rock climbing Rock climbing is a climbing sports discipline that involves ascending climbing routes, routes consisting of natural rock in an outdoor environment, or on artificial resin climbing walls in a mostly indoor environment. Routes are documented in c ...

, a crack climb is a type of

climbing route A climbing route () is a path by which a Climbing, climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock face or an ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing-route database. De ...

that follows a system of crack(s) or fissure(s) which the climber uses to ascend the route. The width of the crack dictates the

technique Technique or techniques may refer to: Music * The Techniques, a Jamaican rocksteady vocal group of the 1960s * Technique (band), a British female synth pop band in the 1990s * ''Technique'' (album), by New Order, 1989 * ''Techniques'' (album), by ...

s needed, and crack-climbs are further differentiated by the body parts that can be 'jammed' into them, such as finger cracks (the narrowest), hand/fist cracks, arm cracks, and body (also called chimney) cracks. Off-width cracks are some of the most awkward, being too wide for the hands or arms, but too narrow to accommodate the body. A top-to-bottom uniform-width crack is known as a splitter crack. Crack climbing routes require a broad range of

s, but most importantly emphasize the techniques of ' laybacking' and of ' jamming'. Laybacking requires the crack to be off-set (i.e. one side protrudes) or in a corner, to create the opposing forces needed for the technique. 'Jamming' is where the climber physically "jams" a body-part(s) into the crack which they then pull on to gain upward momentum. The type of rock has an important effect on the effectiveness of 'jamming', with the high-friction surface of granite being particularly suited to the technique. The friction needed for 'jamming' can wear the climber's skin, requiring medical tape or specialist gloves for long crack routes. Crack climbs are particularly suited to

traditional climbing Traditional climbing (or trad climbing) is a type of free climbing in rock climbing where the lead climber places removable protection while simultaneously ascending the route; when the lead climber has completed the route, the second climber ...

as the crack can accommodate the

protection Protection is any measure taken to guard something against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although ...

(e.g. '' Separate Reality''). The invention of spring-loaded camming devices in the 1970s revolutionised the difficulty of cracks that could be attempted by traditional climbers, and led to new grade milestones set on crack-routes such as '' The Phoenix'' in 1977, the world's first-ever , and '' Grand Illusion'' in 1979, the world's first-ever . While the advent of bolted

sport climbing Sport climbing (or bolted climbing) is a type of free climbing in the sport of rock climbing where the Lead climbing, lead climber clips their climbing rope, rope — via a quickdraw — into pre-drilled in-situ bolt (climbing), bolts for their ...

routes in the 1980s diverted focus to the blanker face climbs, crack-climbs continued to feature prominently in the development of multi-pitch and big wall climbs, and most notably on the giant granite cracks on

El Capitan El Capitan (; ) is a vertical Rock formations in the United States, rock formation in Yosemite National Park, on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. The El Capitan Granite, granite monolith is about from base to summit alo ...

and its famous routes such as '' The Nose''. The early 2000s saw a resurgence in traditional climbing, placing crack-climbing back in focus. Swiss climber Didier Berthod ' greenpointed' the bolted crack line of ''Greenspit'' at , as did Canadian Sonnie Trotter on ''The Path'', and Austrian on '' Prinzip Hoffnung''. In 2006, new traditional-grade milestones were set on crack-climbs by Trotter on '' Cobra Crack'' at , and by Scottish climber Dave MacLeod on '' Rhapsody'' at . In 2008, American climber Beth Rodden freed the Yosemite crack-line of ''Meltdown'' at , becoming the first-ever women to climb a traditional route at that grade, which at the time was also the highest traditional grade climbed anywhere. In 2011, British crack specialists, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, climbed the world's hardest off-width crack, '' Century Crack'' at . In 2021, the same duo, climbed the world's longest

roof A roof (: roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of tempera ...

climb, a cement crack under the M5 in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, ''The Great Rift'' at .

References

External links

Getting Started Crack Climbing

REI Recreational Equipment, Inc., doing business as REI, is an American retail and outdoor recreation services corporation. It was formerly governed, and continues to brand itself, as a consumers' co-operative. REI sells camping gear, hiking, clim ...

(2024)
Crack Climbing Technique
''VDiff Climbing'' (2024) {{Climbing navbox Types of climbing *

See also

References

Further reading

External links