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Climbing FAQ
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| Leading (Page 1 2) | |
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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER:
Trusting your life to something you read on the
internet is just plain stupid. Get corroboration from a more reliable
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crying to us if you do.
When should I start leading?
When should I start leading? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Karl Baba
If somebody is ready to just jump on lead, they usually know it. Others
may need to ease into more gradually.
From: John Byrnes
I've seen uncounted numbers of people learn to lead. The biggest
barrier for them is to relax and climb confidently above their gear.
What I've concluded is that the longer they follow or toperope, the
larger that barrier is.
From: Duncan Watson
I waited 10 months before I lead my first route (Minty 5.4). I think
it would have been better if I had tried to lead earlier in the
season. Especially in the Gunks where there are so many good ~5.4
routes to go for.
Opinions vary and it is probably different for each person. In the
end it is an matter that the prospective leader must decide. No-one
here would want this decision made for them.
From: Michael Achter
From what I've seen, new climbers have enough to contend with
without the added worries of placing pro and leading.
From: Alan Lindsay
I dunno, as long as you are learning new stuff and handling new sensations, you
may as well learn to handle everything. It's all scary, so leading is no more
scary than anything else.
When I started climbing, I maxed out at 5.7-8, so I led all the
5.4's, 5.5's and 5.6's I could find. Just enough difficulty to wake me up
without making it inevitable I was going to fall on my gear. I looked for
chains or a tree at the top to save me the added challenge of bulding complex
anchors for the time being.
I agree with John, the longer you wait, the harder the transition. Once you
get over being scared, it's hard to make yourself get into scary situations
again.
From: David Harris
I doubt that a meaningful generalization is possible. My first
climb was a 7-pitch moderate route, on which I led the last two (easy)
pitches. It left me totally psyched, and -- for me anyway -- was the
best possible introduction to climbing. Does that make it right for
anyone else? Nope.
I think beginners should be encouraged to lead, but if they
don't want to, or don't like it, then who cares? One of the great joys
of climbing is that there are no rules (except maybe "don't screw it
up for other people"), so trying to come up with a "right" way to
learn is counter to the spirit of the game.
People who want to lead are going to, and anyone who believes
an instructor who tells him/her that "Oh, no, leading is something you
should only do after you've taken our next three courses" is probably
not leader material anyway.
From: Michael Achter
Personally,
I wanted my climbing abilities to reach a certain level before I ventured
into leading. I would suggest that leading at your limit from the start
is a poor idea.
From: John Byrnes
Here's a thought: beginning climbers do not know where their
limit is, and they should start leading BEFORE THEY FIND IT.
Other people have posted personal history, so let me share some
of mine. When I started climbing I had no idea where my limit
was, but I was leading.
I toproped once, bought shoes, toproped two more times then took
an all-day climbing class. I bought a rack and rope the next day.
The following weekend I led every pitch on a 5-pitch 5.5.
That year I worked my way up through the grades. I swung leads
on every climb, and was successful on my first 5.9 in November.
The number of bolts I clipped that year I could probably count
on one hand. I didn't take a leader fall until the Spring of
the next year, finding my limit at hard 5.9. So by the time I
found my "limit" I had led over 100 pitches!
So guess what! At the time I took my first leader fall I'd
placed over 1500 pieces and was confident about my placements.
I also was relaxed and composed above my gear (mostly ;-)).
These days Mountain Dewd Beginners wouldn't be caught dead on
anything under 5.9. There's never a route at the gym under
5.8, so 5.6 is for sissies. Hell, they're "good" in a few
months in the gym, climbing 10s and 11s on toprope. But when
they try to make "the transition" to leading, they get stopped
dead (sometimes literally) trying to lead a 5.9, a grade they
cruise in the gym.
Toproping makes beginners strong in the arm. Leading requires
you to be strong in the HEAD! Developing that strength can only
be done leading, and is (mostly) independent of the grade of the
climb!
From: Karl Lew
John. You forget. You are the total stud. We are creampuffs.
So as a creampuff (TM), I offer this:
Learn to climb gym 5.10/5.11 onsight. Be able to downclimb
gym 5.8. Lead gym 5.10. OK, now you're ready for outdoors,
where you should start on a 5.0 and work your way up the grades
***slowly***
cheerfully ignoring the difference between what you "should"
be able to do and what you can do. If you get off route, that
latent ability may save your butt until you develop your route
finding skills. And yes...it is definitely a head game. That
becomes very apparent when you lead for the first time. But OK,
so give your head time to catch up to your body. All in good
time.
From: Inez Drixelius
I am beginning to think that too much gym climbing contaminates you for
outdoor climbing. First it lulls you into thinking you can climb harder
than you will be able to outdoors. Leading in the gym cons you into a
comfort level with falling that does not apply outdoors. Even sport
routes usually force you to make more than a couple of moves before the
next clip. And we all know about runouts....
I agree with the Slime, the sooner you lead the better and there is
nothing demeaning about leading a low grade. People get too caught up in
the numbers game. Leading isn't about numbers, it is about keeping it
together to make it to the top.
You don't learn important outdoor techniques indoors. You have got to go
outside and do it. And you have got to start leading outdoors. Better to
lead a 5.4 gear route outdoors than lead hard 10's indoors. I don't mean
to say that you can't do both, but don't be lulled into thinking that
outdoor leading even faintly resembles indoor leading.
From: Chris Leger
I really don't think it's necessary to onsight 5.10 or 5.11 or
5.whatever on TR in a gym in order to start leading outdoors. Some
people may never reach these grades, but that certainly doesn't mean
they shouldn't be out there leading easier climbs. Learning to keep
your head together is the important thing here, and if leading is your
goal but you spend your time TRing in a gym instead of leading easy
stuff outside, then I think you're wasting your time. Even if you're
not leading trad outside, you should still be getting on sport routes
to get comfortable with being above your pro and figuring out moves on
rock, not marked plastic.
How do I learn to lead on gear? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Gary Clark
I teach a class called "Learning to Lead" for experienced followers. The
way I approach this is:
1) On tope rope, the students climb a bunch of routes in which they put
in every piece on the rack, then clip a sling in and weight each piece.
Gives them immediate feedback on the quality of their placements, and
which kinds of pro they like best (what a surprise, most people end up
preferring active cams!)
2) They begin "simulated" leading on the 4th day, with a loose top rope.
I find people can ignore the top rope pretty well and convince their minds
they are doing it for real. I follow the pitches and critique the pro,
and judge when they are ready for a final real lead without the top rope.
If I don't think they are ready, they don't lead in my class. Almost
everyone is ready, and does fine; it's just a question of selecting a
climb commensurate with their ability.
Maybe this is of some use to people trying to help others get into
leading. There is no substitute for a formal class that builds their
confidence in stages, but I know few do it this way - they just grab the
rack one day and go. Kinda like being thrown in the pool to learn to
swim, but it usually goes OK.
From: John Byrnes
I understand why you do this for your class, so no problems there but
actually the class should be re-named "Learning to Place Pro". Until
the top-rope is removed, they are not learning to lead.
