The Finest Jam

Ben | 3/10/25 | travel

Within the supremely pointless niche of rock climbing, there are cracks and there are ‘jam cracks’. What’s the difference, you ask?

A simple crack can be any ordinary fissure in the rock. Maybe its just a narrow seam or a discontinuous opening snaking in curved randomness at varying dimensions of width. Or maybe, its an imposing chimney — a veritable silo you must insert your entire body into and writhe, contort, and suffer to achieve upward progress.

A ‘jam’ crack is none of these. A jamcrack is pure bliss. It may not be ‘easy’ in grade of difficulty, but it is among the highest stratum of climbing quality. It is a metric by which all other cracks are evaluated and judged. In descriptions and beta of routes that involve crack climbing, the presence or absence of ‘jam’ is a principle concern.

One example of jam perfected is the route, ‘Jamcrack’ on Sunnyside bench in Yosemite NP. This 160ft route starts as a 5.7 all-hands crack that ends at a ledge and continues up into a slightly thinner second pitch, clocking it at a cruising 5.9. The entire route is fantastic, but the opening pitch is what makes this one notably classic, and worthy of the unadorned title. It is nothing more and nothing less than a crack into which you plug your hands and your feet and, like ascending a granite ladder, jam.

This is your brain on ‘jam’ crack

In almost any other climbing destination, this route would be ultra classic - the kind of route you go out of your way to climb. Because of the location is Yosemite Valley, however, Jamcrack is really just another great handcrack and a fun morning of casual cragging if you’re in the area. It’s absolutely worth a special trip, but because of the sheer volume of world class routes - and jamcracks, you could be forgiven for not adding this one to the trip’s ticklist.

Next time you’re strolling around the Valley center, head over to Sunnyside and take a lap. May the crowds be few and your jams be plentiful!

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