Oct 25, 2011 offwidth climbing is generally hated by many people because of the strenuous and gruelling nature of the climbing. Rob pizem a local utah climber has done a number of first ascents. Tom randall, 32, and pete whittaker, 20, free climbed the century crack by squeezing. The world of offwidth crack climbing is a strange subculture rumoured.
An analysis including the firsthand account of steve crusher bartlett. The two, hailing from sheffield, specialise in a style known as offwidth crack and their film, wideboyz, just won the award for best short mountain film at the 2012 banff film festival, held each autumn in canadas rocky. Offwidth climbing works the whole body and mainly the major limbs get massive. On episode 193, i sit down with american alpine legend, george lowe. Two brave brits have become the first to complete a tough climb up a 160foot fissure in utahs canyonlands. Stevie haston attempted this route in the 1990s with no success. For context, watch this short video of tom and pete training for century crack. In 2011 he teamed up with pete whittaker to take on the worlds hardest offwidth crack century crack, which is documented in the film wide boyz from hotaches. Pete is widely regarded as one of the best crack climbers in the world, having made dozens of cuttingedge first ascents and hard repeats, including the first ascent of century crack 5. Nov 01, 2018 seven years after its first ascent, the notorious offwidth roof crack century crack 5. Tom is a keen trad climber and has established many first ascents all over the world, mostly involving some kind of crack climbing. Whittaker and randall had initially tried the 50meter boulder problemroute hybrid roof crack back in 2011, when rob pizem took them to it after their first ascent of century crack 5.
Seven years after its first ascent, the notorious offwidth roof crack century crack 5. Following the ascent of the infamous offwidth line, they were introduced to a number of other projects in the area by local developer rob. Support the gb paraclimbing team by enrolling in crack school. Establishing the worlds hardest offwidth century crack followed, and the name of the wide boyz stuck. Sep 30, 2019 further afield, he has made the first ascents of century crack 5. Tom and pete have since gone on to establish and repeat many of the worlds hardest crack climbs in all different widths, sizes, lengths and brutalities, gaining great knowledge and experience in. Splitter camp climbing clinics 2019 the original and longestrunning indian creek clinics for crack climbing celebrating 15 years of clinics and nearly 100 years of combined indian creek climbing and guiding experience. The pair received some criticism for preplacing the cams for their first ascent. Nov 21, 2011 in october, the pair established what is believed to be the worlds most difficult offwidth route, a 170foot roof crack under canyonlands white rim that they dubbed century crack. Those are tall words, but these two have the track record to back it up. In autumn 2011 i had just recently stepped into trad climbing and was projecting my first ever offwidth crack, a. Climbing the worlds hardest offwidth outside online.
Captured in the awardwinning wideboyz movie tom and pete won plenty of admirers for their efforts. Crack climbing by pete whittaker sample pages by vertebrate. Climb the offwidth, wasatch range rock climbing guides. Ukc news wideboyz climb century crack placing gear.
Pete whittaker and tom randall dedicated two years of their lives to training for offwidth routes they had never even seen. The sizes of cracks vary from those that are just barely wide enough for the fingers to fit inside, to those that are so wide that the entire body can fit inside with all limbs outstretched. Anyone who followed the quest of wide boyz tom randall and pete whittaker, two brits who tore up the u. George grew up in ogden, utah, among an extended family of climbers, skiers, river runners that included his equally legendary cousin, jeff. During a video chat on september 25, randall described their stillunsent undertaking dubbed the crucifix, in the white rim area of canyonlands, utah. Century crack is possibly the worlds hardest offwidth crackclimb, and was a well known project before tom and pete climbed it last month. A selfdescribed dork, george found a home among the small counter culture of climbing and began using his problem solving skills on the.
