RRC Archives

Today, for the first time in 17 years of leading trad. I sussed out gear on toprope and led with only the pieces I needed. You might say I was being a wuss, but damn it felt so much easier. It didn't even feel like trad climbing - just like sport climbing with funny-shaped bolts.

Oops... not supposed to be an announcement. But, screw it, let the world know.

Welcome to the club homey. I've always wondered why traddies thought their game was so much better than sporties because when you're sending at your limit that's normally how it goes. Trad or sport it's plug and chug. Just different handholds.

word.

Trad climbers are really just scared little people duct taping nuts to their harness, sewing up crack, and talking about how hard a 5.8+ is. My gear makes Muir bolt jobs look R rated.

welcome to the headpoint,
not my cuppa joe

Been wondering about this in the gorge. Glad to hear I'm not going to be the only one headpointing on some harder projects; seems to be a club worth joining.

I got Don to carry a #4 camalot all the way up a route yesterday. He even tried to place it 15 ft off the deck, but I talked him out of it.

Was a beautiful thing.

When these discussions start happening, it's time to drop the 'trad' moniker. You may be placing gear, but you're no longer climbing in a 'traditional' style. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I personally don't have a desire to headpoint, and don't care if others do, but at that point there isn't much left that is 'traditional'. Then again, the same could be said when you come back for the redpoint attempt after you've led it once without a send.

boring.
i'm off to the sport forum to kick off another 'what constitutes a flash/redpoint/brownpoint/anal onsight' thread. it's gonna be a ton o fun. see y'all there.