Trad climbing vs lead climbing reddit I mentioned early on that I was specifically addressing "trad climbing gear anchors" because I thought that someone would immediately apply what I wrote to a two bolt sport anchor. 8) that were way less scary. The reason for this apart from being an old fart who has been around a long time is that I treat sports climbs exactly the same way as trad and climb them on sight from the ground up and hopefully with no rests. 14 trad, or v16 boulders then OG ethics don't really matter imo On gear you gotta carry it up place it right and move on, that's a big part of the climbing, recognize that as well The modern day progression for this is: learn to rock climb-> Once you comfortably climb 5. If you mainly do lead and use bouldering is supplement, it's probaby a very different story. when one rope gets a coreshot, reducing rope drag by clipping just one strand etc. Apr 29, 2024 · This article will explain the differences between the two main types of roped rock climbing – sport climbing vs trad climbing (traditional climbing). 12+. ). 8 on your second trad lead? Why are you blindly onsighting something on your second trad lead? Why are you calling it "suicide bailing" it is called "bailing" don't be dramatic. Posted by u/Sc1m17ar - 43 votes and 54 comments Bill Newcomb Tower - May 24, 2024 - mystery climber - read the notes Trad climbing, however, is a huge leap from sport climbing. i haven't whipped on them yet so i dont know about the durability, but i fucked a . I've been climbing for about 2 years now, but over the past 3 months have been going on a regular basis and getting more serious about it. Obviously it depends on your definition of alpine climbing, but for me that just means trad (or mixed) climbing in the mountains. 2 climbing will get 5. Keep in mind lead climbing is very different from TR or bouldering. A marathoner might practice sprints, but his training is focused on distance. 9's. I haven't tried the new uprise pros, however having tried a number of shoes here's my two cents. 6 called sweat, near the top of the route. 2 climbing to a v4 to more 5. Trad climbing with quickdraws is not ideal, but it works if you bring a few alpines as well for strategic extensions. i've even seen some professional climbers on video claiming "onsights" with pre-placed draws. Our test was to lead a 5. Back in the 70;s and early 80,s when sport didn’t exist trad was the only game in town and many more people climbed hard trad, ONSIGHT which the grade is for, unless a chop route, but not extended practice up to E6. 11 sport climber doing a long 5. my first live trad lead was a "5. My favorite sling for multipitch trad anchors is the rope I am climbing on. The rope and helmet were outside. 8 trad (with a few exceptions), 5. The ethos of the sport to respect and protect the routes that these people (often insane in my opinion and I'm from NC where a LOT of our trad stuff is weird as fuck and run out to all hell). That’s extremely common. Not all 5. I just googled it and some nice articles came up relating to gym climbing lead belay catches. What you also describe is some extremely bad decision making. Can anyone weigh in on what would be better? Don't think it does. For most of trad climbing bailing is easier than sport! You just aid through the hard moves. ) and I'm guessing that has something to do with why it was never I think this is an issue that doesn't really exist. I am doing sport and alpine multipitch and so far I had a single rope for sport (light, belay with grigri, easy handling rope management) and half ropes for alpine (for long abseils, extra safesty e. Max onsight are both 12b. It's definitely more technical than ice climbing and probably always will be. After a lead climber clips bolts or trad protection on a climb and runs the rope through the anchor, another person can then tie into the rope and ascend (top rope) the route without needing to place gear or worry about taking a big lead fall. 7 or so. In addition to knowing how to lead belay, trad climbers need to know how to belay from above, how to place and remove gear, how to build belay anchors, and how to rappel. We really just used it as a way to jumpstart our trad climbing careers because we didn't know too many other climbers to go the traditional "mentor-follower" style. I personally think totems are worth every penny and they make me feel like I’m not gonna die. 6 at tahquitz or J Tree. That being said, if your goal is "general fitness" and you feel like you are out of shape in general, I wouldn't drop traditional resistance training and focus on bouldering--your tendons will be by far your weakest link bouldering, which will preclude you from really working your muscles as If you've climbed for a while and understand Trad Climbing Basics, the next logical step is learning how to lead climb. Climbers use the term 'climbing' as a catch all, but non-climbers are more likely to be familiar with "rock climbing" (which usually means top roping), and boulders will use rock climbing to mean climbing