UKC

The Wideboyz - Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall - are currently taking the USA by storm climbing every crack and off-width they can get their arms and legs into and we are lucky enough to have Tom sending back reports for UKC. This next report covers what has happened since their amazing ascent of century Crack.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=64622

In reply to UKC News:

There is a whole new language to be learned in there ! Cutting loose on chicken wings ?

In reply to GrahamD:

Semi-invert torpedo? Flying pirate? We have much to learn young padawan.

In reply to GrahamD:
Cutting loose on chicken wings ?

This I understand but I'm clueless about invert torpedos and a few other things

In reply to Dave Garnett:
Is a flying pirate like an angry pirate?

In reply to GrahamD: According to 'Knack Rock Climbing' a chicken wing is where you bend your elbow and stick it into the crack. You press triceps on one wall and your palm on the other. You press the outside arm on the crack edge.

How you then use this to create upwards movement, I have no idea.

In reply to JKinsella:
Chicken winging isn't a movement technique itself, you use it to hold yourself in place while you move other bits of you. For instance chicken winging in a squeeze chimney may mean you can then raise your feet higher, then release the chicken wing and wriggle up. Hanging off a chicken wing on a steep offwidth sounds decidedly uncomfy.

you can get 2 for 1 chicken wings in MBC in chamonix on a monday night...

In reply to UKC News:
so whats the diference between a Private Pirate and Flying Pirate, Chicken wings vs bingo wings, and isn't a "semi invert torpedo into knee lock" just the same as a triple Salchow with pike ?

And they ought to Century Crack an English grade. I'm sure Rays Roof used to have a US grade in older guides.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

Absolutely. Like Ramshaw E2.

In reply to Chris the Tall:

And they ought to Century Crack an English grade. I'm sure Rays Roof used to have a US grade in older guides.

Century Crack is the US and should therefore get a US grade. Ray's Roof is in the UK and gets a UK grade. If someone wants to put extra grades in brackets, so be it.

In reply to MJ:

I think the point is that Ray's Roof got a US grade because the style was more typical of the US scene and obviously Ray Jardine was American. Maybe we should now return the favour.

It's just possible it wasn't meant entirely seriously.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

Shudder.

In reply to Southern Man:
Shudder.

Anyone would think you'd been horridly sandbagged or something! Must get back to Ramshaw again soon.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

It's just possible it wasn't meant entirely seriously.

What? On UKC? Whatever next!

In reply to Chris the Tall:


5.11+ or somethng wasn't it? So given that's settled down at E7, 5.14b must be E................

In reply to UKC News:

Goodness, I wish people would learn to spell consensus, and that 'on my behalf' doesn't mean what Pete W thinks it does; he means to say 'on my part'.

These things matter, you know......

Amazing achievements, though. Makes it look all the dafter bolting that offwidth roof crack in Swanage, really.

jcm

In reply to UKC News:

Chicken Wings. Young Pete Whittaker will tear the crag in half if he's not careful.

Glad to see the Yanks are sitting up and taking notice. Revenge at last!!!

http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1634407/The-Wide-Boyz-climb-Gabriel

In reply to jonny2vests:
Some great comments on there

"Can't we put them on the no-fly list and claim them as American"

"They'd just row home in a dinghy. Backwards."

In reply to Chris the Tall:

"They'd just row home in a dinghy. Backwards."

Isn't that the normal way to row a dinghy?

In reply to UKC News: in cvredible achievment lads world class, i love a good offwidth brawl.

In reply to MJ:

All depends on whether it's a british or American dingy...

In reply to jonny2vests:

"Seems like these dudes are ticking America's hardest OWs like it was nothing.

Remember when Honnold, Segal and Jorgeson went to the UK and riled all the Brits up by ticking their hardest climbs off so quick?

We had it coming..."

Love it.
Am more inspired by these reports than anything for years.
Another worthwhile read is http://ianparnellphotography.blogspot.com/

Latest posting on a visit down South...