From: Michael Achter
The thing that got me willing to lead was actually
setting up TR anchors using pro rather than slinging trees & rocks.
Realizing what held and what didn't (hoorah for backups!) taught me to
trust gear i'd placed.
From: David Harris
A few pitches of clean aid climbing (leading) will allow you to
learn a huge amount about placing gear. It's relatively safe, but you
are leading.
From: Jerome Graham
As far as starting trad leading, I basically followed a couple easy
pitches, led a few 5.2-5.6 pitches, then went from there. I think the
practice of toproped leading is revolting. It's a disgusting attempt to
make something ultrasafe, and will only teach the worst of all habits;
"Don't worry, you can sit on the rope, I've got you, dear".
People who need to understand how to place gear should follow a competant
leader a couple dozen pitches. By then, they'll either be begging to
lead, or they're not leaders.
From: Peter Boyle
My first outdoor climb after a couple of months in the Gym was a
trad lead. Just make sure things are both very easy to climb and
very easy to protect. Play around the bottom of crag placing gear
and jumping on it to get a feel for what's good.
Leading should not be a big issue. Leading something hard should
be (at least until you have the experience to make things safe).
From: Jesse Schomberg
Each to his/her own, but I started by learning from some folks who knew a
lot more than I did, and reading, reading, reading. Before my first lead
climb, I did a few routes on toprope and placed gear as if I was leading.
I think i trailed a 2nd rope to clip, just for the full experience. This
was very useful; learning to evaluate where, when, and how to place pro
when actually hanging off the rock. My first lead was a simple 5.6,
easily protectable, very straightforward, and gave me the confidence to
venture forth.
From: Inez Drixelius
All that said, my advice is to follow, follow, follow. It is the best way
to learn to place gear. You have to stop and clean the gear which gives
you an idea of the time and energy spent you'd be going through were you
to place the gear.
From: Wayne Busch
Following on
multi-pitch routes will introduce you to the next level of climbing. I'd learn
to be safe and comfortable in that environment before you start leading. I'd
also start exploring how to resolve problems you may encounter now, so as you
move deeper into the sport, you do so with an awareness of what can go wrong,
and what to do if it does. I highly recommend David Fasulo's Self Rescue
book. Learn and understand it, and you'll make both an excellent partner as
well as gain knowledge to make you a more competent leader.
As you follow on climbs, you can observe and learn gear placement, anchors,
rope management, and gain expereince in the environment. John Long's "Climbing
Anchors" (books 1 and 2) is pretty much the bible on basic climbing anchors.
With time you may feel ready to hop on the sharp end of the rope.
From: Greg Sadowy
You can learn a ton of stuff from books. You can learn just about
everything you really need to know (technically). That said, there are
several major advantages to having a mentor. You'll probably learn
faster with less head scratching. Your mentor may show you a few very
useful (but not strictly required) tricks that are not in the books.
Most importantly, your mentor might keep you from doing something stupid
and dangerous. There might be something that you are consistently doing
wrong and, for whatever reason, you have not picked up on it. It might
catch up to you before you figure out your mistake.
I learned mostly on my own and did lots of silly, dangerous things. I
happen to be pretty lucky, so nothing came of it. YMMV. The times that I
did climb with more experienced people, I learned much more quickly.
Placing and testing gear is good. Practice building belay anchors. This
will give you gear placement practice as well as teaching you to
visualize how anchors can be equalized for various loading directions.
You *need* to be able to build a good belay anchor. You owe your
partners that. You also want to be able to recognize a bad one. It would
be really good to have someone critique your belay anchors.
When you get the anchor thing down, lead a ton of 5.0-5.4s. It's
unlikely that you'll fall and you'll pretty much always get a hands-free
stance for placing pro. It's low-stress. Make every placement a good
one, and don't rush. The thirteen people waiting at the bottom to
gang-rope the climb can wait.
Do not lead anywhere near the edge of your ability. It's unlikely that
you can place good pro while you're totally gripped. Rack up the mileage
on the easy, easy ones and advance slowly. You'll have lots of fun along
the way, and you'll most likely survive.
From: Tom Donalek
Check out the Chockstone Press "How to Rock Climb" series. "Clip and Go"
is a good intro to sport climbing from belaying to falling. The advantage
to starting with sport leading is the elimination of the whole issue of
placing protection. The downside is that there aren't many bolted routes
below 5.10, so you're always working hard to climb and not paying alot of
attention to the clipping process. If you can find the odd moderate
bolted route (or even mixed route that's more bolted than not and is easy
to protect) that's the place to start.
From: MadDog
I believe that there are times that clipping bolts is beneficial to
one's trad leading. Although climbing difficulty may be a continuum,
there are places along the path where one meets mental and physical
obstacles that must be passed. For example, some people cruise up to
5.8 or 9 trad, then stall. They may have all the fundamental skills to
climb at that level, but before they can progress, they need to broaden
their skill base, gain confidence, raise their training volume, etc.
Clipping bolts helps some people get past the confidence barrier. It
frees one up to develop rhythm. Plus, sport climbing on a quality route
is good fun in its own right. But do not misunderstand me: I do not
believe that learning sport before trad is the best strategy. In the
first place, easy sport routes are few and far between. Also, the
general climbing logic taught by the quality easy trad lines is normally
missing on sport routes.
Should I be falling while leading on gear? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Brutus
Protection and difficulty are two separate skills, and
both keep you alive. Never challenge yourself in both at the same time.
Although in the past 30 years I've logged over 500 feet of airtime, I
aim never to fall. Falling on Trad invites injury. Most climbing
injuries in Trad climbing occur during leader falls, and not
surprisingly involve injuries to the feet, ankles and legs. Trad climbs
are (for the most part) less than overhanging. Even catching an ankle
on a hold enroute to the end of the rope can result in months of
rehabilitation. Worse, catching your foot on a hold while falling can
turn you on your side or head-first. Many fatalities and most traumatic
injuries in Trad climbing result from a very simple scenario: the
leader hits something solid before his/her protection stops them. Some
result from the moves simply being too hard, and the protection too
sparse. Some result from broken holds. Sometimes protection, even
bomber-looking protection, fails. Sometimes the rock surrounding the
protection breaks.
In most cases of severe traumatic injury or death during lead falls,
the cause is a severe blow to the head, neck or trunk. Laybacks and
underclimgs are particularly dangerous. Loss of grip can throw you into
a backwards, and headfirst, flight.
Traversing falls are just as bad, and are as dangerous for the second
as the leader. A 16-foot pendulum fall is the equivalent of being
struck by an automobile travelling over 20 miles per hour, and almost
consistently exposes vital organs to the bone-breaking impact. You may
have placed a good piece just before making that crux step-across, but
will your second be forced to clean that piece, then do the crux? No
matter how easy the subsequent moves, did you place gear to protect
your second as well as yourself?
How to fall (or climb) safely on Trad? It starts with the belay. Check
every link in the belay chain from your harness buckle to the rock
surrounding the anchor. Go over it with your partner. Is the anchor
solid and redundant? Look again. Are those two different crack systems
simply different sides of the same, detached block? Is the load
shared? What happens to the system if the direction of loading
changes? What happens to the system if one (or more) pieces fail?