with a rope to differentiate it from bouldering, although to a newbie it seems like bouldering is also be a form of rock climbing. Lowering on the grigri+ is more similar to the original grigri, but still has the two-stage can release to make life just that tiny bit miserable. I use a Petzl sitta for alpine and a padded thing for indoors. However, keep in mind that the traditional shortfalls of the grigri are also present and have been largely amplified through each iteration. It covers everything from hard single pitch cragging where you're basically sport climbing on gear to sketchballs alpine climbing where the gear is mostly there so they can follow the rope to find your body. Before Climbing Anchors was released I had picked up used copies of older two part series (1990's climbing anchors + more climbing anchors), as I was getting more serious about climbing and trying to get a better handle on knowing what I didn't know. Some have adjustable legs and some don’t. 9 to the roof (where you last clip is at your knees) and then take a fall. The lead climber clips quickdraws to bolts in order to protect against falls. As far as active equalization, I think you and I have both seen climbers spending time at a belay building a macrame project. Assuming you are what I would consider an advanced boulder (v8+ on real rock?) you should be able to transition really easily to trad climbing and be busting out 5. What you describe is normal for the grade. I'm just saying the culture of British trad climbing and downgrading is what it is, and a lot of these routes don't have many repeats yet. Hi anyone have a recommendation for a climbing harness for mountain trad use? Needs to be fairly packable and light for carrying (about 300-350g) but also reasonably comfortable for multi pitch use and hanging stances etc. I have a double rack of cams, one set friends, one set C4s. 2 x4 on a small whipper so they are on my shitlist. Trad and sport harnesses are the exact same. Excellent for edging, smedging and with a low toe box profile. 7 but go on about how "sport climbing is neither," but you've also got sport climbers who shit on trad climbers for the precise reasons you've outlined and argue the opposite side of the coin that sport climbing I like climbing for more than 15 feet at a time. Hi, my half ropes' lifespan comes to an end soon and I m looking at new options. If you're not climbing close to your technical limit, but instead interested in climbing quickly and efficiently at a "moderate" grade (eg, a 5. I started right away with a 2 day trad climbing course when I got into rock climbing. Easy TR access, easy gear, easy climbing. 9 sport clean. 14. That said, if I have a static rope available I prefer to TR on that of possible. I am considering switching those that I have onto my trad rack though as I don’t do as much sport climbing anymore and am not worried much about the weight for sport climbing. 6/5. Maybe the community can help me out on a question I have on trad vs sport climbing and the definition of a “true send” In trad climbing you need to… Not many gyms have a style of climbing that mimics very hard slab climbing, so it might be frustrating to gym climbers to hop on any slab (my buddies laughed their asses off and I felt like a baby deer walking up a blank fac). The home of Climbing on reddit. They will soften over time, and you can always size up for comfort. Thicker and stretchier make for a comfy durable rope. Up between two walls with air below. Lead climbing has a higher degree of fall chance since you will fall back down to the last clip in. 11c sport, gym I feel comfortable on 5. When belaying the same technique for "taking in" that is used with an ATC or similar device is used, however in the event of a fall instead of having to "lock off the device" the belay does nothing and the device locks by itself. 10-'s feel like they're punching me in the face (it's a little frustrating). Mostly I lead on double ropes. i honestly dont remember the next couple routes, but i DO remember my first trad fall. And I didn't know a lot. General insight: footwork is everything with lead climbing. 11b/c when I started climbing trad and my first trad lead was 5. Technical skills needed in trad climbing. That will allow you to start sport climbing outdoors (lead climbing while clipping the rope into pre-placed bolts with quickdraws). In my opinion the extendable sling doesn't often offer enough extension to avoid using/carrying draws and n most cases, but will create an added margin of safety by allowing you to extend to avoid a feature that might cause the draw to unclip or lever over an edge. Fast clipping makes lead climbing so much easier. If 1/2lb makes it breaks your climb and you're not climbing 5. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. However, in ice climbing, falling on lead can mean broken ankles, knees, or worse. 