See more ideas about rock climbing, climbing and bouldering. Tom randall is an expert on hard crack climbing and brutal training regimes, but on a recent trip to america he met his. Situated high up on the flanks of the chief in squamish, this line was known as possibly one of the worlds most difficult cracks for. Danny parker has made the third ascent of the offwidth called century crack 5. Wideboyz climb century crack placing gear ukc news. In 2011, the wide boyzbritish offwidth aficionados tom randall and pete whittakermade the first ascent of century crack, a 5. Guided rock climbing tours near moab moab utahs outdoor. Whittaker and his climber partner tom randall trained for two years for the offwidth crack, meaning the gap was too wide for fistjamming techniques and too narrow for chimney techniques.
Huge offwidth downgrade supertopo rock climbing discussion. Further afield, he has made the first ascents of century crack 5. The pair is renowned for their brutal training and success on the hardest cracks in the world. In 2011, the wide boyzbritish offwidth aficionados tom randall and. Crack climbing pete whittaker haftad 97819142762 bokus. In october last year, danny parker from salt lake county made the third ascent of the infamous 120ft roof offwidth century crack 5. Tom randall and pete whittaker shot to fame in 2011 after their ascent of the worlds hardest offwidth, century crack, e108c, in utahs canyonlands. The 120foot line was first freed by the wide boyzthe uk climbers tom randall and pete whittaker who in 2011, after. Cobra crack is the most beautiful crack in the world, and certainly one of the hardest and purest.
Danny parker, 27, made waves at the end of last week announcing that he had repeated century crack, the interminable offwidth roof crack in canyonlands, utah, first reappointed by tom randall and pete whittaker in 2011. The monster roof crack was first climbed by wide boyz tom randall and pete whittaker in 2011 with the gear in place. Tom randall and pete whittakers monster utah roof crack. Pam has made a stylistic choice with her offwidth climbing that works for her. Apr 1, 2018 rock climbing, bouldering, ice climbing, and more climbing. Tom and pete have since gone on to establish and repeat many of the worlds hardest crack climbs in all different widths, sizes, lengths and brutalities, gaining great knowledge and experience in this form of climbing. And while it holds countless classics, sail away is one of the best.
It was the crack that put those twothe wide boyzon the map. Following the ascent of the infamous offwidth line, they were introduced to a number of other projects in the area by local developer rob pizem. An 18 foot, less than vertical offwidth that starts flared and cuts to a right leaning grovel. Back in 2011, they authored the 120foot century crack, the worlds first 5. Generally an offwidth of this grade is hard to make progress on, but even harder to fall out of you must stay in the crack and patiently work thrash.
The inspiration for building this crack machine came after seeing tom randall and pete whittakers crack cellar, which they used to train for century crack a 5. Repeat of the century danny parker on century crack. Alstrin film and hot aches productions have teamed up to document their twoyear journey. In 2011, they made the first ascent of century crack 5. Here he is seen upside down 200 feet above the floor of the canyon near the white rim in canyonlands national park, utah. Mar 25, 2020 pam s my climbing hero so i gotta give her my back. Probably also the hardest offwidth crack ever climbed weighing in at around lowend 5.
The wide boyz take over american offwidth climbing. Tom randall and pete whittaker spent two months in wyoming and utah this fall climbing the united statess. The sizes of cracks vary from those that are just barely wide enough for the fingers to fit inside, to those that are so wide that the entire body can fit. This is why we named this short guide boulders that touch, this problem is a long flake that rests against a large boulder up near snowbird resort. The crack is considered the hardest offwidth crack climb in the world. Park at the little cottonwood park and ride and start at the climbers trail in the north east corner of the parking lot north of the bathrooms. Century crack is possibly the worlds hardest offwidth crackclimb, and. How to do the wide widefetish, home of all things offwidth. Their new climb, century crack, is the hardest offwidth in the world at 5. Now thats what i call a first ascent ep4 century crack 5. Part of an offwidthroof circuit at lizards mouth email me if you are interested, this line suffers through a. See more ideas about rock climbing, bouldering, climbing.
