Trotter Climbs 5.14 Cobra Crack

Photos by Luke Laeser

Canadian Sonnie Trotter has redpointed the much-tried Cobra Crack at Squamish, B.C., calling it solid 5.14, a strong candidate for the world’s hardest crack climb. Trotter attempted the 100-foot finger crack more than 30 times over three years before completing it all-free, placing his pro on the lead, according to www.gripped.com.

Cobra Crack is an arching thin-finger crack splitting a giant overhang at the Cirque of the Uncrackables on the Chief’s Backside. Last summer, Swiss crack-climbing ace Didier Berthod, who has redpointed cracks as hard as 5.14a, spent two months at Squamish and made more than 30 attempts on the Cobra Crack without success.

Trotter told the Canadian website Gripped: “Cobra is 30 meters long, with the crux pulling over the lip around the two-thirds mark. It involves huge dynamic throws between one- and two-finger locks; pain is ever-present, and the mental crux is overlooking the pain move after move. The redpoint crux comes over the lip on a slippery side pull; the feet are next to nothing, and it takes momentum and a huge throw to latch the final edge, at which point you’re about 15 to 20 feet about your last piece of gear—it’s really exciting.”

Photos by Luke Laeser

For pictures of the route and a good article about Didier Berthod’s attempts on Cobra Crack, see http://www.latimes.com/.Comment on this story