7, but it took so long to get here that it feels like I’ll never be a 5. The 9. I've found overall kataki's to be the best all around shoes ice used for crack, having an exceptionally low profile toe, while at the same time being very comfortable (the have a similar neoprene so It also has a feature specifically for lead climbing it has all of the function of a grigri 2 with the added benefit of feeding out slack on lead easily. At the end of the class they usually give you an opportunity to take the test for lead climbing and lead belaying. Now I’m comfy to around 5. As the climber climbs, they place intermediate protection every few feet along the climb (with sport climbing, this is done by clipping pre-existing bolts with quickdraws, while with trad climbing, this is done by placing removable devices into the rock) while the belayer lets out an appropriate amount of slack. (Like 1/2lb). Sunnyside Bench, Yosemite: “It’s easy to miscalculate your I have both and love my old TCs but have had severe toe nail Issues since before even begin gon climbing and climbing made it much worse. 13 trad with a quad rack in the same harness i sport climb 5. And those are just the I'm not saying they haven't. rated strength is not the same concept as durability in an anchor, the most important aspect is not a single component's rated strength. Oh, and 8 years, 5. 8's and 5. I can send most 5. It's like saying "if you like hip hop, why don't you like jazz?" Some people have different preferences. 9's really easily, but 5. To practice, take a quickdraw at home and just tape it up or hang it somewhere in your house. Futzing with over the shoulder slings sucks more then carrying an extra 10 carabiners. 11+ trad, then youre probably better off losing 1/2lb body weight or getting more skill/experience. Very appealing as a 6mm cordalette bomb is quite a bit more compact than it's 7mm equivalent, but seems a lot weaker (8. They do soften a lot over time though, but you can always buy a new pair. I've been lead climbing indoors and outdoors for the past 4-5 years now, and have been getting experience in trad climbing for the last year. About the sizing I am using a 37. I can't conceive of a scenario where you could lead climb without having been climbing with a leader on several occasions. Being honest about why you're doing this and how much risk you're willing to take is important. Slow and steady, gaining confidence and experience. 646 votes, 56 comments. A big wall harness is different . Depending on the age of the topo, the author (and their favorite rack brand), and the ethics of individual areas, it can be wildly different what "gear to 3"" and "gear to #3" indicates. Just yesterday I saw a guy on crutches leading A3. comfortable flashing a 5. Immediately yell, “Sport climbing is neither!” at anyone who will listen and start planning your next climbs: the Diamond, El Cap, Trango Tower, etc. I led Cat in the Hat as my first multi-pitch trad lead. If that is not an option for whatever reason then I use whatever slings I have available on my harness. And cardio, the amount of hiking was the crux for me, not the climb. This was my first route with no bolted anchors and it was too much fun! The route was staircase at eleven mile in Colorado 5. ETA: I’m not concerned about climbing weight as much as overall pack weight for multi-day excursions. 2 of ten (or even 5) years ago. I define my level on the sharp end, because there is absolutely a difference in climbing on top. Same loops, same padding. 8 - 5. Grades should be created because of the difficulty of the climbing moves and the size/direction/type I started lead climbing, then switched to almost only bouldering, which I think all in all has affected my "technique" negatively for lead. 12a climbs will have a v4 on them, but if there is a v4 on a route, it will be at least 5. Because trad climbing is NOT modern sport climbing or bouldering. 7 C1 if you get shut down. 10b sport outside when I started getting into trad, then kinda had to start over when learning on gear. I read Big-Wall Climbing, by Jared Ogden to get started, and also read lots of material on inte Hi, new to reddit so dont even know if this is likely to get an answer but worth a shot. If it helps for determining common practices, I believe the climbing video I am referencing was shot somewhere in the UK. Unfortunately there is no right answer. and over the years have also seen many sport climbers bring a couple 60cm (and even longer sometimes??) alpine draws for their projects (difficult clips, minimising rope drag We have 6 grades of climbing below VS for people who are starting out with trad climbing (all the way down to 5. 3). 