Sometime in your climbing career, if you climb enough, and live long
enough, you will have a belay piece fail. Does your anchoring system
take that into account? Will the system be shock loaded when that
happens? Is your belayer's tie-in snug and in line with the fall
force? Is your belayer experienced with that belay widget, alert and
ready for a fall? Do you and your belayer know techniques for belay or
descent if there are no belay gadgets available?
OK. The belay looks solid. Will you clip through a bombproof
directional as you start to lead the pitch?
There is a skill to falling safely. It won't help you in a 300-foot,
air-thrashing bouncing screamer, but in routine situations it can be
very important. Bouldering and gymnastics are a good places to start.
Landing on your feet may not prevent injury, but in serious falls may
make the difference between a broken leg and a severed spine. If you
choose to push your limits, find a route that is well-defined and easy
to protect, put in extra gear, and be willing and equipped to back
down.
The important thing is
to choose when and where you might expose yourself to a possible fall
and protect accordingly.
Route finding is another survival skill which you haven't mentioned. A
mistake in routefinding can quickly put you in a serious situation in
difficulty or protection, and frequently if off route you will find
yourself over your head in both areas. This can happen even on short
climbs. This can happen on one-pitch climbs. Mis-interpretation of the
guidebook is an error that happens to beginners and experts alike. And
sometime even the guidebook is wrong. Know how to mentally climb a
piece of rock before you physically commit to it. Rehearse not only
the moves, but the protection opportunities and options.
Know how to downclimb if you run into trouble; how to double-up, back-
up or even equalize protection when at a good stance, where few pro
opportunities and difficult climbing lurk ahead. Learn how to wire
moves from that good stance or rest, climbing up and down until you
have most of the sequence cold, before committing. Know how to climb
up, place protection in the hard section, then downclimb back to a
rest. Know how to move a piece up with you when necessary, in
consistent and parallel-sided cracks. And know when to make the choice
to keep moving, balancing muscle fatigue against exposure. Be aware of
the potential consequences of your choices.
From: Greg Sadowy
Another common problem for fledgling leaders is that they (wisely) avoid
leading too near the edge of their ability. This puts them on generally
lower angled climbs where there is lots of stuff to hit on the way down.
I'd (in general) much rather fall off of 5.11+ than 5.7. In some ways
5.7-5.9 can be very scary terrain, particularly if your experience is
low and the pro is not so good.
From: Tom
One point he implies but doesn't state
outright is that it isn't trad/sport that makes the difference, but the
overall situation. The mere presence of bolts does not make you safe,
the mere absence of them does not increase danger. Personally, I rather
dislike the trad/sport division and tend to lead at pretty much the same
level in both venues, *all else being equal*. In other words, if it's
trad and it's steep, smooth (nothing to hit) and well-protected, I don't
worry about a fall, and I push it. If it's sport and I'm five feet from
the bolt and 8 feet from the ledge, I climb very prudently. Bruce's
comment that you shouldn't push it in terms of technical difficulty and
protection at the same time should be gospel. For example, I have
gotten beginners out leading trad as early as their third (second?) day
of climbing, but I put them on something they would feel comfortable
soloing. Only after they have their gear down do I encourage them to
ramp up the difficulty (slowly).
Sometimes I'm more willing to push it on a gear-eating trad route
because I have more information about the quality of my gear (who placed
that damn bolt anyway?) and the gear is where *I* like, not where some
6-foot tall first ascensionist thought it should go, requiring dangerous
moves for the clip (and a plague on first ascensionists who put bolts at
their full extension).
My rule of thumb as I mentioned somewhere else today is the same, sport
or trad - two solid pieces between me and disaster. Disaster is defined
as hitting the ground, a big ledge or any other leg/ankle/face/-breaking
protrusion. Failing that, as Bruce points out, skill, route-finding and
cowardice are your only allies.
From: John Byrnes
I've have never supported the "learning to fall on trad routes"
concept. However, "taking a lead fall on a trad route" I do
expect to happen to every leader at some point. I also believe
that the first trad fall is a major event in every leader's life
and that to not have the experience means you don't have the complete
picture.
I don't expect virgins to understand orgasms. I'll never understand
the experience of childbirth. But I do have experience taking
leader falls, and I know that it's a breakthrough experience.
From: Tim Yorath
All respect to Milord Slime, BUT I DO NOT INTEND TO
FALL OFF ANYTHING.
Yeah, maybe that makes me a wuss, I don't care. I would like my kids to
still have a father, to take them climbing, and provide for them. OK?
But it won't stop me climbing.
From: Mike Yukish
Am I more conservative than necessary? Not by my rules. I've seen a
lot of trad leader falls, and most of the ones I've seen resulted in
at least minor injury (twisted ankles, slab rash, rope burn,...) and
some worse. So I play the climbing game by my rules, as I see fit.
From: Richard Duggan
I look at falling as failure. Some people see it as a
natural part of climbing -- I don't. If I fall it's because I've pushed
myself beyond my limits (which is something I don't want to do while
leading trad) or because an event occurred which was unforeseen (loose
hold, swarmed by wasps) or unforeseeable (rock fall). The gear is there
to protect me in case of an accident, but I don't intend to test it any
more than I intend to test my motorcycle helmet against a curb.
What worries me about the way things seem to be going with climbing is
that some people send the message that if you're not pushing your limits
to the max, risking life and limb at every crux, falling on gear, etc.
you're not really climbing and you're not a real climber. This, I think,
messes up the heads of a lot of new climbers, makes them feel bad, and
encourages them to move through the grades much faster than they should.
Climbing is not just about taking risks; it's about managing risk,
which, in my opinion, is a much cooler thing to know how to do.
From: John Byrnes
I didn't say "big fall", I've never advocated big falls. Mike said
"no falls" and that's when I objected.
From: Karl Baba
I have done a lot of soloing, and that conditions me to hate falling. I
prefer to hang unless I know it's a clean fall. That being said, there
is some benefit to risking a fall when you are aware of all the factors
bearing on the situation. If you are hazy about it, puss out!!
I had a lot of folks come to me for help making the transition from
following to leading. Some things I either tell them or have found out
from them.
1. Trad leading frequently has sections where falling is unthinkable.
They are usually easier sections but to lead trad generally, you should
have enough experience to climb non-crux terrain at the grade you
intend to climb with total confidence. It takes experience to know you
won't blow an easy sequence, that your foot won't just pop off, and so
on.
2. Folks raised in gyms take falling too lightly. You can't assume you
won't hit a ledge or slam into a dihedral. Sometimes falls can be
clean, but you better know when they won't be, and aid, or hang, or
retreat, or yada yada.
3. Don't climb with the rope between your legs when you are to the side
of your last pro. Flipping upside down is never safe.
4. Don't make a big deal about leading and push yourself to do it
before you are really ready. If you are ready, fine, but don't let your
ego push into the stupid zone.
