Moab's Mary Eden Conquers Century Crack After Six Months of Offwidth Training

Mary Eden, a Moab resident and longtime offwidth devotee, climbed Century Crack, a roughly 120-foot sandstone offwidth on canyon country just outside Moab, after five to six months of structured, high-volume training. The ascent rewarded deliberate preparation: Eden climbed carrying about 18 #5 cams and nearly 20 pounds of protection, prioritizing frequent gear placements over lighter, riskier runs.

Century Crack has a reputation in the offwidth scene, popularized by the Wide Boyz, Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker, as a test piece that demands limb-wedging, body scumming, and patience. Eden trained to climb heavy rather than to run it out, a choice that shaped every practice session. She called the line “like a cathedral,” a nod to the crack’s sweeping exposure and sculpted sandstone. The climb’s technical demands, wedging hips and shoulders, making awkward jams under sustained strain, and trusting big cams in parallel-sided placements, make protection strategy central to success.

Eden trained with partner Samantha MacIlwaine and enlisted help from friends across Utah to borrow large cams that most local climbers do not own. Their regimen included trips to remote practice areas, cargoing odd-sized gear and refining movement on replicas. When the first replica proved inaccurate, Eden and MacIlwaine adjusted their training plan rather than pushing a flawed model, a pragmatic approach that kept practice time useful and safe. Eden’s mentorship connections run to Tom Randall, and she has documented routes and techniques in The Climbing Zine, giving her a blend of hands-on skill and technical literacy that informed her campaign.

The practical details matter for any climber considering serious offwidth: Eden carried roughly 18 #5 cams, placed protection frequently rather than running long sections without gear, and accepted the added physical cost of a heavy rack to reduce fall consequences. Offwidth climbing exacts a specific toll on the body and the mind; Eden’s months of targeted practice built the muscle memory and confidence needed to manage the pain and technical awkwardness of the crack.

For the Moab climbing community this ascent reinforces a safety-first template for big offwidths and underlines the value of shared gear, mentorship, and dedicated practice. Photos by Spencer McKay and Sam Foreman document Eden’s line from bottom to top, and Eden’s route log and reporting in The Climbing Zine provide technical notes for teams planning similar attempts.

Eden’s climb raises the bar and provides a roadmap: borrow the big cams, plan for weight, train the awkward moves, and expect to iterate on your replica. That practical playbook should make future Century Crack attempts more accessible and safer for local climbers who want to tackle Moab’s offwidth canon.