Saturday, July 5, 2008

Lucille Onsight!?


I don't know if offwidth climbing is pimpin or not, it's definitely not crimpin, but I couldn't let this report slide.

I typically see an OW (or offwidth for the layperson) and cringe. How and Why do people climb OWs? There are many things that I would rather do than climb OWs, the worst of which involves bells, whistles, whips, chains, yo-yos, a circus midget, my grandmother riding by on a unicycle giving me the finger, and a rubber duck. Entering into OW land is scary, at least for me. I have heavy foreign objects dangling from my harness, I move 3 inches and start breathing like I just ran 10 miles, there's always a lot of kicking and thrutching, and half the time I feel like I'm stuck. No FUN! But some people love OWs. They search out these gapping beasts with vim and vigor. Masochistic sons of bitches!

Anyway, when I saw this I was astonished and thought it desevered special attention. OW capital of the world starts with a V and ends with a woo or voo, I never know how to say it. One of the grandaddies or maybe grandmamas of offwidthing is a route called Lucille 12+. This route may have seen like 6 or 7 ascents, none by a woman and Pamela Varco walks up onsights the route! Sick! Go PAM! Keep on keeping on.

1 comment:

JK said...

Yo, I think standard new-school o-dub technique involves crimping the shit out of the face with one arm while the other thrashes up the gaping maw in armbar/chicken wing position... There ya go, crimpin' = check