Lead climbing vs trad climbing reddit. Please see my reply to tongmengjia here.
Lead climbing vs trad climbing reddit. Taking it slow, learning a lot. ) but want to know what skills I should have solid before I dive into the mountains. 7 Holcomb Valley Pinnacles) The best shoe is the one that fits your foot and meets your needs. I took an intro to trad class about a month ago and have been mock leading to practice placements with a top rope back up. 12a max, sport lead 5. I prefer rope for swapping leads, and just use slings other times so I don't have to carry a cordelette. So, what’s the difference between top roping and lead climbing? Top roping you’re supported from above, while lead climbing you’re always above your rope. aid climbing is pretty clear. All brands fit differently as well so maybe offering to purchase one in your budget is a good idea. This is typically what I bring on most multi pitch climbs and how I’d rack it to maximize space for pro + draws, the extra carabiners shown (not attached) are situationally Placing gear on my first trad lead, most exciting climbing experience so far! (Triple Decker 5. 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 2. Apr 24, 2023 · 8. Dry treatment is a good upgrade for your first rope, especially dry sheath, it'll stay nicer, longer. Generally, trad climbing is less athletic as opposed to gym climb particularly, which is why there is the stereotype of the “trad dad” that’s out of shape and only climbs 5. Apr 29, 2024 · If you're just getting into rock climbing via the climbing gym, you've probably heard a lot of lingo you don't quite understand. Commiting to a crux 5m above poor wires with solid groundfall potential if they rip feels very different to a crux above some 12mm How am I protected? Like sport climbing, traditional climbing involves leading, but instead of using fixed gear like bolts for protection, trad climbers carry a rack of removable trad gear such as wires, camming devices and hexes. I read Big-Wall Climbing, by Jared Ogden to get started, and also read lots of material on internet forums, including Chris McNamara's How to Big Wall Climb. Then go back to bolt clipping for a year before you get up the courage to do it all again. This is quite dangerous, and is holding me back from pursuing trad climbing. Immediately yell, “Sport climbing is neither!” at anyone who will listen and start planning your next climbs: the Diamond, El Cap, Trango Tower, etc. The dynamic belay is seldom used in trad climbing, and when belaying on a multi-pitch you can't move around. For you this means you need dry if you're a guide or going ice climbing/mountaineering, because normal people and climbing- you just stop climbing when it's wet out. trad, are defined by one critical difference: the system of protection that a lead climber uses to reduce the distance and severity of falls. This is the only correct answer, and should get added to browsers as an autocorrect replacement for every variation of "Best Trad Harness" , "What is the best Trad Harness", etc. Today, I got crushed and couldn't finish any of the level 3 coloured climbs. The home of Climbing on reddit. Mar 9, 2022 · The two main styles, sport climbing vs. As a beginner trad climber, I find that when I lead a pitch of climbing (even climbs well below my limit), the heights/exposure/fear of falling drastically reduces my ability to maintain clear focus in the gear I am placing. It is easy to be less attentive while trad belaying, but don't take your role lightly. Am I wrong with assuming that lead climbing and top roping are encompassed within sport climbing? Trad climbing standards and practices change over time. The best advice I have for you is to boulder a ton so that you start to develop proper technique so that you don't get elvis leg (as much) while placing gear. Trad climbing with quickdraws is not ideal, but it works if you bring a few alpines as well for strategic extensions. 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… comfortable flashing a 5. He and his friends would pile into a van and drive thousands of miles from the east coast to climb big routes out west. He's the classic "trad dad", started climbing in the early 80s. I do notice the interesting resulting behavior is that in America you might as well try for the on-sight of what you’re trying since consequence of failure is (generally) low. 1. 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. I think in general they are fairly similar. Two years ago, though, I got into trad and haven't looked back. Hello! 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. grand Teton, high sierras, etc. 9, but have been wondering lately; Should I stick with top rope, or is it better to "cross train" on bouldering problems? To become proficient at climbing trad you first need to be proficient at climbing. 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. 4 or so. 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. 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. The only time I do the single carabiner sling is on alpine climbs and I'll put the sling trad draw style using the racking carabiner directly on the cam. Trad and sport harnesses can be different with the padding and gear loop layouts. Nov 27, 2023 · This article compares top rope and lead climbing, discussing the differences in technique, equipment, mental and physical challenges, and risk. Lead Climbing: ATC vs GriGri vs etc. Any tips on how to tell which clips to use? 43 votes, 54 comments. As a consequence, the pro I place is marginal, at best. I'm struggling to find a do-it-all harness I really like for trad/multipitch/ice climbing. 