OCTOBER 2011, British climbers Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker climbed what many are hailing as the hardest off-width in the world.  Located in Utah’s Canyonlands," Century Crack" 5.14b thwart numerous attempts, including the free-climbing prodigy Stevie Haston, who estimated the grade to be around 5.14d.  What's astonishing is the amount of motivation these two climbers possessed.  As you will hear in the Podcast below, they spent two years training in the dungeon (as Tom likes to call it), perfecting their off-width technique on wooden cracks that were hung from the ceiling in Tom's basement.  

And the training paid off.  While visiting the United States, the two, a.k.a. The Wideboyz, decimated every off-width in their path.  Test pieces like Lucille (5.13a) in Vedauwoo, Wyoming, were dismissed on their first or second try.   And in Little Cottonwood Canyon in Utah, both Tom and Pete onsighted Trench Warfare (5.12.d) with Tom free soloing it afterward just for shit and giggles.  

Feeling ready to take on Century Crack, Randall and Whittaker worked the 40-meter (130 feet) off-width roof over the course of a single day, then returned and sent the route the following morning.  Even though there was some minor controversy about how the camming devices were left in place between each attempt, the overwhelming majority of climbers hailed their ascent as one of the greatest achievements of our time.  

“The Century Crack is the most beautiful off-width crack I know, and if you want to be successful as a climber and reach your limits, you really do need creativity.  I’m thinking of Alex Honnold, Chris Sharma and Ueli Steck—people who inspire us because in climbing they have found their own personal style and expression.”  Tom Randall