5. Toprope some aid to get really familiar with how your gear holds and
behaves in cracks.
6. Pay tons of attention to your leader when following and observe the
pieces. Don't miss opportunities to learn.
From: Dingus Milktoast
Falling, not falling; sport vs. trad falls, leader
mindset... daring to dream.
Some good advice has been offered by very experienced
climbers. But one might misconstrue the approach with the
result.
Many of these experienced climbers rarely fall while trad
climbing; true. But many of these same climbers routinely
RISK falls at or near their limits. They have a keen sense
for their own capabilities and enjoy pushing the envelope.
They don't fall because they're good climbers, not because
they avoid risk. It's important to understand this. A
climber can spend a lifetime on moderate routes (I'm a
perfect example of this), avoiding risk, avoiding
improvement, avoiding technical difficulty. You probably
won't be seeing that climber doing Half Dome in a Day or
cranking Red Zinger or being comfortable on Butterballs. You
won't be seeing that climber on a hard aid lead, you won't
be seeing that climber push upward into a storm, you won't
be seeing many FA's of importance on their resume.
But you probably won't be seeing that climber in a pine box
either.
The advice, "Don't push your physical limits at the same
time you push your gear limits" is the single best piece of
advice I've seen on r.c. Seriously, it's that important.
But don't equate "not falling" with risk avoidance. And lack
of awareness of the inherent risk in lead climbing at any
grade, doesn't diminish the risk at all. In fact, ignorance
of risk is probably the number one killer in the mountains.
As beginners it's easy to latch onto a piece of advice. It's
much more difficult task to understand the mindset and
wisdom from which the advice springs.
From: Inez Drixelius
I have taken 5 leaderfalls in my climbing career of 10 years.
Three were sport falls and though potentially dangerous (one upside-down
over a roof, I felt the rock with my hair!!--good argument for a helmet),
resulted only in injury to my ego. The other two falls were trad falls,
one a pendulum, one going over a bulge with my right foot on a smear, my
aid piece popping, with me again sailing down head first. These trad
falls resulted in sprained ankles and weeks of recovery, never worth the
risk. But risk taking is often part of climbing and I paid for it. I
have become increasingly cautious over the years because I want to climb,
not recover from injury.
!For me! "the leader never falls" theory on trad routes has proven a
worthy practise. I climb less aggressively when on lead than I am perhaps
capable of, but I stick to my motto. To me a comfortable lead done in
elegant style is more satisfying than a fear fest any day.
From: Matt Kingsley
Different situations demand different approaches.
1. If you have 30m of rope out, and have just put bomber pieces
in on both your lead ropes with more good gear below them and you are
on a gently overhanging section you can spend all day falling off.
Good gear , low impact forces, you'll probably be bored before your
bruised. Most hazardous thing is starving to death when belayer ties
you off to go for beers.
2. 10m up with a thin wire 7m below you and your looking at
hitting the deck, if your belayer yards in that rope you may end up
double loading that poor wire etc etc. Doesn't sound so good. You
might as well be soloing at this point. This is a situation you should
be able to forsee happening before you start, so it's all in your
head. You get on the route knowing that falling really isn't an
option. (This situation is normally only found in the UK, everyone
else, certainly the French can't hack it and stick in bolts.)
3. If you lob off on a thin slab you are going to slide, this
means marginal gear is more likely to stay in and even if it rips will
help to slow you down. Your still going to get some nasty grazes, but
hopefully that should be it.
4. An easy route, bomber gear, but covered in ledges and spiky
bits. Falling off is not an option, too many things to hit. Perhaps
even more important to rig good gear even though you KNOW you're not
going to fall off.
You should balance all these things out. Of these options the easy
route is as likely to injure (or kill you) as the deckout route.
The key is knowing the difference between being able to fall off (if
that happens) and when no matter how good your gear is , it not being
a good idea. For enjoyable climbing you want that little bit of
uncertianty (the risk !) but unless you have balls of steel, no
dependents and a though understanding of the level of risk you want to
steer clear of getting yourself into real trouser filiing situations
deliberatley.
Suggest leading steeper routes where you can keep slotting in bomber
gear, you'll come off eventually.! The more gear ( regularly spaced)
you put in the less distance you go.
Wear a helmet. But don't let wearing one kid you into thinking your'e
invincible.
What do I need to know to be a good trad leader? (the whole package) [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Mike Yukish
So my definition of a trad leader is "someone who can ensure the safe
execution of a trad lead climb." As I see it, its all about
responsibility.
To be a leader,then, one should have all of the technical skills of
the trade, such as basic pro stuff, and of the rescue techniques. I am
still learning here.
The leader should be able to judge the hazards, and plan the climb
accordingly, taking into consideration the party's desires weighed
against their skills and abilities.
Also, and here's the biggie, the leader should have the mental
coolness to deal with the unforseen circumstances, evaluate, and
execute a plan formed on the spot in response. Where does the plan
come from? Everything he's experienced read, heard, seen, and from
common sense.
From: blyslv
It seems to me that if difficult gymnastics on the rock is the only
interest, one should stick to sport climbing, bouldering or top-roping.
Aside from difficuilt gymnastics, trad climbing encompasses many other
skills --
1) Engineering a safety system with the minimum muss and fuss.
2) Route finding and planning
3) Having the endurance and phsyical wherewithal to commit oneself to a
long climb.
4) Making accurate, educated guesses about the weather.
5) Keeping ones head when things get "interesting" (weather moving in,
off route, darkness approaching)
Does taking a fall onto your gear make you any better at these skills?
Dammed if I know! I'm an intermediate leader with about 2 solid
seasons of placing gear. Recently I jumped several grades and am
looking forward to some more challenging climbs soon. I attribute this
jump in grades to several things--
--top roping lots of different rock and making moves I didn't think I
could. This gives me the confidence to make moves on (easier) trad
leads, because my gymnastic ability is increased.
--climbing with a good group of fun and supportive people
--taking a break for a while to recover from an injury and persue other
interests. This brought me back fresh.
From: John Byrnes
I said that the best moments in climbing are
when you lead past your limit, where "limit" is what you believe
you can do, or what you've done in the past.
Consider that almost everyone can successfully climb a higher grade
on toprope than they can lead. Also consider the difference people
have experienced between leading-with-toprope and actually leading
the same route. Add in your own experiences and you must conclude
that there is an emotional/spiritual aspect to leading that goes
far beyond placing gear and route-finding.
THIS is why the most rewarding moments occur leading at your limit.
It addresses the fundamental reason you climb: it feels good when
you've challenged yourself and are successful.
I'll take this opportunity to paraphrase
and then I can drop this thread ;-)
1) The mental aspects of trad leading go way beyond placing gear, and
are often difficult barriers to pass.
2) Leading right from the start of one's climbing career is the best
way to learn, before any mental barrier solidly forms.
3) Leading through your previous limit is the most rewarding
leading experience; in order to acheive this you must risk
falling and you will fall occasionally. This is quite different
from going out with the intent to fall on your gear, or not
avoiding a dangerous fall.
4) Even if you never challenge yourself as in #3, you will eventually
take a leader fall due to objective hazards.