12a on lead outdoors. The gear loops are tiny compared to my dead bird harness. Sounds dumb and obvious, but this realization totally changed my climbing and if you're a TR warrior with outdoor goals, it could change yours. Started climbing a year ago and progressed from 5. Everything felt so big. 11-5. I’m looking for recommendations for a shoe for hard single pitch trad. What’s your opinion on lead vs top rope in regards to claiming grades? I was introduced into the sport by very proficient and experienced climbers who held the attitude that only leading was “real” climbing. #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. Anything related to indoor (and outdoor) goes. This intermediate-level climbing series explains how to transition from top-rope climbing to trad lead climbing. 11-, trad 5. Trad opens up more adventure-style climbing, tackling big walls and being out there on the wall for hours. What is Lead Belaying? Been trad climbing for a while now, and have slowly built up a decent trad rack. FWIW, I would like to learn trad one day, but I'd like to focus on my movement and lead-head before I head that way. A good next step for you would be to top rope a bunch in Peterskill etc first so you can start understanding systems a bit, make some connections in the community, and build a solid foundation of outdoor movement skills. The skillets aren't exactly the same (trad is more endurance, and sport is more power endurance), but if you get good at one, you get good at the other. 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. In lead, the selection it's a compromise between efficiency and risk of failure, so in that sense lead is more mentally difficult than bouldering. 8/5. This being said, it depends whats holding you back. I've also climbed outside a few times. There's a higher concentration of quality beginner routes at Squamish too, so you don't need to keep moving from place to place. g. I think trad has ruined sport climbing for me I've been climbing 10 + years, 5 quite seriously, and have clipped bolts all over North America. From advice on which gym to visit to videos of world cup IFSC climbers, you can find it all here. Which I do see myself headed into. 5. 9, and boulder at V3 with the occasional V4. One of the reasons I like mythos for crack climbing is the thick, stiff toebox. Aug 23, 2022 · Learning to lead climb means memorizing a system AND accumulating fluency and trust in that system. The minor distinctions climbers make between different ways of getting to the top of a cliff can seem unnecessarily arcane. I'm not looking to lead trad aaaanytime soon, but I'd like to have decent understanding of following to open up opportunities to climb more routes. This past weekend -- for the first time in 2 years -- I went on a short sport climbing trip to a classic area, and was -- frankly -- bored. So if you're comparing new school sport to old school trad grades, the trad climbing is likely to be noticeably harder than the sport climbing before you even start to factor in trad gear management skills. Take your time, don't rush into anything. I’ve been climbing for 2 years and have just started to get into trad climbing and multi pitch. 2 extra trad draws for nuts. I’ve used mine for tr-ing projects, ascending big walls in Zion and Yosemite, and repeated lead falls on both sport and trad climbs. They climb up cliffs without any bolts, placing removable protection in the rock as they climb. According to the charts I have seen this all lines up (the trad downgrade being a purely fear thing which I’m working on). 11c sport, gym I feel comfortable on 5. He is adamant that top-roping is absolutely NOT sport climbing. Nov 4, 2024 · What’s the difference between types of climbing like sport climbing, trad climbing, and free soloing? Sport climbing uses pre-placed anchors, while trad climbing requires placing your own protection. Bouldering is similar, but I think boulderers and trad climbers are driven by different things. I also think that in general everything there is soft so you might expect to find the grades a little easy overall. 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. Lead Climbing Trad climbing 101 Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trad climbing including the skills, gear, and popular destinations. I climb in southern Arizona so it will mainly be well protected routes on pretty sharp granite. Would love to hear your thoughts or a bit about what has worked for Balancing Cardio and Improving Lead Climbing Hi I'm looking to know how people balance their cardio endurance and climbing. I'd find a solid trad mentor, and follow their advice for learning to place gear. Now I'm on an exchange program to Scotland and there's not much outdoor sports climbing here so learning to trad climb would be ideal I guess. Feb 25, 2021 · Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing, often referred to as “lead” climbing. He suggested buying Alpine Quickdraws as opposed to regular quickdraws if I will eventually get into trad climbing. I recently started climbing outside and am looking for a first rope for leading that will be able to take a beating. 11b/c and hardest redpoint is a 5. Please see my reply to tongmengjia here. 7mm) for a few years now and it’s still holding up great. But I'm curious whether I should make an effort to get into it. this thread has more snark than all of r/climbingcirclejerk combined. I wear a 40/40. 5 and we did it in 3 pitches. I guess I went into the conversation as a somewhat ignorant climber that almost exclusively boulders, I consider climbing with ropes and safety gear (non-trad) to be sport climbing. Kinda curious about what everyone else has in mind for their own dream rack. 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. 8 - 5. I also have been reading John Long's Climbing Anchors. It stretches out, but not back while wet. In fact I can't think of anyone who uses two ropes unless they are ice climbing, real alpine climbing, or climbing in England. 