21 Crucial Crack Lessons From 2025

Part 1: Efficiency & Mindset (Climbing Smarter)

1. Motivation doesn't come back by force. If you lose the spark, take a rest and mental break, it returns with time.

2. Ego Check: Be Willing to Learn. Even the best in the world aren't scared of failing or looking bad when trying a new skill. Embrace the failure, that's how you improve quickly.

3. Always Have Another Go. Where most climbers would have stopped, the best put in one last ounce of effort. The extra 0.1% many many times, is what makes the difference over years.

4. Figure Out the Easy Parts. Work the easy sections of projects as efficiently as the hard parts. The 5% of fatigue you conserve on the intro may give you the 1% needed for the crux.

5. Be Smarter, Not Stronger. Technique beats strength. Learn the crack craft, don’t muscle through it (especially offwidths).

6. Sacrifice One Attempt to Settle the Mind. If you’re running into doubts on lead, sacrifice an attempt to take a solid (safe) fall and clear the mental barrier. Quality attempts count most.

7. Test Your Options. When a crux has 50/50 options, sacrifice a lead attempt to test the sequence from the ground. Only adding the context of the climbing from the start makes the difference apparent.

Part 2: Technique

8. Chimney Breathing is Key. In tight squeeze chimneys, breathe in when stationary and breath out when you want to move up

9. The Stick-Slip Point is Everything. Apply the minimum amount of force necessary to keep your jam secure. Operate just above the failing threshold to maximize your jam without over-gripping.

10. Training the Hand Jam is the Staple. Mastering the standard hand jam is a must. When you’ve mastered this move on to Paddle’s for training gains.

11. Prioritize Depth Over Initial Security. The biggest mistake is initiating the jam before the body part is fully inserted. Keep your jamming body part in its thinnest profile, insert up to the correct depth and only then initiate the jam.

12. The Hand Jam Percentage Rule (70/30). For hand-sized cracks, rely on 70% Thumb Expansion and 30% Finger Pressing. If your fingers hurt, you are pushing too hard with them.

13. Use The Thumb Roll. After pushing the thumb towards the little finger, push the tip of the thumb down towards the pulp to bend the joint.

14. The Ring Lock Thumb Must Be Vertical. Place the tip of the thumb vertically pointing up, near the crack's edge. This allows your fingers to wrap over the top for the crucial locking action.

15. Offwidth Rule: Outside Foot is Power. The outside foot is your powerhouse, creating most of the upward movement and acting as a platform to rest on.

16. The Frogged Position is Your Splitter Secret. Place your feet high, point knees out, and push horizontally against the opposing crack walls. Use this for very pure cracks.

Part 3: The jammers mindset

17. DON'T Just Be a Crack Climber; Be a Jammer. Don't limit jamming techniques to splitter cracks. Be open to using them between tufa, pockets, corners, and horizontal breaks.

18. Look for Jams in Unexpected Places. Where people pinch tufas, jam between them. Look inside horizontal breaks for hand or fist jams.

19. Dorsum Skin Never Toughens—It Thins. The skin on the back of your hand is not designed to build calluses. Wear crack gloves. We have them in our shop. Not wearing them for a session is a session too late (i learnt the hard way, don’t do the same)

20. Specific Training is Key. Don't expect to be good at all crack styles all at the same time. Each size demands something different. Train specifically for the demands of your project.

21. Jamming is Your Friend in the Mountains. Learn the techniques and use it as your friend not your fear. Make cracks the easy pitch of your multipitch adventures, so you can focus your attention on the real cruxes of the climb.