunatic Fringe.  I wish we had a video of you where you are struggling.  It would be so much easier to analyze what you might change.  Perhaps you could take some next time you go out?

Perhaps if you are really barndooring, your hips are farther out from the rock than they should be?  If that is the case, increasing your hip flexibility might be important. But if what you are really describing is that the natural position is pulling your hips to the left side of the crack for a left angling crack, for example, then yes that is natural, and it is also natural and less strenuous to flag the left foot out for balance (in the left angling situation).  The best thing is if there is actually a small edge or nubbin to use - like face climbing, as you say. 

As to thumbs up/thumbs down, I just do what feels right in the moment, but again this could be a body dimension thing that is different for different people.

People always focus on hand size when describing crack difficulties, but I feel like crack climbing style can also be dependent on leg length and hip flexibility. 

I have video of me climbing a crack at my gym somewhere, which has a diagonal shift in it.  That might illustrate the flagging and how my hips move, let me see if I can find it...

Ah, I didn't even THINK of videoing - that would teach me a lot!

barn-dooring suggests you're trying to keep feet in an angled crack.  if the crack angles more than slightly off straight up, place your feet directly below your hands, so your body remains in balance - so you're jamming with hands/fingers, and smearing/edging with feet.  just focus on a balanced posture.  for an extreme example, you wouldnt try to jam your hands and feet in a horizontal crack, would you?

-Haireball

Good video of crack master JNE on a slanted crack https://youtu.be/x30FB0y62Ns?t=100. This can show you some of the body position required for this style of climbing. I love doglegged cracks, such fun movement.

Definitely top hand thumbs down. Shuffle hands, don't cross, most of the time. One foot definitely outside the crack with the other either also outside or toeing into the crack. 

Check out the photos on this angling crack for various techniques.
https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106104224/south-face-angling-crack