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. Feb 26, 2025 · Discover the key differences between bouldering vs lead climbing, including gear, risks, techniques, and which style suits you best. 6 Experience: climbing for 5y, trad leading for one year ~35 pitches led total since my first lead last June. 7 to around 5. This weekend I’m thinking of trying out my first lead on a short 5. Im curious what everyone’s climbing progression/timeline has been like? How quickly did you progress from V1 to V2, and then V2 to V3 etc (not limited to bouldering grades). At which grade did you start to plateau? When did you start seriously training? The concept of free climbing vs. 4K votes, 269 comments. I top rope at 5. Beal ropes (reportedly) have the stretchiest ropes and softest catch in the industry. I got into climbing this year and have spent a lot of indoor climbing, both top roping and bouldering. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. I ask the staff when I'm really not sure, but I'd like to stop pestering them. Primary Climbing Area: Northeast USA, The Gunks Current Lead Range: up to 5. I definitely find that if I don't do as much cardio my lead climbing improves. 9- hardest onsite, I feel comfortable on 5. A subreddit for the indoor bouldering community. There are certainly more "pure" forms of free climbing style, but that doesn't necessarily negate a free climb ascent. Unless you’re a hard man attempting an overhanging route in a cave (then your name is probably Ondra) soft vs hard catches don’t really apply to trad climbing so much. 10 on gear, which is good for 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. The slings for alpines are fairly cheap on their own. Could lead climbing that same route increase its grade in theory? In my gym there are walls where you can climb top rope or lead with the permadraws along the same routes. And yes we are scared of falling. Also surprisingly durable for a high performance shoe, lasted 8 months before I resoled them could have probably pushed it another month or 2. You should try on shoes that are intended for multipitch trad climbing. I’ve always had dedicated PAS but am leaning toward ditching it entirely and primarily anchoring with the climbing rope (I mostly do multi-pitch trad). So, I'm a relatively new climber, and have only started sport climbing for a couple of months (I know, MOAN). The moves I’ve been trad climbing for 3 years now and am starting to break into 5. You “lead” both sport and trad climbs – but not in the same way. From my superficial research so far, it looks like there's more time spent on laying gear and technical aspects than the purely physical aspect, which is what attracts me to climbing. Lets take the free Nose climbs as an example: Lynn Hill - Swapped leads/followed, all pitches free with her partner, and lead Vs else where (mainly American climbing) once you get above your 1st or second piece, there isn’t much ground fall risk (unless a route is labeled X or R). Climbing Where do you live? Start with easy trad climbing with a guide or experienced partner and work your way up to alpine. 10+/5. In that case, should I just stick to lead climbing or top This will also help you build your trad lead confidence, which makes trad climbing an enjoyable experience and not some anxiety-inducing ordeal. When I went previously I could climb a few of the 'level 3' climbs and one of the 'level 4'. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. If it helps for determining common practices, I believe the climbing video I am referencing was shot somewhere in the UK. 60 votes, 10 comments. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. For me I want to be in shape to do long days in the alpine but still improve my trad climbing to be able to climb proficiently. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. Weights? Style of session? Small technique tips for equipment? Tell me how to make the switch as smoothly as possible. Best way for me to learn to lead trad was abbing (or rappelling on your side of the pond) down a route, placing gear as I go down and weighting it, then climbing back up on the preplaced gear. 2, and 0. Has anyone else experienced this? Any How many of you started off bouldering indoors and then transitioned to lead climbing (indoors or outdoors)? Was it a smooth transition? What for you was the hardest part? In hindsight what would you have done differently? Any advice is appreciated. 5 in my approach shoes and my TC pros are 39. Prior to this I'd been to a bouldering gym a few times that uses colour grading in 6 levels. 11+ confidently in a gym setting. Below is an introduction to some of the basic terms used to describe the different styles and techniques of rock climbing. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Lead climbing involves clipping a rope into protection while ascending a route from the ground up. Should I get comfortable lead climbing indoors and outdoors first before hopping onto trad, or can I go A fair chunk of trad climbing in the UK is face climbing. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. It took me a pandemic to realize I should exclusively lead climb in the gym if I want to be a better lead climber outdoors. What is less clear is the matter of style - the details in which a climb was achieved. I personally dont like using sport draws for trad climbing so I carry 10 regular shoulder length slings and 2 double length slings on longer stuff, all racked with 2 carabiners on my harness. Anyway, to my question: I have been taught that trad climbing is just climbing where you place your own pro (as in passive and active protection and not clipping bolts Yes, I am talking about the Solution Guide. I went through this process over the last seven years or so. I’d expect whatever your typical sport vs trad lead gap to hold there. Needs 4 good size gear loops for trad rack. Hey everyone, I've been climbing for about 7 months, so if I don't say something correctly I'm sorry! Recently within the past two months I have gotten into top rope climbing and I can confidently climbing 5. 