Tom Randall (climber)

This article is about the British rock climber. For other uses, see Thomas Randall.
Tom Randall
Tom Randall at CrackFest 2024, Sheffield, UK
Personal information
Born
South Africa[1]
OccupationProfessional rock climber
Height178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Climbing career
Type of climberTraditional climbing, crack climbing
Highest grade
Known forFirst ascents of Century Crack, Autobahn, and The Kraken, some of the world's hardest crack climbs. One of the Wide Boyz duo. Co-founder of Lattice Training.
First ascentsAutobahn (5.14b/c); Century Crack (5.14b); Pura Pura (5.14b); Black Mamba (5.14b); The Kraken (V13)
Major ascentsCobra Crack (5.14b)
Updated on 24 February 2026

Tom Randall is a British professional rock climber. Randall and his climbing partner Pete Whittaker, known as the Wide Boyz, are considered two of the best crack climbers in the world. They are best known for the first free ascent of Century Crack (8c/5.14b) in 2011. They also produce crack climbing social media content, training material, and specialized equipment. Randall is also co-founder of Lattice Training, a climbing coaching company.[2]

Climbing career

In 2011, alongside climbing partner Pete Whittaker, Randall made the first free ascent of Century Crack (8c/5.14b), then considered the world's hardest offwidth crack climb.[3][4] Prior to the attempt, they had trained for two years on a wooden replica of the crack in Randall's home's cellar.[5]

In 2015, Randall made the first ascent of boulder problem The Kraken, a 40-foot horizontal roof crack in Hartland Quay, Devon, England. He proposed a grade of 8B (V13), making it one of the hardest crack boulders in the world.[2][6]

Over the years, Randall has established many new trad routes in England's Peak District.[7][8][9] He and Whittaker have also jointly established many routes, particularly in Canyonlands National Park, Utah.[10][11][12] They won Climbing magazine's 2016 Golden Piton Vision Award for their climbing in this region, particularly their first ascent of The Millennium Arch.[13]

In 2021, Randall and Whittaker made the first free ascent of The Great Rift, a 2,500-foot horizontal roof crack on the underside of a highway overpass in Devon, England, with pitches ranging from 7b+ (5.12c) to 8a+ (5.13c).[14] The climb was documented in the short film Bridge Boys, which featured in Reel Rock 16.[15]

In 2025, Randall made the first ascent, via free solo, of Autobahn, a 200-foot horizontal roof crack on the underside of a road bridge in Oranienburg, Germany. Considering it harder than Century Crack, he proposed a grade of 8c/8c+ (5.14b/c), making it the world's hardest offwidth.[16]

Notable Ascents

Traditional climbing

  • Pura Pura (link-up of Greenshadow and Greenspit) – 8c (5.14b) – Orco Valley (ITA) – 2014 – First ascent [17]
  • Black Mamba – 8c (5.14b) – Canyonlands (US) – Apr 2019 – First ascent, with Pete Whittaker[11]
  • Dina Crac – 8b+ (5.14a) (E9 7a) – Dinas Rock (UK) – Aug 2014 – First free ascent[7]
  • Crown of Thorns – 8b+ (5.14a) – Canyonlands (US) – 2016 – First ascent, with Pete Whittaker[12]
  • The Millennium Arch – 8b+ (5.14a) – Canyonlands (US) – Oct 2016 – First ascent (pre-placed gear), with Pete Whittaker[10]
  • Necronomicon –  8b+ (5.14a) – Canyonlands (US) – Apr 2019 – Second ascent, with Pete Whittaker[19]
  • La Fuerza de la Gravedad – 8b/8b+ (5.13d/5.14a) – Vadiello (ESP) – Dec 2022 – Third ascent[21]
  • The Final Round – 8a+ (5.13c) (E9 6c) – Dovedale (UK) – Sep 2015 – First ascent[8]
  • Pure Now – 8a (5.13b) (E9 6c) – Millstone Edge (UK) – Mar 2014 – First ascent[9]
  • The Cleaver – 8a (5.13b) – Day Canyon (US) – Nov 2023 – Second ascent[22]
  • The Great Rift (multi-pitch) – 7b+/8a+ (5.13) – Devon (UK) – Nov 2021 – First ascent, alternating leads with Pete Whittaker[14][15]