3. Why the heck are you leading 5. My proudest lead was a 5. In this article we break down sport climbing and trad climbing in detail, focusing on their similarities and differences, as well as describing the skills, knowledge, and equipment required for each. Big wall climbing is a science and an art. honestly i think you can find shitty personalities in every kind of climbing--sure you've got trad dads who won't climb harder than 5. Of course bouldering isn't directly transferable to mountaineering, but if you want to do alpine climbing, you need to be able to do trad climbing, if you want to do trad climbing, you need to do some sport climbing and finally if you want to improve at sport climbing you could try bouldering here and then. Totems flexible stems are also favorable for horizontal cracks (gunks) vs semi rigid stems such as c4s or friends. I've just started lead climbing last month and am projecting 5. most people will clean their draws at the end of a session and put them back up (on lead, or not) the next time. the static and dynamic elongation percentages are the based on how the rope is loaded (static means load applied when rope is already stretched out like a toprope fall Trying to change it around for margins super early on is like doing the Ondra Two-Shoe for performance in your first 6 months of climbing. Most trad E5,s are up to 7A and nothing more, despite what people may think. This is common in climbing gyms. It's just a matter of preference. If you have to ask, you probably shouldn't be climbing it. 13+) are more akin to sport climbs on gear (with notable famous exceptions). Bouldering and trad climbing is like sprinting vs running a marathon. Lead some 16s (5. 8ish, and in the mountains up to 5. g. Their meant for aid and sitting all day. the grades don't change, but the difficulty does. So it occurs to me you are probably talking soft vs hard catch in the gym. A design to make it easier to beginners to use doesn't make it designed for beginners. If you're climbing trad here, you're climbing cracks and slab. For me it took me around 1. Easy trad at red rock is easy. 12as). 1" ramp that was really more like easy 4th, about 30 feet tall(but felt shorter). One was an active Yosemite Search and Rescue member. In this series, you'll learn what lead climbing is, how to belay a lead climber, how to place protection and build anchors, and the proper way to fall. 8. My trad RP is actually higher than my sport (13a vs 12d). 11's in short order. FYI, this is just how i progressed and others will differ. All that matters is if you're having a good time or not, unless you're climbing 5. In sport climbing you constantly push yourself to your physical limit, fall again and again, and finally send your project. It'll be thin and supple, but beefy and durable enough to last you a good while. I’ve been climbing about 8 years, leading trad consistently for maybe 3. I like taking whippers. Just wanted to throw in my fun observation. Generally, people find that the grade that they are able to top-rope is higher than the I boulder around V5-6 outdoors (V7 max) and lead in the 5. Last week-end, I went trad climbing with a 40l pack. I guess then you probably have more time to do a soft catch. 10- routes. I have been climbing for about 2 years, but only bouldering and top roping indoors, and I have only ever used a typical ATC belay device, which I am very comfortable with. As you progress you'll find that higher grades will often have portions that are essentially boulder problems. 5 years from the moment I started until I was leading trad multipitch. A 7mm tag line and a 9. 8kn vs 12. If you don't have good footwork, you could really end up hurting yourself with a nasty ropeburn if you fall wrong. But here's my only advice that seems relevant to this thread. can lead on one to get a stuck rope if needed). 2 z4. e. I did a bit of top rope and sport climbing after that, and moved onto climbing a little bit of trad as a second for a while until I felt I was ready to start leading trad. Use an ATC on trad climbing or if you are using half/twin ropes. You need to lead as much as possible to gain the "lead head" and skills for dealing with situations that can develop. Needs 4 good size gear loops for trad rack. I lead the second pitch up the 'scary' bit, and my second did say that the grade should take it into consideration, but I said it shouldn't and just be the climbing. An event was only categorized as an “injury” if paramedics or a physician were called to the scene. 1 and 0. Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. Business, Economics, and Finance. Different climbing disciples are sprenading apart from each other more and more (not a bad thing). I was leading sport at around 5. 10 routes on toprope at the gym, learn to sport climb -> Once competent at lead climbing and belaying sport routes, learn to single pitch trad climb -> Once competent at single pitch trad climbing and anchor building, begin climbing easy multipitch routes Slings are pretty cheap as far as gear goes, so why buy not a couple of lengths and go experiment? Start with a 60 and 120 nylon from really any reputable brand, and maybe a sewn 240 for anchor building. He suggested buying Alpine Quickdraws as opposed to regular quickdraws if I will eventually get into trad climbing. Bouldering and roped climbing (typically, at least for lead, trad or sport) are quite complementary. The leads in my gym are primarily overhanging so banging the wall isn’t generally an issue. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. See full list on climbingschool. Which I do see myself headed into. Feb 25, 2021 · That being said, both sport and trad climbs can be done on “top rope”. 3. For example, a climb that has 5. 7 1P at Red Rocks, the route wanders a bit, despite using up all my 24" slings and quickdraws the rope drag at the top was ridiculous. Honestly, static ropes are not very useful in free rock climbing (mostly for rappelling, fixed lines in aid climbing, etc. Yes, I am talking about the Solution Guide. When lead climbing, you have to take a hand off the wall to then reach and clip. Went to get a new one at my local shop yesterday and was told 6mm is the way to go unless it's for TR. I have heard that I would love the Up Mocc's and then also that the TC Pro is the end all be all of trad shoes. There's a lot of niches in climbing for the various natural abilities any climber might find themselves with. Getting more and more into trad, and I've been doing so with a pair of La Sportiva Solutions, which admittedly, I adore climbing in, but hate having on for multiple pitches or entire days. I started climbing trad first, then sport, and now boulder a lot. I still do all three. Yeah I agree intuitively - but the reason I separated them is I noticed a prerequisite for Edgeworks's outdoor lead course is "Previous indoor lead climbing experience". You can share carabiners between your quickdraws and alpine draws and just swap them out depending on if you're trad climbing and sport climbing. Posted by u/Monkoton - 16 votes and 11 comments Nice! I lead E1 on a good day, and have found that usually the E1s tend to be a bit objectively safer as they get steeper and with smaller holds/fewer big ledges you are less likely to hit something in a fall that would do you any damage. In theory, a trad route of a given grade should be similar in physical difficulty to a sport route of the same grade, but will feel harder because of carrying a cumbersome rack, the knowledge and skill needed place gear effectively - and/or the mental control required when opportunities to place gear aren't as frequent as you might like. Less rope stretch could be nice on longer pitches. One of the reasons I like mythos for crack climbing is the thick, stiff toebox. I would be pretty surprised if anyone at petzl said "this was designed for gym use". I think it was worth it. Just because you can lead 10c sport doesn't mean you're going to start learning trad at ~10a. Right now I have been sport climbing and now how to lead and clean routes, and soon will get into 2-3 pitch of sport only climbing. As well, a single rope rappel doesn't quite make it safely, so my follower had to lug up another rope so we could tie them together and rap the full length safely. If you're on your 3rd trad lead ever and you're out of gear, looking at a dangerous fall, and all you have is a horizontal nut placement, you should reassess what you're climbing Sport routes tend to be delicate and steep. We came into it with a strong sport climbing background, understanding of pro, and general dos/don'ts. I lead low 5. I still excel at ‘bouldery’ sport routes compared to ‘enduro’ ones. 11d ("hardest" clean lead on trad gear). au Trad climbing (in North America) is often conflated with crack climbing; however, it seems that most of the harder trad climbs (5. Miscalculating protection. So yes, experience matters. As it turned out, the majority of climbing injury events reported were either during lead climbing or top-roping (53% and 23%, respectively), with only 6 bouldering incidents qualifying as an injury (20% of the total injuries). 5mm rope isn’t much lighter than twin 8. 10 outdoors and have climbed trad up to 5. Personally I enjoy bouldering more because 1. Then go back to bolt clipping for a year before you get up the courage to do it all again. First step would be to learn to lead climb, preferably outdoors, and learn about trad climbing too. Try Tonto as your first trad lead. 15 sport, 5. (that said, I do outperfom most lead climbers on cruxes) It was some tourist climbing around my place, not experienced in outdoor. - Cams, Nuts, Hexes is an expensive road that never really ends. Ratings are subjective, and if you can truly and consistently lead 10c outdoors on trad, you should already know this. Most trad climbing involves lead climbing, in which the rope starts at the bottom of the climb with the climber. I would wear this one for multi pitches. 12a but if there are a few bolts of v3 climbing to a v4 crux, the climb will likely be 5. 