Adventure.

Matt

In reply to UKC News:
Mind boggling stuff. I can't help wondering what the finale is going to be??

In reply to MattH:

The problem is... where does this inspiration for OW climbing take you. Smeary slabs, finger cracks, juggy overhangs - you can find easy stuff to try and then you work your way up the grades (or not). But with off-widths? Can any one provide an "off-width progressive list" like the crack list in OPR? Grades from say S through VS, HVS and into the low Es? Just something mear punters can use to sample the joys of chicken-winging or double-inverted-torpedoes-with-a-twist?

In reply to Marek:
I'd have thought the off-width progression list would have to be drawn from a mixture of classic chimneys in the mod-S then HS-HVS jamming and a smattering of steep crack boulder problems.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Probably, but it should be based on the premise that using OW techniques actually makes that particular climb easier.

We also need a video glossary. Badly.

In reply to Marek:

Yes, easily. Of course, ours are all bonsai little things compared to the US ones, but eg Hercules and some relative of Buckle's (who was Buckle anyway?) on Curbar, the Dover and Ellis Chimney, Imposition at Ramshaw, Right Eliminate, The Brutaliser, Goliath (no laybacking please; the route has not been climbed if approached in this style), Giggling Crack and Ray's Roof should provide a useful introductory series. Unfortunately these stop round about the point at which offwidth climbing begins, and at that point you'll need a plane ticket, but it's a start.

jcm

In reply to Reach>Talent:

I'm not so sure Mike. Squeeze/bridging chimneys and fingers/hands/fist jamming cracks bare little relevance to offwidth technique surely?

Might as well get on some easy offwidths to start and progress from there.

Why don't you start a thread to get ideas for offwidth progression?

Eileen - Porth Loe Buttress at Severe to start you off...

In reply to Southern Man:

Be great to see other peoples opinions on offwidths outside of the Peak too, though even elsewhere, the more (in)famous offwidths tend to be in the higher grades.

Burning Desire
NW Eliminate
Jack Yer Body (tried this - admittedly on toprope - the other day and I couldn't move one inch)
Superjam


Et cetera

In reply to johncoxmysteriously:

I think Trident at Wimberry has to be there as well

In reply to Southern Man:

Sorry, just looked again and Burning Desire isn't an offwidth!

In reply to Southern Man:
I was aiming for the idea that you need to be able to fist jam before you attempt a teacup or stacked fist, stacked feet and Leavitation are an illogical but onward step from techniques like heel-toe cams etc.

You need to work the techniques in isolation before employing them 20' above your last undercammed size 6 friend

In reply to Reach>Talent:

I would love to see some diagrams of a lot of these up-to-now unheard of techniques (to me anyway!). And then i can go and practice them and lose skin.

In reply to gribble:
http://www.widefetish.com/pages/how_to.html

This is totally worksafe!

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Tnak you very much. Most comprehensive. So... some reading, then Goliath here I come!

In reply to Southern Man:
Botterils (haven't done it, have watched it)
Would Cleft Wall Route 1 and Scrattling Crack (done in the crack rather than the easy, pleasant way) count?

In reply to UKC News:

Winking Crack?
The Mincer?

In reply to UKC News:

Demo route at Sennen. Always good for a laugh on a busy day watching perplexed leaders struggling up this.

overhanging corner, also at Sennen is a similarly thrutchy experience.

In reply to andybenham:

I'm not sure you've quite got to grips with notion of offwidth there.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

Are you sure about that? Looks pretty kinky to me. And if I had a boss, he would probably be very angre with me for wasting half a day...

In reply to andybenham:

Hm? The Demo route chimney is wide enough to squirm up, no need for OW techniques.

In reply to andybenham:
We need to get out for a session down there again next time, got a bunch of routes I want to get done

In reply to UKC News:
The Wide Boyz make it onto National Geographic - http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/extreme-photo-of-the-week...