Bouldering

Wide Boyz

Randall and his climbing partner Pete Whittaker are together known as the Wide Boyz. Under this name, they produce social media content on YouTube and other platforms and host an annual crack climbing competition known as Crack Fest.[24][25] They also offer training in crack climbing and produce specialized equipment like crack volume holds and crack gloves.[26]

Lattice Training

Alongside Ollie Torr, Randall is co-founder and coach for Lattice Training, a climbing coaching company.[2] Specializing in a data-driven approach, Lattice provides coaching through both private training plans and social media content such as YouTube videos. They have supported elite climbers, including Will Bosi in his second ascent of one of the world's hardest boulder problems, Burden of Dreams (V17).[27]

Filmography

  • Wide Boyz (2012), directed by Chris Alstrin and Paul Diffley[28] – Documentary film on the first ascent of Century Crack
  • Wide Boyz II – Slender Gentlemen (2014), directed by Paul Diffley[29] – Documentary film on the repeat ascent of Cobra Crack
  • Bridge Boys (2022), directed by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen[30] – Documentary film on the first ascent of The Great Rift

References

  1. ^ "Tom Randall". Rab. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Tom Randall". Lattice Training. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b Chris Alstrin, Paul Diffley (directors) (2012). Wide Boyz (Documentary).
  4. ^ "Desert Testpiece Century Crack (5.14b) Sees Third Ascent by Danny Parker". Climbing. 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Century Crack 8c". PlanetMountain.com. 2 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "'The Kraken' is Slain: Tom Randall Completes V13 Roof Project". UKC. 11 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ^ a b Geldard, Jack (19 August 2014). "New E9 7a Roof Crack for Tom Randall - Dina Crac". UK Climbing.
  8. ^ a b Berry, Natalie (9 September 2015). "Final Round HXS 8a+/b for Tom Randall". UK Climbing.
  9. ^ a b "Massive Runout, Bad Gear: Tom Randall Puts Up Pure Now". Climbing. 14 April 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker Send Millennium Arch 5.14". Gripped. 17 October 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Hardest Crack Line yet for the Wide Boyz - Black Mamba 5.14b". UK Climbing. 15 April 2019.
  12. ^ a b Van Leuven, Chris (28 September 2017). "Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker FA Two 5.14 Roof Cracks and Continue Work on 5.15 Mega-Proj". Climbing.
  13. ^ "2016 Golden Pitons: Vision Award". Climbing. 15 February 2017. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  14. ^ a b Walsh, Anthony (1 December 2021). "Wide Boyz Tackle The Great Rift (5.13) Roof Crack Under 2,500-foot Cement Bridge".
  15. ^ a b "Reel Rock S8 E8: Bridge boys". Red Bull TV.
  16. ^ a b "NEWS: Tom Randall makes first ascent of hard urban offwidth". 2 October 2024.
  17. ^ Geldard, Jack (2 July 2014). "Tom Randall Climbs 8c+ Crack Link-Up". UK Climbing.
  18. ^ Geldard, Jack (25 September 2013). "INTERVIEW & VIDEOS: Wideboyz Do Cobra Crack!". UK Climbing.
  19. ^ Pullan, Brandon (1 December 2025). "Wild 5.14 Roof Crack Necronomicon Climbed Again". Gripped.
  20. ^ Geldard, Jack (3 March 2014). "Big News on the Grit: Dynamics of Change and Captain Invincible". UK Climbing.
  21. ^ Berry, Natalie (12 February 2018). "First Trad Ascent of Spain's Hardest Crack By Tom Randall". UK Climbing.
  22. ^ Brown, Nick (9 February 2024). "The Cleaver - Gruelling Crack Climbing with Tom Randall and Mary Eden". UK Climbing.
  23. ^ "Orange Piranha: 8A+ Boulder problem". Climbing History.
  24. ^ "Wide Boyz YouTube channel". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2023-07-19. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  25. ^ Depot Climbing (28 March 2024). "Crack Fest 2024: Comp Report". UK Climbing.
  26. ^ "Wide Boyz". Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  27. ^ "Will Bosi". Lattice Training. Archived from the original on 2 April 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  28. ^ "Wide Boyz, 2012". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  29. ^ "WideWide Boyz II – Slender Gentlemen, 2014". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  30. ^ "Bridge Boys, 2022". Letterboxd. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Randall_(climber)