2). Lead climbing is where the the rope is behind the climber. Sport climbing is the type of lead climbing you see done at the climbing gym. The obvious example is speed climbing, but between bouldering and sport climbing (lead and top) the gap has increased the last years due to the modern style of setting. Currently I'm organizing my gear for a climb and I intend to bring a short prusik cord for tying the french prusik (… I can lead 11a/b in my gym, sometimes clean. Toproping. I've been doing it for many years now and I still have to dial my head in when I go for a redpoint or limit onsight. - I can just go alone 2. When I put on my new TCs all day the pressure and pain in toes became in bearable on a trad trip where I just was able to wear my old TCs for the same duration and while uncomfortable it wasn’t unbearable I TR something way harder/dangerous first then mentally it feels like a walk on the lead I’m aiming for. Trying a 5. However, I am looking to get into lead climbing and potentially start going outside once I'm comfortable with the basics of lead (and when New England winter allows it lol). It’s not like a 5. When he did untie the previous knot he felt. Some opinions about this would be great. The future is awesome. Oct 12, 2020 · If someone asks you for your sport climbing grade or your lead grade, they mean the highest grade of sport climb that you can cleanly lead. it was just to get a trad lead out of the way. That is when you start to get into some bigger numbers, but if cared for properly, Trad gear should last you many seasons. More loops, heavier, wider back, upper body on some. When TR'ing, you have both hands all the time. 10 trad climber. Some gyms rate TR and lead climbs differently, this is a mistake. Hello fellow trad climbers. I would recommend the beal if you plan to primarily lead. Many climbers differentiate their sport leading grade from their top-rope climbing grade and their trad leading grade. LESSON LEARNED. Depending on the area, you may have to build your own anchors (not sure if the Gunks has a lot of fixed anchors or not), which changes a lot of the logistics of getting up and down without leaving gear. 5mm ropes and there are other benefits to the twins (e. It's called TRADITIONAL for a reason. Cheers I’ve been climbing hard sport for a long time but just started trad climbing this year and I’m hooked! I’ve been climbing trad way below my limits to be safe. 4. For me trad climbing is the most fun, sport second and bouldering third. 6+ trad at the Gunks clean, I can lead about 5. rated strength is NOT even close to a direct measure of safety, since an anchor is a system and no single component should ever be subjected to the breaking strength of a cord. 5 and we did it in 3 pitches. Extendable slings are great in this setting. Logistics play a huge part! If you have experience with trad climbing, it will certainly be easier, but you really have to study the ideas and techniques behind how everything works. Background- 10 years of climbing outdoors, two years climbing retail, and I'm an AMGA guide. If you don't realize this, then your physical climbing ability is probably outpacing you experience to make safe decisions as a climber and you should slow down. Just keep working it in the most comfortable way you can make it, and have fun! Learning to crack climb was crucial for me being able to go the places I wanted to with my climbing. I'm a nobody but I climbed reasonably well into the 8th grade on bolts in Europe after first climbing trad and trying to work my way up the grades in California. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. 12a. Even at nationals, the sheer number of competitors is so much higher in bouldering its bound to be more competitive. If you climbed a route ground-up, bolting on lead, I'd still consider that "traditional climbing" since that's how bolted routes pre-sport-climbing were done. Only sport climbing, he messed up at the anchor attaching his carabiner with the figure of 8 knot to the previous knot. Your first rope should be a 9. Always thought 7mm was standard. The gear loops are tiny compared to my dead bird harness. How many slings with a single biner do y’all carry vs alpine draws? I’m tempted to cut down to 6 alpines to save a few oz on biners, as I don’t foresee placing more than 6 nuts per pitch, but I’m kind of nervous about not having enough. 10 pitch is stress-free when you understand that it goes at 5. 11a/b sport climbing outdoors, hardest redpoint outdoors is a 5. C4s are great for pure trad: when I’m pumped while placing gear I really enjoy a thumb loop. Even gym lead climbing isn't like outdoor lead climbing. Nothing wrong with some training weight as well! Happy climbing! I use an ATC-Guide. Reply reply Use a Grigri. A 20l is plenty for sport climbing, multipitch and a lunch. Feb 14, 2022 · It’s probably no surprise that inadequate protection/protection pulled is the top factor for trad climbing. At my local crag (Squamish), the rock type is completely different for each discipline. 8s of today are the work horse durable ropes of 10. You don't want to sport climb with alpine draws. com. Both my harnesses (old BD Momentum, and Misty Mountain Caddy) are webbing with plastic around them, so that particular point of failure shouldn't ever be a problem. My first trad lead was Peaches 5. Ice climbing is very different from sport climbing. 9, but have been wondering lately; Should I stick with top rope, or is it better to "cross train" on bouldering problems?. 