From: TradMan
Your best teacher is experience gained by leading routes well
within your difficulty level. It is exciting and challenging as a new
leader to lead some easier routes. You can concentrate on gear placement,
and develop your lead head with less of the fear factor, and you will
get scared here and there anyway.
Also very important is to develop a climbing partnership with an
experienced leader who knows his stuff and can share his or her knowledge
with you. This isn't as easy as it sounds, not all leaders make good
mentors.
When you're on the route you'll want a belayer who is attentive as
hell and knows trad lead belaying techniques. This is another reason to
find an experienced partner.
Once you have a trusty belayer watching and encouraging you, then
you must focus on several things including: the route, gear and gear
placements, rests, rope management, clear communication to your belayer,
and keep an awareness of what is beneath you in the event of a fall.
Your inner thoughts and feelings while climbing must be listened
to. As you lead more routes you will develop a sense of the route around
you and an awareness of how good your pro feels beneath you. When the pro
is bomber and you feel strong, you'll find yourself heading up into more
and more difficult sections of rock.
Sooner or later you'll encounter a spot above you that looks like
it's gonna spit you off. Then you REALLY start thinking about that last
piece of gear. I've backed off of a route or two that had a really
knarly or very blank looking section up above an area with no good gear
placements and a ledge or something bad below to fall on. I decided that
life, limb, and family were worth more than any redpoint.
Sometimes, even when the moves above look really hard, you'll go
for it anyway, usually on good gear but sometimes because you've just
gotta keep going to get off of the damn route, and you will make the
hardest moves you've ever made on lead.
That's when the rewards of being on the sharp end really kick in,
and you'll crank up into a rest and let out a yell!
From: John Byrnes
Learning to place gear is just that. One can learn this on the
ground, on a TR, from books, by aiding. It is necessary to lead,
but is not learning to lead.
Learning to lead is much more than placing gear, and can
*not* be learned on the ground, on a TR, or from books.
To illustrate my point, here's an out-take from a trip report
posted on rec.climbing a while ago. The author tries to
convey the "lead head" that is required to lead at your limit.
A few 10+ moves get me a wide stem at the base of the
overhanging crack. I put in a piece and look down
between my legs. YEOW! Total exposure!
I make a few more moves and place a stopper below what is
obviously the crux. As I move up a tiny part of my mind
whispers, "You just pulled the stopper out with your foot."
Another part answers calmly, "I know. Keep going." A
third part shouts "You're looking at a 40-footer stupid!"
A hard move. Another hard move. Can't stop, still no
pro. Another hard move. A handjam! I'm panting while I
slam in a #2 Friend and a Hex just above it. No time.
Switch hands, feet high, big move to an undercling-handjam...
fingerlock...feet...palm the ledge...fingerlock... and
I'm up! EEEEYOW! I scream so loud Inez hears it across
the river a thousand feet down and a 1/4 mile away.
Here's some things to think about when you're leading
(summarized from above). These things really cannot be
taught in any formal way; you must experience them for
yourself.
* Control your emotions in the face of exposure
This short list is just an sampling of what a leader
must learn. There's plenty of things missing from it,
but I'm sure someone will start fleshing it out.
From: MadDog
I'll add a few:
1) Downclimb before it's too late
a) to rest
2) When you get scared, focus your energy on what you need to do, not on
what's going wrong. (redundant with John's 3rd)
3) Relax and you will be stronger. Feel the FORCE, Luke.
From: Dave Kennedy
Leading (sport as well as gear) requires one to focus on the aspects of
climbing and not being so overwhelmed with the prospect of falling that
one is unable to commit to a move. The consequences of falling in sport
make this more tolerable than gear climbing, but the concept is the
same. Can you keep your head together and stay focused when challenged?
How do you get there? Two important things: be confident in your
abilities as a climber and be confident that your protection will do
its job. If you are continually pushing yourself your confidence
will grow in both areas. If you never push yourself than you will
always be afraid and you will not grow as a leader.
I started climbing when gear was all there was. I learned that if
placed well, it held falls quite nicely. However, I was still tentative
about leading above my limit on gear i.e., I could not focus 100% on the
climbing. As sport came about and falling became a common occurrence
my, abilities to concentrate purely on making moves improved. As I
thought more and more about this I realized that the same thing
(disregarding the actual ability to place gear) that allowed me to
succeed on sport climbs was the same thing that would allowed me to
succeed on gear climbs: confidence that I could keep my head together
and simply climb. These little mental breakthroughs come about from
time to time and make you feel as if you have advanced to the next
level.
See also:
Trad Tips and the continuation (1/95)
How do I get over my fear while leading? / Is anyone else afraid? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Dingus Milktoast
Rule number one in climbing... you can do EVERYTHING right
and still get killed.
From: RG
Fear comes in different varieties and at different levels. Different coping strategies are appropriate.
1. "The Nameless Dread." Most climbers I know have experienced this at least once. It is an overwhelming sense of terror, not specifically related to any immediate aspect of reality. There is no coping with this---bailing is the only option.
2. "Irrational" fear. This is the fear people experience in circumstances they think they shouldn't be afraid. Unlike the Nameless Dread, it is usually about something specific, say a fear of taking a short fall onto good protection. This is hard to cope with, because the situation causing the fear can usually be avoided, and so the climber is faced with choosing to perform scared when it is relatively easy to retreat. I try to deal with this type of fear by doubling up on safety measures. If I have an excellent bombproof piece, I'll back it up, for example. If I'm still afraid after new precautions have been instituted, or if I can't enhance the safety of the situation, it's time to turn over the lead to someone else. (Many people say you should take the fall on purpose in such situations. Personally, I have a high regard for my emotions and feel it is always possible that my "irrational" fear reflects an unrecognized danger, so I would never undertake or recommend such an action.)
3. "Rational" fear . Your butt is on the line and you know it. Sometimes we choose to put ourselves in such positions, and sometimes unanticipated bad things happen.
a. Situations where you have control. For scary leads, I find that focus is the most helpful tool. Concentrate on the next thing that needs to be done. If pro needs to be placed, then that's all I think about. If hard unprotected moves have to be made, then I concentrate on getting up the next few feet safely. Climbing unprotected moves safely means that you have to think about reversing moves as well as on making them. Go half-way through an unprotected move and back down to learn how to climb down it. This is especially important if there are footholds that disappear as you move up---you have to know how to find them. Sometimes this develops into up and down forays of increasing length.
b. Situations where you have no control. Ever get caught on a sharp arete of a slender pinnacle in a bad lightning storm? Its out of your hands whether you get fried or not. I rely on fatalism here---as long as I'm breathing, I'm going to fight to get down safely; what happens is gonna happen, so might as well do things right.
In all fear situations, certain principles apply.
1. Don't be afraid of being afraid. Fear is good---adrenaline increases your physical capacities. Embrace your fear and harness it, think of it as a performance-enhancing drug. Don't fight it and try to shut it out.
