Crack Climbing: Jamming Fingers

Crack Climbing Technique: Jamming Fingers in Rock Climbing and Bouldering
rockclimb.video
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Although "Rock Climb" will have more than 100 videos (7 hours+ of content), the program is designed to include maximum information in a concise way that is easy to understand and assimilate. For that reason most chapters are built on the knowledge acquired in previous ones (e.g., Rope Basics → Top-Roping → Lead Climbing → Sport Climbing → Trad. Climbing).
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Rock climbing is fun but there is an element of risk. In some situations if you are not careful, the chances of serious injury or death are very real. A safety oriented mindset is essential.
The right attitude includes not thinking that just by watching videos and reading articles you will become a safe and experienced climber. Experience comes with practice. Practice means making occasional mistakes and learning from them.
We believe qualified in-person training should be the main way of learning and progressing in rock climbing. A good mentor, guide or teacher will make learning as safe as it can be, by assessing your level and every situation.
Our videos are meant to inform and entertain. Although our videos can be very helpful, they are not meant to replace in-person teaching by a qualified professional, nor they are meant to replace reading and understanding the instructions and manuals of rock climbing equipment-which we strongly advise you to do. (Manufacturers recommendations occasionally change, and it is a good idea to stay updated by visiting their websites.)
Have fun and be safe out there!

[@dreweflin]

Loved how simply this was explained. Aspiring crack addict here, thanks for the tips.

[@videoracles]

You're welcome!

[@Yarrownew9759]

This is extremely helpful, thank you!

[@videoracles]

You're very welcome!

[@vincentcolavin]

very well explained, thank you! i've been practicing the finger crack in the gym and last night i tore a good flap of skin off my knuckle. not sure what i did wrong but once it heals i'll be right back on the wall!

[@richardtaztaylor8706]

Brilliant explanation thank you

[@srmj71]

Another awesome video. What I've been really curious to know is how likely is a climber to get fingers or a hand stuck in a crack? I would think as long as you have to contract muscles to expand your hand or fingers into a crack, you're not likely to get stuck. Do climbers have a plan in the event they get a hand or fingers stuck?

[@videoracles]

Here is Roddy's reply: Sometimes a knuckle will get stuck in a finger crack, or you'll twist your arm at an odd angle while moving up, making it hard to remove a hand jam. I've never heard of a hand or finger getting so stuck that any special measures were required to free it, though. A climbing shoe, on the other hand, will frequently twist into a crack and get really stuck-you can usually wiggle it out but occasionally you might have to down climb or hang on the rope to deal with it. There's a famous story of a climber getting a knee so badly stuck in an off-width that friends had to haul up a bottle of oil to pour into the crack to free him. On a more serious note, it is possible to slip while jamming and seriously injure your finger or hand. A climber in Indian Creek lost part of two fingers a few years back when his foot slipped while he was climbing a 5.11+ finger crack called Fingers in a Lightsocket. Here's a link to the article about that accident-Rock and Ice Magazine has added a pay wall, but it's well worth buying a subscription if you are interested in all things climbing: www.rockandice.com/climbing-accidents/climber-loses-finger-tips-in-crack/

[@srmj71]

@@videoracles thanks for the comeback!

[@cppoppin12]

Roddy was that knee eating instance on the Whitney Gilman Ridge in NH? Just curious after reading your comment. There's a pitch with a crack that is perfect for gobbling up knees and legend has it that's why they call it the knee eater. Great video!

[@emilywein8956]

Great video. Do you have any suggestions for getting these jams stronger for beginners. I feel like my hands are never solid so I never have enough time to properly find the next jam or the next foot more importantly. They might feel secure but they don’t feel that secure so I’m not confident enough to move my feet from good positions. Is it finger strength? Pain tolerance? Proper torquing of the fingers for a good lock? I’m missing something since my hands and fist jams are intuitive as ever now and I can climb splitters and flaring cracks for hands and fists securely and what it was was good feet leading to good hands

[@videoracles]

Roddy's reply: Hi Emily, glad your hand and fist jams are feeling good! I feel least secure on fingerlocks, too. Doing finger-strengthening exercises might help, and climbing lots of finger cracks will help for sure... and more chalk! But I'm with you, I prefer a crack I can get my whole hand into. One of my regular climbing partners is a carpenter and has really, really strong hands and fingers... I let him lead all the hard finger cracks ;)

[@junuhunuproductions]

Such a nice videoAa

[@mohammadlevy9668]

Funny, on thin hands its always less painfull going pinky down. Thumbs down on that first big knuckle...now that's painfull...for me that is. Generally like your videos btw