Lead climbing vs trad climbing reddit. 11b/c and hardest redpoint is a 5.

Lead climbing vs trad climbing reddit. 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. You should try on shoes that are intended for multipitch trad climbing. This intermediate-level climbing series explains how to transition from top-rope climbing to trad lead climbing. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. 11a/b sport climbing outdoors, hardest redpoint outdoors is a 5. From advice on which gym to visit to videos of world cup IFSC climbers, you can find it all here. This article will explain the differences between the two main types of roped rock climbing - sport climbing vs trad climbing (traditional climbing). See full list on ultimategearlists. 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. Take your time, don't rush into anything. 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. 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. What is Lead Belaying? Been trad climbing for a while now, and have slowly built up a decent trad rack. What is less clear is the matter of style - the details in which a climb was achieved. 7 Holcomb Valley Pinnacles) The best shoe is the one that fits your foot and meets your needs. 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. The gear loops are tiny compared to my dead bird harness. 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. All brands fit differently as well so maybe offering to purchase one in your budget is a good idea. They do soften a lot over time though, but you can always buy a new pair. The slings for alpines are fairly cheap on their own. 11-, trad 5. This makes lead climbing both more dangerous and more difficult. 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. And yes we are scared of falling. Trad and sport harnesses can be different with the padding and gear loop layouts. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. Mar 9, 2022 · The two main styles, sport climbing vs. 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. 9- hardest onsite, I feel comfortable on 5. 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. Just know that trad climbing takes incredible knowledge and experience and is only performed outside. I think in general they are fairly similar. 6 Experience: climbing for 5y, trad leading for one year ~35 pitches led total since my first lead last June. Dry treatment is a good upgrade for your first rope, especially dry sheath, it'll stay nicer, longer. I’d expect whatever your typical sport vs trad lead gap to hold there. grand Teton, high sierras, etc. Was wondering what my ideal trad rack would be if money wasn't an issue. The new grigri vs the old grigri, anyone gotten to use the new one yet?. 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. 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. 11+ confidently in a gym setting. 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. 8 trad (with a few exceptions), 5. I started lead climbing, then switched to almost only bouldering, which I think all in all has affected my "technique" negatively for lead. this thread has more snark than all of r/climbingcirclejerk combined. I wear a 40/40. 12a max, sport lead 5. So, I'm a relatively new climber, and have only started sport climbing for a couple of months (I know, MOAN). Today, I got crushed and couldn't finish any of the level 3 coloured climbs. Super happy. The minor distinctions climbers make between different ways of getting to the top of a cliff can seem unnecessarily arcane. 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. It is easy to be less attentive while trad belaying, but don't take your role lightly. 8 - 5. Lead climbing involves clipping a rope into protection while ascending a route from the ground up. 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. This weekend I’m thinking of trying out my first lead on a short 5. Beal ropes (reportedly) have the stretchiest ropes and softest catch in the industry. Started climbing a year ago and progressed from 5. Climbing Where do you live? Start with easy trad climbing with a guide or experienced partner and work your way up to alpine. Prior to this I'd been to a bouldering gym a few times that uses colour grading in 6 levels. The solution is still my favorite sport climbing shoe that I have tried, precise and makes me feel confident on even the smallest feet. 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. 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. #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. 5 and we did it in 3 pitches. Apr 24, 2023 · 8. Feb 26, 2025 · Discover the key differences between bouldering vs lead climbing, including gear, risks, techniques, and which style suits you best. Aug 23, 2022 · Learning to lead climb means memorizing a system AND accumulating fluency and trust in that system. Everything felt so big. 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. 7mm) for a few years now and it’s still holding up great. I prefer rope for swapping leads, and just use slings other times so I don't have to carry a cordelette. 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. In normal multipitch id much rather have trad draws with 2 biners than single biner. 2, and 0. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. 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. As a consequence, the pro I place is marginal, at best. A thing about trad-climbing is being able to improvise with what you got, in the most efficient and safe manner. I got into climbing this year and have spent a lot of indoor climbing, both top roping and bouldering. 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. I'd find a solid trad mentor, and follow their advice for learning to place gear. Below is an introduction to some of the basic terms used to describe the different styles and techniques of rock 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. When I went previously I could climb a few of the 'level 3' climbs and one of the 'level 4'. 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. 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. 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. Please see my reply to tongmengjia here. 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. 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. He and his friends would pile into a van and drive thousands of miles from the east coast to climb big routes out west. g. trad, are defined by one critical difference: the system of protection that a lead climber uses to reduce the distance and severity of falls. For reference: Female, 110 lbs, 5'3. 5. At this point I would say a beefy secure rope to learn on is more important than weight and to a degree handling. A subreddit for the indoor bouldering community. But I'm curious whether I should make an effort to get into it. 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). Also surprisingly durable for a high performance shoe, lasted 8 months before I resoled them could have probably pushed it another month or 2. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. 265 votes, 71 comments. I went through this process over the last seven years or so. 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 climb up cliffs without any bolts, placing removable protection in the rock as they climb. 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. 4 or so. Nov 27, 2023 · This article compares top rope and lead climbing, discussing the differences in technique, equipment, mental and physical challenges, and risk. I’ve had a Beal Booster Unicore (9. If it helps for determining common practices, I believe the climbing video I am referencing was shot somewhere in the UK. 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. 1. 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. 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. 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). I’ve been climbing for 2 years and have just started to get into trad climbing and multi pitch. Am I wrong with assuming that lead climbing and top roping are encompassed within sport climbing? Trad climbing standards and practices change over time. Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. I also think that in general everything there is soft so you might expect to find the grades a little easy overall. 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. There's a higher concentration of quality beginner routes at Squamish too, so you don't need to keep moving from place to place. I'm assuming limited rack so one sling per cam. 8/5. 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. Trad climbing with quickdraws is not ideal, but it works if you bring a few alpines as well for strategic extensions. 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’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. 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. 9 is my hardest trad lead with a 5. The moves I’ve been trad climbing for 3 years now and am starting to break into 5. 11 on gear. A lot of Reddit has this do-it-yourself attitude and this is not a safe approach for rock climbing. 12a. 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. 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. Taking it slow, learning a lot. 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 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. 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. 11-5. 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. You “lead” both sport and trad climbs – but not in the same way. 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. And many terms mean different things, depending on the context. Needs 4 good size gear loops for trad rack. Trad opens up more adventure-style climbing, tackling big walls and being out there on the wall for hours. The home of Climbing on reddit. 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. My SO and I got into an argument about sport climbing. 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. 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. I’m looking for recommendations for a shoe for hard single pitch trad. 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've also climbed outside a few times. 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. Anything related to indoor (and outdoor) goes. If you can consistently boulder v3/v4 outdoors you should be more than strong enough to navigate any crux climbing on 5. 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). 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. 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. Bouldering is similar, but I think boulderers and trad climbers are driven by different things. Which I do see myself headed into. I'm struggling to find a do-it-all harness I really like for trad/multipitch/ice climbing. 12a on lead outdoors. 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. Hi guys, I've been thinking about trad climbing lately because it seems cooler in general. 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. Always belaying climbers heavier than me. Dec 27, 2022 · The other type of climbing grouped under sport climbing is trad climbing, which is beyond this article’s scope. Here's everything you need to know. This is quite dangerous, and is holding me back from pursuing trad climbing. I also have been reading John Long's Climbing Anchors. Two years ago, though, I got into trad and haven't looked back. Some opinions about this would be great. 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. He is adamant that top-roping is absolutely NOT sport climbing. Reddit's rock climbing training community. 11 sport climber doing a long 5. 1, 0. Lead Climbing Trad climbing 101 Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trad climbing including the skills, gear, and popular destinations. 11b/c and hardest redpoint is a 5. 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. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. 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. This being said, it depends whats holding you back. 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. 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. The dynamic belay is seldom used in trad climbing, and when belaying on a multi-pitch you can't move around. 11c sport, gym I feel comfortable on 5. 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). In fact I can't think of anyone who uses two ropes unless they are ice climbing, real alpine climbing, or climbing in England. One of the reasons I like mythos for crack climbing is the thick, stiff toebox. It stretches out, but not back while wet. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. 3) up to 3 and haven't felt the need for anything more (stoppers and tricams fill gaps for me). 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. Any tips on how to tell which clips to use? 43 votes, 54 comments. 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. 10+/5. Then go back to bolt clipping for a year before you get up the courage to do it all again. 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. Celebrate your great success Congratulations! You’ve narrowly survived your first trad route. 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. I recently started climbing outside and am looking for a first rope for leading that will be able to take a beating. He's the classic "trad dad", started climbing in the early 80s. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 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). Al's has totems on sale for $71 bucks a pop right now. 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. 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. I intend on taking a course this summer and would like some advice for climbing training. Most situations it’s just a catch, don’t overthink it. I top rope at 5. 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. 7 to around 5. 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. Primary Climbing Area: Northeast USA, The Gunks Current Lead Range: up to 5. The crux with moving from gym climbing or crag climbing to alpine climbing is the aerobic fitness required. Kinda curious about what everyone else has in mind for their own dream rack. Hello Climbing, I am an advanced level boulder climber and I am really looking forward to jumping into Trad climbing. 9, and boulder at V3 with the occasional V4. 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. 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. 2 extra trad draws for nuts. 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. ) but want to know what skills I should have solid before I dive into the mountains. 60 votes, 10 comments. I definitely find that if I don't do as much cardio my lead climbing improves. Weights? Style of session? Small technique tips for equipment? Tell me how to make the switch as smoothly as possible. He suggested buying Alpine Quickdraws as opposed to regular quickdraws if I will eventually get into trad climbing. Feb 25, 2021 · Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing, often referred to as “lead” climbing. 4K votes, 269 comments. According to the charts I have seen this all lines up (the trad downgrade being a purely fear thing which I’m working on). I ask the staff when I'm really not sure, but I'd like to stop pestering them. Lead Climbing: ATC vs GriGri vs etc. 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. The real distinction between top roping and lead climbing is the belay system used. 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. There are certainly more "pure" forms of free climbing style, but that doesn't necessarily negate a free climb ascent. I climb in southern Arizona so it will mainly be well protected routes on pretty sharp granite. At which grade did you start to plateau? When did you start seriously training? The concept of free climbing vs. 5 in my approach shoes and my TC pros are 39. aid climbing is pretty clear. rvcww ejr tzots qyq orno pfqrq zvarv tut mbjrs ifl

26th Apr 2024