2. Be aware of the negative effects of fear and consciously compensate:
a. Fear creates tunnel vision. You miss "obvious" opportunities on either side. Make sure you look around. Don't don't allow your focus to get locked into moving up. Perhaps moving down is the path back to safety, perhaps traversing is.
b. Fear creates a sense of urgency, urgency creates haste, haste creates errors, errors create accidents. If you need to move fast, focus on efficiency, not on rapid motion, and make sure any shortcuts in safety are really worth the time they save (very often they are not).
Finally, remember that fear is part of the trad climbing game, and if fear consistently overwhelms pleasure, then the game is not for you right now. Shift to bouldering (no high balls, of course), top-roping, seconding, and sport climbing. Come back to the scary stuff later---it will still be there. Many climbers go through periods when they enjoy being scared and handling it and other periods when it's just too awful. Forcing yourself to be scared when you don't really get sufficient rewards from it is a prescription for quitting the sport entirely.
From: Undercling
There are all kinds of fear. In climbing a certain amount of it is
good, as it is basically "respect for the situation". Fear to the point
of incapacity, is clearly more dangerous than a complete lack of respect
for the situation.
You have only lead 6-7 times and somehow have come to think that your
fear should have disappeared by now. Actually it will always be with
you, hopefully, but overlaid by experience, skill, and all kinds of
other powers, so it will only be an ingredient in the leading situation.
The advice of others here to practice falling is good; this teaches you
the system, helps to convince you at all levels, that this leading
system works. Croft is right, and so is the advice of the last 50 years
of technical rockclimbing---fall practice is a requirement.
If your fear still seems unmanageable, you are going to have to progress
more slowly than you had hoped, but so what. YOU WILL GET BETTER. Too
often, new climbers get the idea they should be able to do things sooner
than is really reasonable and without proper experience, so be nice to
yourself and just take it slowly, climbing should be esthetic!
From: David Henderson
Here are a few ideas.
-- you're probably not scared the whole while, so try to identify when
and why you're scared. From that you can work out how to make those
passages as safe as possible.
-- try leading the same route several times over until you get more and
more comfortable with it. I find my fears usually well up on a route
I've never been on before (simply because I don't know what's coming
next).
-- it goes without saying, learn to place bomber pro. You can do this at
ground level and then clip a long sling into each placement and do a
bounce test. If it blows, you'll only fall a foot. If it holds, your
judgment of a good placement improves.
-- are you fully comfortable with your belayer? You may want to lead
with someone who is considerably more experienced and will patiently
belay you through what is invariably a slow process at first. An
experienced leader can also spot grievous errors and shout up a warning
before you possibly hurt yourself.
From: Ratagonia
Here's a few things you can do to improve the situation:
1. Improve your gear placing skills:
A. Follow more experienced climbers and pay attention to their gear
placements. Ask questions.
B. Aid climb some A1 crack in your area. A fair number of 5.10 or 5.11
cracks make good aid climbs. Not only do you place a LOT of gear, you
then have to weight every piece. Grasshopper quickly learn art of
placing gear.
2. Improve your downclimbing skills:
A. When you finish that route and rap off, down-climb top rope it.
Take every opportunity to climb down routes on natural rock.
Downclimbing is an important leading skill. Not well-loved at the
moment. And it depends on the area. You're climbing along, getting high
above your last piece and you get to a point where you don't know what
to do, you're starting to grease off and... Downclimb back to the last
rest, get your head together, and work out what to do next.
3. When I get scared leading, I place gear. Takes me away from the
crisis of the moment by doing something I control, and which improves
the situation (usually). Even placing a piece 6" higher often helps.
Maybe just having another piece in helps. After placing the piece, I can
come back to the climbing problem after a short break, and often deal
with it better.
4. I work for a gear company, and I can tell you gear is not as
dependable as you might think. There is always a degree of unreliability
to placing gear. Notice that XXXX said "place 3 or 4 pieces, then a
questionable piece, and lob off". Not "place a pretty good looking cam
and lob off". Always have at least two pieces between you and the
ground. Carry a rack and use it. Place more gear than the "average
climber". Nothing wrong with placing gear, it's a good habit. A very
good climber was killed about 10 years ago in Yosemite because he ran it
out on 5.6. Hit by a rock from above, fell 100' and slammed into the
corner. If he had placed gear on a section he could easily have soloed,
he might be with us today.
From: Tom Dunwiddie
I think that the best thing to get your head in shape for
leading is leading, and the more the better; that's why the first lead
in the spring usually seems pretty scary. At times I've climbed with
partners who for one reason or another weren't doing any leading, and I
found that my leading really improved if every time I was on a rope, I
was on the sharp end. Conversely, I find that too much top-roping seems
to put me out of synch and makes it harder to lead - you start missing
the security of having that rope above you.
From: Cameron Sanders
1. stay on the sharp-end and keep climbing; i find that after even six weeks
on the couch, my brain goes soft. My lack of confidence tracks directly with
my endurance level.
2. log plenty of miles on easy ground; I made the mistake of not doing this
in the beginning (of my lead climbing days), and i came to associate leading
with falling. Given that I started climbing with a fear of heights, this
simply wasn't the right approach for me. So I backed off a little on the
numbers and then made good progress.
3. avoid many of those (chossy) easy climbs. Yeah, I know, this sounds
counter to #2, but it isn't: look at the quality of the climb. You want
clean climbs (solid rock) with good gear and few (or no) ledges to hit if
you fall. Example: three months after leading my first 10s (including one
on-sight) at J-Tree, I terrified myself by leading a random 5.4 choss-pile
to take a friend up. The gear was bad; yarding on a cam in one wide crack
simply raked crystals out of the crack, allowing the cam to come free and
causing me to almost fall off the cliff backwards; the climb was a mistake.
4. while we all strive to on-sight our climbs and lead them in "good style"
(meaning spacious protection and minimal time), mortals like me have plenty
of bad-style days. While hanging on gear is bad style, don't forget, it is
always an option, especially if your personal safety is in question. If you
don't think a placement will hold body weight, then you certainly won't want
to fall on it. Use common sense.
5. occasionally shove in several good pieces and equalize them, and then put
in a higher weight-bearing "experimental piece", and pitch yourself off the
rock. Do it well above the ground, but in a place where you don't feel
terribly exposed. You will soon learn that the gear works. Along these
lines, try some mixed free/aid climbing, that might help you develop
confidence in the gear.
6. don't be too hard on yourself. I found that it doesn't help. Just have
fun top-roping or following people, and by getting off the ground on your
bad lead-days. Work on your gymnastics on those days.
Now, having said all that, I must admit that I lose ground quickly. In just
six weeks, I have gone from being confident to mental-Jell-O. Two months ago
I was strong and confident and I kept my head together during a 30 foot
run-out on a very poor TCU that was only 30-35 feet off the ground; the
climbing was only 5.4/5.5 climbing, but with serious ground-fall potential.
Yesterday I couldn't push myself up a beautiful 5.8 that appears to eat gear
(looks like A1). A pitiful performance. However, I still had fun
climbing.... and besides, I can go get that 8 on another day.
Oh, that leads me to:
8. have fun. While the adrenalin rush is often part of the fun, it is not
required to have fun.