3a) From the bottom, I belay off my belay loop with the ATC and two carabiners O&O 3b) From the top, it depends on the situation and belay stance/anchors. My trad leading grades are so far quite a bit below my sports grade, but I'm working on a lot of easy trad routes and upping the grade a little bit at a time. A Grigri is very easy to use, and its semiautomatic brake is really safe. When I started i got an ATC and I ended up buying a Grigri for sport climbing. For lead climbing, a Grigri is more difficult to use correctly than an ATC; for top-rope climbing, the opposite is true. Trad climbing IS more than just placing gear in the sense that it is also: understanding the micro and macro structure of the rock, reading for good rests and spots where it is comfortable to place, gear management, very often anchor building, very often crack climbing (jam it up!), and a whole bunch of knowledge about different knots and some other gear. 60 votes, 10 comments. That was the heart of the whole ethic wars back in the day -- rap bolting and bolting on TR were what people took issue with, not bolting in and of itself. This is different from toproping, where the rope is pre-hung at the top of the route. I have to almost meditate before each send to keep my breathing under control and perform my best with exposure. No amount of reading or YouTube is a substitute for just getting out and doing as much multipitch trad climbing as you can. 5) not long ago that was pretty scary. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. To me, they each have different merits, and it has nothing to do with the grades. The first pitch of chips and salsa is really easy. That said I personally tend towards safer trad routes. For the question "how much did you train", the answer is: I climbed until I felt confident about knowing how to do lead climbing, placing gear and building anchors. If you have a strong mind and a frail body, there's always some A5+ stuff out there. So, yes, I think the term "clean climbing" could've/should've replaced the term "trad climbing" since most modern trad climbing is clean. For me, the hardest part was (and still is) climbing efficiently. And you can maybe even play around with the woman vs man versions regarding how stiff you like it. I like placing gear and solving the puzzle of protection. I really like having a lead rope and a 30-40m static rope. 20-30 foot runout on not inspiring gear is pretty common. Congrats on the fast progression! Fun times ahead. TC pros are kind of the gold standard for crack climbing though, and for good reason. May 29, 2020 · Lead Climbing vs. But at 49 percent of trad incidents, it ranks as the most frequently tagged factor for any style of climbing in the data. Trad climbing is a lot broader than sport. 9 multipitch/alpine route), running it out between good stances is a decision that moves you closer to the free-solo end of the spectrum in terms of trading risk for With the plastic not being connected to anything, that would lead to wear in one spot (where gear settles on the gear loop) and eventual failure. I climb 5. If you are single pitch climbing, it's probably fine, but multipitch climbing with a full double rack, draws, anchor material, atc/grigri, and water bottle/packable jacket gets really tight without a lot of gear loop space. 5 which is half a size more than what I size my other LS shoes for sport climbing (for reference I am a 39 or 39. Reply m__s • In short, trad climbing, more formally known as traditional climbing, is a form of rock climbing that requires placing your own gear for protection, rather than solely relying on pre-placed bolts. 11b/c and hardest redpoint is a 5. #2 Lead climbing comps (spoken from my own experience so take it with a grain of salt) are noticeably less competitive than bouldering ones at most levels of competition. Trad climbing often involves crack climbing , which is a different style of climbing from face climbing. I rarely lead climb in the gym and usually do poorly because I find it so pumpy compared to outdoors. They climb to a point, and then clip the quickdraws, and keep climbing. 9, though. I like the mental and physical analysis that goes into the red point process. Even sport climbing you want to follow someone up first and get some basic instruction on back clipping, z-clipping, and anchor cleaning before you go out on your own. 1. My take is that the dragons are really great for alpine climbing. But I couldn’t bring myself to pay for three times as many again for the trad rack when the miniwires are $7 vs $15 for each helium. Also you can take some short falls on both ropes and get used to the longer falls you're going to experience leading vs top roping. I'm climbing 6b+ on sport and E2/3 on trad. 6 days ago · They competed on the international sport climbing circuit, produced award-winning mountain films, revolutionized portaledge technology, and were young yet highly accomplished alpinists. I tend to prefer the friends for the reasons you've mentioned. 