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anfbymyrock
Mar 26, 2004, 2:36 AM
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I heard "offwidth" being used to describe a style of climbing. Can anyone tell me what that is?
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rendog
Mar 26, 2004, 2:39 AM
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FREAKIN HARD!!!!
to the best of my knowledge an offwidth is something told to young and aspiring climbers to scare the bujeezus outta them :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
however typically a crack wider thatn your fists that take an extrodinary amount of contortionism to be able to climb.
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scientiffikk
Mar 26, 2004, 3:08 AM
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Not a style, it's a size of crack. Bigger than fists but smaller than a chimney. You have to climb it by techniques such as chicken-winging, heel and toeing, arm-baring, fist stacking, chest jamming and general thrashing and grunting your way up. Take along the portable top rope anchor (big green camalot).
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angry
Mar 26, 2004, 3:23 AM
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Offwidth is a crack, not a technique. That said you need a special technique to climb offwidths.
You have to get physical, none of this lame ass crimpy slappy slopey cunt stuff. You have to get in and climb. If you are a climber who does not or cannot climb offwidths at the level of the rest of your climbing, YOU SUCK!!
It is a weakness that you need to improve. Offwidths are some of the most fun cracks available. Once they get really hard and require bathanging, handstacking, and levitation, whoooo there aint a sport climber around who can say a damn thing about "gymnastic movement" to you.
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traddad
Mar 26, 2004, 3:24 AM
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Offwidth can also mean off hands...those ugly cracks that are too big to get a ring/finger lock and too small to get a good thunb over hand lock. Frustrating....just frustrating. I would rather climb something that I could stuff major body parts into than an off hands crack.
Offwidth is a state of mind. A demented state of mind. Something that will give you the "rictic smile".
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karlbaba
Mar 26, 2004, 3:42 AM
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In reply to: Offwidth can also mean off hands...those ugly cracks that are too big to get a ring/finger lock and too small to get a good thunb over hand lock. Frustrating....just frustrating. I would rather climb something that I could stuff major body parts into than an off hands crack. Offwidth is a state of mind. A demented state of mind. Something that will give you the "rictic smile".
While different areas may have different traditions. Off-hands almost always means off hands (between fingers and tight hands, ring jams are also off hands) and offwidth invarably means larger than fists but too small to crawl inside.
Careful if you say the word "offwidth". There's an old troll that sleeps in wide cracks named bru- Oh, his name is too horrible to utter. Anyway, he'll wake up and come here if he sees that word.
PEace
Karl
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angry
Mar 26, 2004, 3:49 AM
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No it isn't
Thats a fist crack. Looks great but it isn't an offwidth.
Unless you are in Kindergarten.
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moof
Mar 26, 2004, 5:44 AM
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Most of my initial "offwidths" were actually more along the lines of faceclimbing in a chimney, or chimneying the outside of a flare while face climbing the inside. Things like Orphan on Old Woman, Championship wrestling on Sport Challenge Rock, or The Flake on Intersection Rock all fall into this category.
I was fairly disappointed in John Long's offwidth description in Advanced Rock Climbing. The picture of the heal toe was misleading (he should have just made an inverted picture of his inverted heal toe rather than the one he used), and the description exceedingly brief. Once I actually used true offwidth technique instead of simply faceclimbing the insides I found the descriptions to be more of a detriment than a help. I wasted time trying to make the crap work as presented instead of experimenting.
For example pictures of chicken wings were invariably shown horizontal. The damn thing works best for me pointing straight up and becomes alarmingly powerful. The armbar was worthless until I realized that using my bicep was the completely wrong approach, and that the lock is mostly about a twisting motion in the shoulder than a desperate squeeze (about the difference between a good hand jam and a double gaston).
I'm still split as to whether the best training is running up steap trails in summer heat with an 80 lb pack on (add rabid dogs to get the mental training), or getting your buddies to sit on you until you need CPR, have them apply it, and repeat.
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kalcario
Mar 26, 2004, 6:01 AM
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*Offwidth can also mean off hands...those ugly cracks that are too big to get a ring/finger lock and too small to get a good thunb over hand lock.*
You mean inch-and-a-quarter? Or thin hands? Or both? What's a "thumb over hand lock"?
Offwidth has always meant 5" to just before squeeze chimney where I come from.
Believe it or not you can use inch-and-a-quarter crack tech in limestone pockets and get pretty secure "thumb cams", where you curl your index over your thumb, if the pocket does'nt have a well-defined bottom edge to it you can actually shake out and get rests
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climbsomething
Mar 26, 2004, 6:11 AM
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Maybe this is more (squeeze) chimney, but I think it shows nicely the "get nASSty" approach you gotta take with OWs. *grunt, heave*
http://hillarydavis.com/...ing/kolesqueeze1.jpg
For me, anything #3 camalot and above is offwidth :roll:
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donie
Mar 26, 2004, 6:14 AM
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those are both offwidthy.......
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ajoys
Mar 26, 2004, 6:48 AM
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I have done one off width climb and the next day I felt like I was run over by a truck. It reminded me of back in my wrestling days. It is a whole body workout.
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petsfed
Mar 26, 2004, 7:18 PM
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What's funny is that I've yet to use a chicken wing on any climbs. My triceps lack the oomph to set it and once I do get it set (a rare ocasion) I can't do anything with it. I'm far better with a reverse chicken wing. Like wise with heel & toe jams. I'm better with the heel & knee jams, but I always come out of the crack looking like I just crawled 10 miles (which I feel like too, but that's a side issue). Be creative, and pray for good hand holds so you don't actually have to jam while climbing. As a general interest question, has anyone ever used a heel/fist stack? It seems possible, but you'd have to be impressively flexible and impossibly strong to make it work.
Isn't brutus's calling squeeze chimneys? Now that's a twisted affinity.
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overlord
Mar 26, 2004, 7:23 PM
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In reply to: I heard "offwidth" being used to describe a style of climbing. Can anyone tell me what that is?
hard and SCARY.
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stone_monkey
Mar 26, 2004, 8:04 PM
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In reply to: I heard "offwidth" being used to describe a style of climbing. Can anyone tell me what that is?
It's not Offwidth it's Awfulwidth.
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holmeslovesguinness
Mar 26, 2004, 8:35 PM
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Offwidth, thy name is cruelty... Just another set of climbing skillz to master I guess, but every real offwidth I have climbed so far (just a handfull) has left me dry heaving.
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alpinelynx
Mar 26, 2004, 8:54 PM
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I love offwidths. Lots of sweat, lots of bruises, lots of grunting. Its not fun if I'm not bleeding! And nothing could be further from sport climbing. You definitely don't look pretty climbing one. I've learned that taping my ankles is a good thing too.
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thegreytradster
Mar 26, 2004, 9:11 PM
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Looks like the imfamous Generator Crack to me. Always good for an evenings entertainment!
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petro
Mar 26, 2004, 9:15 PM
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Come visit me in Vedauwoo. I'll SHOW you what everybody is talking about.
Awe(fully good)widths, I think is the correct although ancient and outdated latin based spelling...
Better tape your face.
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photon
Mar 26, 2004, 9:39 PM
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OW climbing is the red headed step child of rockclimbing, generally loved by those who don't do well at other forms. Take for example one of the best Bob Scarpelli, could solo hard 5.11 OW couldn't lead easy 5.11 sport.
There's nothing gymnastic about OW it's all mule, duh.
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