From: David Kastrup
Practise falling into the rope, at first in a gym. You can start with
falling top-rope into perhaps 1-2m slack, then leading. Go up
sufficiently high (close to the top is recommendable at first, also to
reduce fall factor and thus tear on the rope), perhaps in a wall with
slight overhang, and overclimb your last quickdraw for not more than
1m or so at first. Remember: you fall the distance you overclimbed
the last protection *twice*, plus any slack in the rope, plus any
slack, plus rope stretch, plus belay slippage. The total amount is
often quite surprising at first. Note that it is not a good idea to
fall when clipping in the rope over your head (you get a lot of slack
and a lot of distance to the next protection), so climb on until you
can clip close to your tie-in unless you are standing securely.
Fall correctly: don't push off hard (you'll come back hard), just
enough not to hit the wall or parts when going down. Make a
hunchback. And so on. Let someone show you who knows.
Falling is something which should be practised as other parts of
climbing, because you need to do it reasonably correctly, and you do
not know beforehand when.
From: H. Yohen
IMHO, "practice falls" will do nothing for a lead head. It is better to
find something that is well protected and hard for you. Sew up that
climb and work it out. Hang on gear and place more higher if you have
to. Just never yell "Take!"
Leading is about your lead head. If you are unwilling to push your
limits because you don't trust your gear, that means you don't have much
of a lead head.
From: Anthony Bubb
If you intend to fall on purpoe, remeber,
one bad one can "unlearn" you of how safe
you thought it was after 1000 good ones.
The human spiecies never would have survived
if we didn't learn from pain.
From: Mike Rawdon
In my case, there was a further distinction between PLACING bomber gear and
TRUSTING it enough to push my limits above it. After I had been leading for 16
years, I found myself at a point where I was no longer improving because I
wasn't comfortable pushing my limits above my gear. Even with the best
placements a few feet below me, I had this video loop in my head of a short,
sporty fall turning nasty as gear ripped out. Totally unjustified, but there
it was inside my head whenever things got too tough. At a friend's suggestion,
I went out on a few occasions during the winter and hung on gear, either by aid
traversing a few feet off the ground, or with a TR backup. By springtime I was
more relaxed and, in time, moved up my leading level.
Nothing had changed re. my ability to place gear - I just needed an exercise to
get my psyche caught up with the rest of me.
From: Mike Yukish
I think one of the hardest things to do in any activity is to perform to your
full ability while scared. The only difference between walking a tightrope
suspended 1 foot above the ground and one suspended 100 feet is fear. An
inner goal as a climber for me is to not let fear lower my ability level. If
I can do the move just above a boulder pad, I should be able to do it with
big air under me. that's what I shoot for. Besides, courage is the overcoming
of fear, not its absence. You need fear to be brave.
From: Michael Riches
There is also the fear of a "particular" lead. There is one climb that I do,
that will always give me the willies. This is the climb that claimed one of
my ankles. It is an easy 5.9 lead, but to this day I still fear that
lead.
See also:
Pyschgological Skills in Climbing from The Handbook of Climbing by Allen Fyffe, Iain Peter, Hamish MacInnes
Should I carry tri-cams? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: D. McMullin
Tri Cams are great. The first two (pink and red) are essential. The
next two sizes are also handy. I have the rest but have not used them
in a decade. I only keep pink and red on my rack at any given time.
They are inexpensive and once it a while are just the trick. (Pockets
and other funky flares where a slcd wont work)
From: Mike Garrison
They work. They are different from everything else. Either
you like them or you don't. Better for certain placements
than other placements. What else is there to say?
Climb with someone else's and see if you like them.
From: Steven Cherry
It's a $14 experiment, it's not like being saddled with a $140 pair of
shoes you don't like.
Tricams are mandatory in the Gunks and many other places. Find out if
they're typically on the racks of the locals at the crags at which you'll
be leading.
From: Nathan Sweet
Pros:
Very light, cheap, great range, and they can be used passive like a nut in a
lot of places. They are great in solution pockets and pin scars. I only use the
pink ones. Sometimes they work where nothing else is good. They make good
backups for the yellow and orange Metolius TCU's.
Cons:
Your second may curse you. My son will refuse to clean them unless I let him
hang. I had a blue one I hated. It always fell out. Of course I would always
try to use it in a flairing placement.(bad idea) Someone finally stole it. I
may get a few red ones, but no larger ones for me.
Hearsay:
I have talked to *real* aid climbers that swear by the pink ones..
Conjecture:
I may get one of those monsterous yellow ones, just because it would be cool to
have.
Read in a book:
Don't resling them by pressing out the little pin. They can break around the
holes.
From: MadDog
I consider the smallest two to be permanent trad rack material. Anywhere.
Going light alpine, I know I can use them as emergency runner extenders if
needed. They are light and extremely versatile. I've been comforted a few
times by a solid tricam placement, ending a runout - a placement that no other
piece on the rack could solve. That builds loyalty.
From: Mark Staples
How can you go wrong with the first few sizes of tri-cams......If I were
only leading with passive gear, I'd certainly have a few tricams. They're a
million times more usefull than the smaller hexes!!
From: Mike Yukish
Being the bumbly climber I am, I find that placing one with one hand while
holding on with another is more difficult for me than with nuts, hexes and
cams. Not impossible, just a little more difficult. So anytime I have a
placement where both hands are free and the prospective placement will take a
tricam, I try to place a tricam. In particular, I always try to use them in
anchors. I love how they have a dual action, and how the sling works over edges
and such ("it's a nut"..."no, it's a cam"..."you're both full of s$%&, it's
both!")
See also:
The Pink Tri-Cam Fan Page
Should I carry hexes? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Dave
Use them all the time,
pros
- cheap,
- well placed bigger sizes can give incredibly bomber placements, a well
placed large hex makes me grin like a camalot never does
- they are very light compared to active cams for the bigger sizes, so
on routes you know you will need a lot of big stuff they are great
- they are constructed of relatively soft alloys so on rough textured
rock you can jam them in pretty well (happy leader, not so happy to
clean)
- they are musical
cons
- obviously harder to place than active cams
- not good in smooth glassy surfaces
- everyone knows you are comming up the trail
Depends what yer climbin. If you are crankin hard stuff and need fast
pro, you probably wont use them apart from anchors. For mondo cracks
with good rest spots they can give you 8 placements for the price of one
cam.
From: Bob
Hexes can be tricky to place and don't work well in some situations, but
they're bomber if placed correctly. They're also light and not expensive.
Back in the days before camming devices, hexes were standard gear on a
leader's rack. With SLCD's I find that I'm placing hexes much less often.
But I still carry four or five on my rack. And in fact I placed several
last time I was at the Gunks a few weeks ago. Whether you should buy them
depends in large part on where you climb. If you do buy them, be sure to
practice placing them before relying on them on a challenging lead.
From: Geoff Jennings
I've been climbing @5 years now, started long after the birth of SLCD, and I
use hexes on almost every climb. I use them in Lots of places to save my cams
for hard spots. they require a little more thought, but are bomber, cheap and
light. I'm puzzled that they aren't more popular.