3) up to 3 and haven't felt the need for anything more (stoppers and tricams fill gaps for me). I understand the differences between top rope and lead belaying, but what are the differences for the climbing in terms of technique and physical challenges? Totems vs Friends vs ??? I've got a whole double rack of WC friends (except singles in the 0. Super happy. 11 sport climber doing a long 5. 265 votes, 71 comments. 11 on gear. The mere fact that you are unsure of the equipment you need to lead climb tells me that you are clearly not going to lead safely. Some opinions about this would be great. In normal multipitch id much rather have trad draws with 2 biners than single biner. 1, 0. I want to do alpine climbing (e. I have friends who say that they have been climbing for a decade but refuse to learn new things and change their systems. It's more of a marathon, single moves aren't usually the issue, but having the body endurance to sustain climbing for a long time is. The new grigri vs the old grigri, anyone gotten to use the new one yet?. Hi guys, I've been thinking about trad climbing lately because it seems cooler in general. 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. Top Rope Climbing vs. I started trad climbing before I ever sport climbed (Mid-Atlantic here, similar situation where great trad climbing is much closer than great sport climbing). Reddit's rock climbing training community. 9 is my hardest trad lead with a 5. I started lead climbing, then switched to almost only bouldering, which I think all in all has affected my "technique" negatively for lead. 8 trad (with a few exceptions), 5. Was wondering what my ideal trad rack would be if money wasn't an issue. I need to get a little better at selecting gear, a little more efficient with rope management, better at route reading (aka, NOT getting tunnel vision in the crack, climbing past the top of the pitch and needing to downclimb lol). The crux with moving from gym climbing or crag climbing to alpine climbing is the aerobic fitness required. This article will explain the differences between the two main types of roped rock climbing - sport climbing vs trad climbing (traditional climbing). 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. Just know that trad climbing takes incredible knowledge and experience and is only performed outside. The solution is still my favorite sport climbing shoe that I have tried, precise and makes me feel confident on even the smallest feet. A friend and I learnt trad climbing with a guide, and he told us to avoid using static materials for building anchors, as it can be harder on the anchor points in case of a fall, which is more likely for them to fail. 12a. com Jun 28, 2010 · If you don't do much bouldering, sport climbing (particularly redpointing) and seconding trad that's harder than what you can lead, you will by default be leading close to your limit. Hello Climbing, I am an advanced level boulder climber and I am really looking forward to jumping into Trad climbing. This makes lead climbing both more dangerous and more difficult. I love TC pros but have always had them sized for comfort and can wear my current size all day on long multipitches and alpine routes. Dec 27, 2022 · The other type of climbing grouped under sport climbing is trad climbing, which is beyond this article’s scope. 11a/b sport climbing outdoors, hardest redpoint outdoors is a 5. At this point I would say a beefy secure rope to learn on is more important than weight and to a degree handling. Al's has totems on sale for $71 bucks a pop right now. Most situations it’s just a catch, don’t overthink it. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. I'm assuming limited rack so one sling per cam. But I highly recommend PAS for beginning climber so they get in the habit of anchoring the same way each time without having to problem solve or decide which piece of gear to use in which way Why wouldn't you be climbing multipitch trad on one rope? I've done plenty of long granite routes with one rope and everything was peachy. I've had my BD Momentum since I started climbing and I really like it, but its starting to die on me and I want more gear loop space/organization, so ideally I want something with a 5th gear loop. My SO and I got into an argument about sport climbing. The real distinction between top roping and lead climbing is the belay system used. Always belaying climbers heavier than me. Hey, any advice for a beginning lead climber? I just started lead climbing (indoors, hoping to move outside in a month or two) and I'm having trouble figuring out which clips to use when the route traverses. For reference: Female, 110 lbs, 5'3. And many terms mean different things, depending on the context. If you can consistently boulder v3/v4 outdoors you should be more than strong enough to navigate any crux climbing on 5. I am considering a sized down TC pro or 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. I’ve had a Beal Booster Unicore (9. Celebrate your great success Congratulations! You’ve narrowly survived your first trad route. I wasn't sure if there was a good rule of thumb about lead climbing adding a certain amount of grades of difficulty or not. See full list on ultimategearlists. A thing about trad-climbing is being able to improvise with what you got, in the most efficient and safe manner. Here's everything you need to know. A lot of Reddit has this do-it-yourself attitude and this is not a safe approach for rock climbing. I intend on taking a course this summer and would like some advice for climbing training. 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 Different climbing disciples are sprenading apart from each other more and more (not a bad thing). They do soften a lot over time though, but you can always buy a new pair. May 29, 2020 · New to trad climbing? Our Beginner's Guide to Trad Climbing breaks down everything you need to know to get started trad climbing today. Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. srlbbn nhqpl daqk yroknrt tya isxiy hqpfv hebvdk kcfijdj iafy