Leading trad

Post by cc » Thu Dec 05, 2002 6:33 pm

Is leading a 5-8, 5-9, and 5-10 on your second time ever placing gear good for a beginer.

Post by **SCIN** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 6:40 pm

Well, it depends on how good the gear placements were.

Post by **the lurkist** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 6:42 pm

It depends on if you call getting in over your head too far off the ground, trying to fiddle in bad gear, terrified that you are about to die, falling and hitting the ground suffering severe bodily injury, and then inconveniecing your partner and everyone else at the crag as they interupt their day to carrry you out good.

Post by **gulliver** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 8:06 pm

so would that mean he/she should start leading on 5.3's , 4's cause a bad placement will hurt less?

Maybe cc's been following 12's for years-- I think it's good, if the placements were and cc knew the difference. Try routes you're comfortable with that take gear easily.

Post by **Johnny** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 8:23 pm

It's most important that you have climbed with other competent trad climbers to learn what good gear placements are. It would help if you placed gear on TR and then have an experienced climber evaluate your placements before you have to rely on them.

You can learn a lot by just walking one direction along the base of a crag (like Fortress where there are lots of cracks close together) with a full rack on and putting in gear everywhere you can find it.
It helps to leave the gear in and allow yourself to run out of optimum sizes. That will force you to think creatively and keep your eyes open. You can play a game that you have to put in gear at least every 8-10 feet just like you would on a route.

Another possibility is for you to connect a sling to each piece you place this way, clip it to your harness and see if it will at least hold body weight. You will get the chance to see how the gear can "flex" or "seat" (or "pop") itself when a force is applied. You will be surprised how some good looking gear will fail, and bad stuff can hold. Make sure your face is out the way of the possible trajectory. Bad gear can come flying out of a failed placement and hit you in the head.

Post by **merrick** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 8:26 pm

i guess it really depends on the person. i was chatting with one of those guys who lives at Miguels and climbs at the Motherload every day and his second trad lead was a 5.12c, 30 foot long roof crack. and he didn't know how to jam. he did it a couple more times and taught himself how to jam on that route. he said that it was way easier after he learned how to jam.

Post by **SCIN** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 8:49 pm

Don't believe a word Nasty says.

Post by **Horatio Felacio** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 9:35 pm

i know a spaceship and his name is mary.

was the first post by cc a good example of spraying? i was just wondering cause it sure sounds like it?

Post by **no grain** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 9:51 pm

It's funny because its true.

Post by **deleted username** » Thu Dec 05, 2002 10:19 pm

I'm with Horatio on this one... sounds like spray to me.

But to bite and answer the question:
If it was Five Finger Discount(8), New Red River(9), and Social Butterfly(10) then that's just "okay" for a beginner.

If it was Dicey at Best(8+), Jungle Beat(9), and the Quest(10c), then yes, that's good for a beginner.

Here's a better question:

If I couldn't pull the crux move on a 10a sport route (that I bolted) and I'm no where near a beginner, is that bad?