From: Paul Cammidge
i think that there are important differences between cams and hexes.
hexes dont need parallel walls, but rather a gap that they cant fit
through. this makes them useful in different places. hexes also have
the advantage that they dont walk, generally stay where they are placed,
and are easy to remove.
while climbing a few years ago, we were attacked by a black eagle whose
nest was sharing a ledge with us. a hex provided us with a cheaper
abseil than cams would have!
From: Steven Cherry
I carry the equivalent of the #4-7. Any smaller than a 4 and you might
as well be placing a large stopper.
From: Scott Nelson
I have #3 - #8 Rockcentrics, and I do most of my climbing in Squamish BC. Of
these, the least useful is actually the #8. In many placements, I find the
round shape of the hex fits the crack better than a similarly sized nut. Also,
stoppers don't have any caming action to them.
From: Dwight Haymes
#6-10 are my choice, any smaller and you can place a stopper. The big ones
are good for banging on your nut tool. Get lots of them if you plan to climb
trad or alpine. They are cheap to leave when you have to bail a route.
From: Kevin Fons
I have sizes 7-11 and use them quite a bit. I used to have a full set but
got rid of the smaller sizes.
My Stoppers cover most of the smaller range along with Tricams size .5 - 2.5.
From: Kelly Rich
I don't know why folks say to forgo the smaller
hex's because that range is covered by large stoppers.
When I first started leading, I had a full set of Chounard hex's
and Stoppers on my rack. I wouldn't have traded my smaller
hex's for more Stoppers, no way. If you haven't noticed,
hex's and Stoppers are shaped very differently. This means
they fit into different types of cracks. Often, you can find a bomber
#4 hex placement where you'd have trouble fitting in a Stopper.
From: John
Another general impression of hexes is that when they are placed they tend
to be very strong (bomber). For this reason I have some of the smaller
sizes (smaller than my larger nuts) that I use when appropriate.
From: Rex Pieper
I'll be a voice of dissent. You guys are brown nosing Hexentrics bigtime.
Hexes suck. So do tri-cams. They're clunky, noisy, slow to place and
make you look like you can only climb 5.7. Ever see a 5.14 climber
with a rack of hexes? Of course not! SLCDs rule! Don't believe the hype
that the new "curvey" hexes are the shit...they're the same old sucky
hexes from the 70s, repackaged, recolored and now on cables...oooooohh.
Big whoop. What's next...the re-release of CMI RockJox? I can hardly
wait.
How do I rack long slings? [back
to top] [FAQ contents]
From: Karl Lew
I carry 24" BW Spectra slings over my shoulder. I also carry 48"(tied)
Ultratape slings. The 48" slings I double over (so they're 24") and clip
one biner to both loops. This lets me grab a long sling quickly if I
just grab the biner. It also keeps the 48" sling equalized so it doesn't
get snarled in everything else. The short slings are a different color, so
they're easy to pick out.
From: Vicki Portman
Long slings doubled and with krab (sorry,
biner!)attached. Short slings single. I tend to put long slings over my
right shoulder, under left arm and short slings the other way round, so they
form an X across my body. This way they don't get inter-tangled and I can
easily select the right length.
From: Dylan Sutton
I'm confused, if you put short slings one way, and long ones the other then how
do you get to a sling that is under the one on top?
You have to put the long slings underneath the short. Have the long
slings doubled (NOT crossed) and clip the two ends together with a
biner. to get a short sling off, pull it over your head. To get a long
sling off, just unclip the biner from one end and pull the sling free.
With tied runners I prefer the knot at the front, on the same end that
I'm going to pull (to stop it catching behind my back).
From: Geoff Jennings
I hate carrying slings over my shoulder, but I do mostly trad climbs where long
slings are frequently needed.
I have a bunch of slings set up with a biner at both ends, I pass the rope
biner through the protection biner, then clip the rope biner to the two loops
formed. Easy to carry, and with practice, easy to deploy. they can also be
used in their tripled form if I don't need the length. I carry a mixture of
this and regular quickdraws on most routes.
From: Chad Lake
If you want some extendable draws, seriously consider using a shoulder
"trebled" length sling. Put both biners on the long sling to make a
long draw. Then take one biner, pass it through the other biner and
then clip the loop that hangs from the passed-through
biner. Advantages are:
*) takes almost no time to set shorten/extend (just unclip one of
the biners and clip any of the free hanging loops)
*) totally bomber
*) symmetric
*) compact (ie: no slings over the shoulder, no long slings hanging
from your harness)
*) less worry about backclipping/etc with a "floppy" sling than a
sewn sport runner
From: RG
The only safe way to lengthen a triple-threaded quickdraw is to
COMPLETELY UNCLIP THE BOTTOM CARABINER AND THEN CLIP IT BACK
THROUGH ANY ONE STRAND OF THE QUICKDRAW SLING. Any other way, including unclipping two
strands rather than one strand, may completely undo the draw.
From: Steve
Dropping out one strand may result in unclipping from the sling (1 in 3 chance as RG points out), but dropping out 2 strands leaves one clipped into the sling.
Having said all of this, I actually do what RG suggests because I find it a lot easier to unclip all three strands and then reclip one, rather than monkeying around trying to drop out two.
Either way, I would always check to make sure I am clipped in properly before moving on.
From: Fritz Weihe
I wear an L or XL hat and a 42 or 44 jacket; not that big, but I also
can't comfortably rack sewn 24's over the shoulder, especially if I'm
wearing a few layers and a helmet. For that reason, I
rack mine, as triple-draws (I like the way they lenngthen wihtout the
loop around the biner), on my harness. But I do carry 3 or 4 tied runners,
of 9/16" webbing, over the shoulder. I make them enough longer than a sewn
24 to carry and remove comfortably. Each one has a biner on it and...
... I use them preferentially when I place cams. That way I don't leave
extra biners more than necessary. If it's hard to get one of the tied
runners, or I'm out of them, I grab a tripled 24 off the harness, extend
it, and leave the extra biner about half the time.
I also just plain like having at least some tied runners, which
can be untied for tight threads, rapelling, bailing, and other stuff like
that.
So for me, a few tied, over-the-shoulder, slings with a single
biner each, serve multiple purposes, each of which I have benefitted from
at some point.
From: Jeff Mazo
[note: describes "twist racking" - see link to Climerware below for illustration]
Double the sling, with a half twist in one loop (double twice for a 16
ft sling), then twist the sling lengthwise (like the rubber band on one
of those balsawood model airplanes). Then hook a 'biner through both end
loops and give the sling 2-3 more twists. You end up with about 8 inches
of skein dangling from the 'biner. It looks quite elegant when done
right, and in theory you should be able to drop loops as you take it off
to use it single or doubled (or quadrupled in the case of a 16 ft
sling).
From: MT
Have you tried "daisy chaining" them?
I usually do this to eliminate tangles and messes.
Bite one end and pull with the free hand, they are full length and ready
to go.
See also:
Twist Rack on Climerware
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