9- hardest onsite, I feel comfortable on 5. Jun 28, 2010 · I've been climbing for so long that I can make a direct correlation on most routes i. Trad climbing involves a set of technical skills very different to those used in single-pitch sport climbing. Didn't change anything on my climbing, I think the best is to understand why accidents happens. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. I've been climbing at the local gym for 5 months- the last 3 months pretty consistently 2-3 times a week and I'm just starting to project 5. This is probably the wrong audience to ask this question--a climbing sub is going to "like" climbing. 11-low 12 range outdoors (ticked a few 5. if it is, you did something else very wrong. The grade is 5. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. Trad climbing can be a complicated affair, I wouldnt rush into it. I can lead 5. Thoughts on 6mm cordalette use exclusively as a multipitch trad anchor? yap, i have a 0. Starting to climb indoors is the right start. -it’s a short period of trying super hard then stopping, like doing a max set at the gym, I enjoy this type of hard and fast exercise followed by a rest period. 90% of what I climb is trad in tahquitz and j tree where pushing the grade on lead can be detrimental to your health if you are not prepared mentally. An ATC is more delicate as its proper use requieres more attention and experience. Furthermore - their Trad Lead course lists "Previous outdoor sport lead climbing experience (20+ pitches recommended)" as a prereq. 5 in approach shoes). Having beautiful granite to stick to will let you concentrate on learning gear selection and placement, at Squamish, rather than worrying about slipping on lichen at Leavy. it is generally considered a successful redpoint (in modern sport climbing) to lead the route with pre-placed draws. Someone else said it, there is no cheating, only lying. Of course "clean climbing" is often not 100% clean (flakes are pulled off, rap stations are sometimes bolted, cams can scar the rock, etc. 9 is my hardest trad lead with a 5. I haven't boulder much, and I love/appreciate the head game of lead climbing sport and trad. GameStop Moderna Pfizer Johnson & Johnson AstraZeneca Walgreens Best Buy Novavax SpaceX Tesla. If they are showing you these types of stats on manufacturer's website, its likely a dynamic rope. They place well; and expand a surprising amount for the smallness. For me, after years of only trad climbing and plateauing in the 10's, getting serious about bouldering was key to progressing. In normal multipitch id much rather have trad draws with 2 biners than single biner. Trad gear (placing, bouncing, falling) absolutely damages sandstone, and other rock to a lesser degree, but it’s only a contention because those cracks are also used for hand/foot placement, whereas in sport climbing the holds aren’t affected by the protection. Top rope climbing is where the rope is anchored from the top. i was on a 5. For TRing I would go with the mammut. Sport Climbing. My background in placing gear is 30% alpine, 65% mixed sport climbing (you have bolts and pegs but using gear is advisable) and 5% pure trad. And yes we are scared of falling. Generally you never need a 240 sling if you're able to be creative with anchor building, but a lot of people like them because it can help simplify things. This will also help you build your trad lead confidence, which makes trad climbing an enjoyable experience and not some anxiety-inducing ordeal. I was leading up to about 5. Im getting more into trad climbing where obviously alpine draws are pretty much your go to for clipping your rope to cams, nuts etc. - cheaper, the rope + grigri + harness aren’t super expensive but it’s an initial cost for sure. rope. I'd recommend sport climbing outside for a few seasons before you consider getting into trad climbing, its a whole other conversation in itself. Crypto When you're sport climbing, this does occasionally mean the first 3-4 bolts are ground-fall territory (there's tons of options here: bring pads, accept risk, have the lighter climber climb to bolt 4 and lower and trade off, etc), but when you're trad climbing, you can place extra gear to create friction (reducing the need for an ohm) or to stop If the Giga jul fixes the issues most people have with the megajul, you'd only need to own one device that did everything, instead of using a reverso for trad/multi-pitch and a GriGri for single pitch sport climbing. I also have no intention of starting a sport vs trad vs bouldering debate, as the question I'm asking is only really about trad, and I understand rapping or lowering off of fixed anchors/chains on a sport route. The first year on a Gri-Gri2, then left it at the gym (and was taken), so I switched to a Mamut Smart (also an assisted d Apr 24, 2023 · Congratulations! You’ve narrowly survived your first trad route. I did an 11 (5. There are two forms of lead climbing: sport climbing and traditional climbing (known as “trad”). From bouldering, you can find a partner and start toproping and eventually should learn to lead climb inside. The rope and helmet needs to be outside the pack. jwbikucwvxbkmftnaqastynkfsfatqwyhalzdwvmpohwyw