A New FA in Kristiansund and the Golden Takeaway

Right, so what was that one thing I was reminded of while Mari and I were climbing this new route in Kristiansund?

I’ll give it to you straight away: body size really doesn't matter.

So often when I’m teaching Crack School classes in person at climbing gyms, I hear comments like:

"My hand doesn't fit!"

"I can't do this move because my fist is the wrong size."

This new climb reminded me of the golden rule I always share when teaching: unless you cannot get your fingertip into the crack past the first joint, there is ALWAYS a crack technique you can use.

You just have to remember that some techniques are easier and some are harder. The more cracks you climb across a variety of sizes, the more you'll find that difficulty evens itself out across the spectrum.

The Cam Size Trade-Off

Here’s how the spectrum breaks down by cam size and body/hand proportions:

Sizes that favour larger hands & body proportions:

• #0.5 (Purple Cam): A larger hand can finger jam comfortably here, whereas a smaller hand often has to ringlock. Standard finger jamming is much easier and less taxing than ringlocking.
  
  
• #2 (Gold Cam): Larger hands get a basic, solid hand jam. Smaller hands often have to use a cupped hand jam—and a basic hand jam is far easier to hold and rest on.
  
  
• #4 (Grey Cam): Larger hands can fist jam, whereas smaller hands have to execute a butterfly stack. Fist jamming is far better than stacking because you can keep moving your hands independently.
  
  
• #5 (Big Cam): More solid stacks for those with bigger hands. The stacking becomes cupped for those with smaller hands

Sizes that favour smaller hands & body proportions:

• #0.3 & #0.4 (Small Blue & Grey Cam): Tight finger cracks where smaller fingers lock effortlessly while bigger hands struggle to get as much skin contact.
  
  
• #0.75 & #1 (Green & Red Cam): Smaller hands get perfect hand jams in these sizes, whereas larger hands are forced into thin or paddle jams
  
  
• #6 (Big cam): Smaller climbers can get more of their body inside the crack with good chicken wings, whereas larger climbers are forced more to the edges.

How This Played Out on Our First Ascent

The way difficulty evens out was on full display on our new route in Kristiansund:

1. The Start (Comfortable Hand Crack): The crack was quite wide. I found this section easier because my big hands fit perfectly into solid jams. While I had great jams, Mari had to work much harder with cupped hands.
   
   
2. The Middle (Offwidth Roof into a #6 Size): I had to go inverted, place tipped-out heel-toe cams, and execute a massive sit-up just to reach the next good jams. Mari, on the other hand, could actually insert more of her body—hips and shoulders—deeper into the crack, reach good jams at the back, and cruised this section!
   
   
3. The Finish (Joined an existing 7a #4 Size Crack): This was much easier for me because it was perfect fists, so I could climb it like a steep fist crack. For Mari, single-handed jams weren't an option, so she had to start stacking and go inverted, making this section significantly harder for her.

Across the entire route, we both had sections that felt easier and sections that felt harder. In the end, the overall difficulty evened itself out completely, and we both agreed it landed around the exact same grade!

The Catch (And How to Use It)

This concept of "size doesn't matter" only works if you actually go out and climb many different crack sizes. If you only stick to one size—and that size happens to be naturally good or bad for your hand size—you’re going to get a completely skewed perception of crack climbing.

So, if you’re a smaller-handed climber struggling on a fist crack while your partner cruises past, don't worry. Next up, head over to a #1 Red Cam thin hand crack, where you can cruise on perfect hand jams while they huff and puff in thin hands!

There is ALWAYS a technique to use—it's just that sometimes the technique required is harder, and sometimes it’s easier. The real secret is having a complete bank of techniques available so you can pull out the right option when you need it.

Happy jamming,

Pete