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Re: [petsfed] Hardest Crack Size?:
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camhead
Apr 13, 2009, 4:28 PM
Views: 9086
Registered: Sep 10, 2001
Posts: 20939
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petsfed wrote: I mean objectively, which crack size tends to have the hardest grades? I know, some people struggle with offwidths (I was told the crux move on Wounded Knee, a 10+ on Pistol Whipped, was the knee jam, and not the thin hands bit), but its rare to find a bonafide 5.13 offwidth. I've never seen a 5.13 handcrack that wasn't a boulder problem (and they had harder starts and finishes). Then again, I've never seen a ringlock roof either. Any thoughts?
way subjective. A few observations, though. First, there are hand cracks that go out roofs that would rate 5.13 purely for endurance. The full version of the crackhouse is definitely 5.13, and there has never been any debate on that. Like you said, this is a boulder problem, though. I can think of a couple monster roof cracks in the Southeast that are nothing but hands, and get 12+.
There are also two other variables beyond just width and size for cracks: steepness, and the distance between locks. You have to take that into account when thinking of hardest overall cracks.
But, just for simple size, the overall hardest size is usually regarded as off-fingers (not to be confused with ringlocks), which is that middle ground between a ringlock and a fingerlock. For me, and most other average-sized males, this would be a large .5 camalot. A sustained roof of this size (I do not know of any specific routes) would be well into the 5.13+ or higher range.
Less-than tips cracks are also pretty hard (Rodden's Meltdown), but they really start blurring the line between face climbing skills and pure jamming.
(This post was edited by camhead on Apr 13, 2009, 4:31 PM)
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Post edited by camhead
() on Apr 13, 2009, 4:31 PM
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