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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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The introduction to Roper's "Yosemite Notes" section in Ascent, 1972, says "Climbers are seeking out more and more 'off-width' jamcracks. That's the kind in which no part of your body seems to fit perfectly."
The report includes routes like Cream and the left side of Hourglass, mostly from 1971, but doesn't use the word "off-width" anywhere else.
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scuffy b
climber
On the dock in the dark
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So, this seems to be, so far, the earliest print citation
discovered by this group.
One never knows exactly what setting a phrase in quotes means,
but I'm guessing that Roper's meaning is along the lines of
"so-called off-width cracks", as if he doesn't want to give
full currency to the unsavory term.
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spyork
Social climber
A prison of my own creation
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On the wonderful list above:
> 742. La Cosita - Left Variation 5.9 *
La Cosita Left is an offwidth? Didnt seem like it to me.
> 1074. Absolutely Free - Right Side 5.10a R/X
I went up and looked at Absolutely Free right, it looked horrendous. Looked harder than 10a.
> 178. Cookie - Left 5.10a
This is really hard. I found it mystifying. Must be doing it wrong.
Edit: I never saw an offwidth when I climbed La Cosita Left. I think Ive done it twice. But that was before I fell in with the wrong crowd and I maybe wasnt looking for an offwidth variation to it.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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How did you do La Cosita Left variation (as opposed to the 5.7 "regular" route) if not by off-width? Pretty scary offwidth to lead, at least in my current, decrepit, overweight state.
John
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scuffy b
climber
On the dock in the dark
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Anders, if you could peruse a bit more of that intro to the
Yosemite Notes?
My recollection is that he remarked on the trend toward short
free climbs and toward groundfall risk.
Taken along with the phrase you quoted, I get the impression
that he has just awakened to the notion that he's part of the
Past in the Valley.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Steve,
> > 742. La Cosita - Left Variation 5.9 *
> La Cosita Left is an offwidth? Didnt seem like it to me.
La Cosita - Left is a steep 5.7 corner/crack.
La Cosita - Left Variation is a flake, further to the left. Offwidth or possibly lieback.
Maybe it should be renamed "La Cosita - Far Left"?
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Elcapinyoazz
Social climber
Redlands
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"La Cosita Far Left", a good aka could be "The Marxist"
Makes me wonder where/when "ringlock" entered the lexicon.
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Slightly later, as I recall...
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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"Camp 4, now known officially as Sunnyside Campground, pulsates with the sound of iron being racked by teenagers just down from El Cap, girls getting ready for Coonyard, hippies, salesmen and thieves. All walks of life are present, it seems, quite unlike the bygone days when only introverted, maladjusted, sex-starved college dropouts joyfully found some measure of normalcy through climbing.
"The boulders exude chalk, piton scars are found in A5 cracks two feet above the ground, and chin-up bars are crudely strapped between the trees. Warren Harding refers to Camp 4 as an Olympic Training Village.
"The Olympians work damn hard, no doubt of that. In the fifty-odd new routes which follow, only a handful are rated below 5.8. It will also be noticed that very few big climbs have been established; many of the routes are but a single pitch, and a short one at that. Climbers are seeking out more and more 'off-width' jamcracks. That's the kind in which no part of your body seems to fit perfectly.
"An elite group, led by Royal Robbins, Mark Klemens and Peter Haan, have lately been observed performing the scariest of climbing maoeuvres: unroped 5.9 and 5.10. Mind-control is everything these days, and these lads really have it. There is a not-so-subtle undercurrent of one-upsmanship in the game. Standards will be pushed and slowly raised, though some climbers, not honed to a fine edge, will take the dreaded groundfall.
"Aesthetic and varied artifical chocks are by now so much a part of the normal hardware selection that a special book is being kept which lists all the climbs which have gone 'clean', that is, with nuts only. A few nuts have pulled out on falls, but pitons always did too, and climbers are not really concerned with the safety aspect; it's the ecology and speed trip now. Rumours abound in the Valley regarding new Lowe-clan inventions: will crack jumars allow the Nose to be done in a day? Crack jumars, one stammers, what the hell? But they only fit cracks bigger than one and a half inches. Oh, that's good.
"A climber's camp is being considered for the east portion of Camp 4; the seven-day limit will not be enforced so rigidly, cars will be banned and a 50 cents per night per person fee will be levied. A rescue team will be on hand, composed of trained climbers who will rotate with others every few weeks. Their compensation: no camp fee and hourly wages for rescue work."
 Ascent, 1972, page 58. Steve Roper was then its co-editor.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 30, 2010 - 01:21pm PT
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Not really seeing much use in any sixties accounts...likely because aficionados saw nothing at all "off" about wideness. If Roper hated them...Bingo!
As Jello pointed out a while back, bodies and appendages vary so much in size that the term is rather useless. But I recall "off-fingers" and "off-hands" being used a lot, too.
I like "fatcracks", myself!
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Sep 30, 2010 - 02:00pm PT
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I first ran accross "offwidth" as a description of a wide crack in late 1971 in Berkeley. I am unaware of its use in print until the 1973 Bridwell article, but it might be worthwhile to check the 1972 Ascent, which I would do, except I'm not at home. I think it was that, but it may have been the 1971 Ascent that reported on the first ascents of Cream and Narrow Escape, together with the FFA of Hourglass Left.
All of this suggests that Peter is probably our best source of info here.
John
Edit: Sorry, Anders. I didn't see the last page of posts!
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 21, 2011 - 10:35pm PT
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literary reference bump
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Dec 21, 2011 - 11:14pm PT
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best kept current
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scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
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Dec 22, 2011 - 02:07pm PT
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I my readings since this thread was new, I still have not seen a print
usage earlier than Ascent 1972, which covers the climbs established in
1971.
I have not seen the 1969 or 1970 Ascents recently.
The 1968 Ascent, which includes Edge of Night, Another Country (left side
of the Remnant) and first free ascent of the Slack, does not use the term.
In the descrition of the Bridwell/Faint route on Washington Column, there is mention of a flake which "is climbed by difficult and unprotected
jamming and chimneying; the first protection is 60 ft. out at a small roof
(5.8)."
This material is supplied by Chuck Pratt, perhaps tweaked by David Dornan.
I have seen earlier references which are quite generic, such as "6-inch
jam crack."
In Chouinard's early AAJ article on Yosemite climbing, he describes
chimneys which range down in size to those which require one-arm and one-
leg technique.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 6, 2012 - 12:07am PT
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bump
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