British climbers tom randall and pete whittaker have carried out the first pinkpoint ascent of century crack in the canyonlands, usa. If you want to become a better crack climber, one of the most famous crack climbing areas in the world indian creek, is just an hours drive from moab. Climb worst idea of the century crack, central coast. Crack climbing by pete whittaker provides a single point of reference for all crack climbing techniques, regardless of the grade you climb pete is widely regarded as one of the best crack climbers in the world, having made dozens of cuttingedge first ascents and hard repeats, including the first ascent of century crack 5. Repeat of the century danny parker on century crack ukc. They returned later and sent it placing gear on lead. It was mental, says tom randall, reflecting on climbing a 160ft fissure in utah national park with his pal, pete whittaker. Join two brave british lads, pete whittaker and tom randall, as they take on the decidedly american sport of climbing bloody, painful and often dangerous. From acclaimed directors paul diffley and chris alstrin comes a wild journey through the strange subculture of off width crack climbing.
Your experience, as you climb, will not be that you possess phenomenal strength and technical skill. The beauty and classicity of a climb is an incredibly subjective topic, but im just going go ahead and say it as others have. Apr 03, 2016 the world of offwidth crack climbing is a strange subculture rumoured to be dominated by knuckledragging, barbrawling dirtbags. I give credit to the the wideboyz were actually honest and respectful in their report. Petes hard crack credentials also include the first ascents of crown of thorns 5. Joshua tree needs little introduction as a paradise for funky and unique granite crack climbing. Danny parker climbed his first offwidth ever around the same time the. His first attempt began and with a steady shuffle, wide ponies, knee locks, hand fist stacks and arm bared he ascended the hardest offwidth and. Imagine that youre an offwidth climber with preternaturally good strength and coordination and technical skill, and that youre climbing a known impossibly difficult offwidth. Crusher and rainbow above century crack alex ekins bivouacing near century cracktom and pete spent a day working the route and then on wednesday the 5th of october tom won the toss of the tape roll. Jun 08, 2016 pete whittaker and tom randall dedicated two years of their lives to training for offwidth routes they had never even seen. Tom randall and pete whittakers new climb, century crack, is the hardest offwidth in the world. Renowned crack climber, author and wide boyz pete whittaker shares his new guide the definitive guide to crack climbing. Century crack by steve crusher bartlett pete whittaker and tom randall both climbers led century crack, one right after the other have pulled off a free lead of what is quite likely the longest roof crack in the world 120 feet long.
Crack climbing by pete whittaker provides a single point of reference for all crack climbing techniques, regardless of the grade you climb. We did over 17,000ft of century crack climbing in 2 years, which equates. For those of you who a are bored, b nursing a grudge against tom randall and peter whittaker, or c like crack climbing, then this ahem gem is for you. Jan 04, 20 it was mental, says tom randall, reflecting on climbing a 160ft fissure in utah national park with his pal, pete whittaker. Century crack offwidth climbing trad utah white rim 5. Then there is century crack, the only offwidth to make this list.
Located on the underbelly of white rim in utahs canyonlands, the stunning. Located on a standalone rock, this climb is an absolute mustdo for any trad climberwhether you climb 5. Following the ascent of the infamous offwidth line, they were introduced to a number of other projects in. Offwidth climbing is generally hated by many people because of the strenuous and gruelling nature of the climbing. Pam s my climbing hero so i gotta give her my back.
Crack climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber follows a crack in the rock and uses specialized climbing techniques. In october, the pair established what is believed to be the worlds most difficult offwidth route, a 170foot roof crack under canyonlands white rim that they dubbed century crack. Two brave brits have become the first to complete a tough climb up a 160foot fissure in utah s canyonlands. Hes the 3rd person to send century crack, an inverted offwidth that turns a roof for the finish down in canyonlands, utah. Century crack is possibly the worlds hardest offwidth crack climb, and was a well known project before tom and pete climbed it last month. The world of offwidth crack climbing is a strange subculture rumoured to be dominated by knuckledragging, barbrawling dirtbags. The recovery drink and the worlds hardest crack climbs. Hailing from salt lake city, parker may not have been on. Back in 2011, when century crack went down, it represented a new age in offwidth climbing and as such was not something parkerwho was. Mar 29, 2015 an 18 foot, less than vertical offwidth that starts flared and cuts to a right leaning grovel.
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