5 Golden Crack Rules You Can’t Ignore

Hey Cracksters,

With Crack Fest just around the corner, there’s going to be a serious amount of jamming going on. So whether you’re heading to Germany or just starting your project at the local crag, I wanted to take things right back to the basics.

These 5 rules form the foundation of everything Tom and I do. If you’re ever feeling stuck or a jam just won't stick, refer back to these. Maybe you are neglecting 1 or more of them.

1. Fill the Space Efficiently

Crack climbing is just climbing the spaces inside the rock. Most people start trying to engage the jam before their body part is even in the crack, which is a waste. When you insert a body part into the crack think of these 3 things

• Thinnest dimension: Insert your body part in its slimmest profile.
• Be Plasticine: Stay soft and supple as you wiggle in. A tensed-up hand is like a rigid brick; it won't mold to the crack.
• Expand only when inside: Once you’re in deep enough, then you expand to fill the space.

2. Your Body is a Jamming Device

Think of your body like a rack of gear. You have different sizes (from pinkies to whole torsos). There are two types of jams to focus on:

• Passive Jams: Like a nut/wire. Look for constrictions where the rock gets narrower and slot a body part from a wider space and into a narrowing space. These take the least strength, so look for these first.
• Active Jams: Like a cam. You create the friction by twisting, rotating, or expanding. Ideally for the best jams we use a combination of both passive and active.

3. Keep Everything in Line

Climbing a crack is like climbing a ladder. To be efficient, you need your limbs parallel to the crack.

• Elbows down: If your elbows start pointing out to the side like "elevator doors," you lose all your downward pulling power. Keep it all in line.
• Knees up: If your knees stick out to the side, you won’t get the twisting action in the foot to create a solid platform to stand on, you will then put unnecessary weight through your arms.

4. Structure, Not Strength

You want to lock your skeleton into the rock, rather than using your muscles to hold you on to the rock.

• Hanging from the frame: Aim to hang off your joints, ligaments, and bones.
• Straight arms: Just like hanging from a pull-up bar, a straight arm (hanging on structure) lasts way longer than a bent arm (using muscle).

5. More Surface Area = Better Jam

Here’s an analogy for you…Think of a strawberry jam sandwich. If the jam is only in the middle, it’s a disappointing bite. You want that jam spread right to the edges of the bread. Now imagine the bread is the crack wall; your hand is the jam. The more skin you have touching the rock, the more solid the jam

In Conclusion

1. Insert deep before you engage.
2. Seek passive jams to save energy.
3. Stay in line with the crack (the ladder rule).
4. Lock the bones, don't just squeeze the muscles.
5. Maximize skin contact for better friction.

It sounds simple, but master these five and apply them across your tool box of techniques and you’ll start swimming up those cracks

See you at Crack Fest!

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