I am very intrested in trad climbing. How ever I am 16 and have only been climbing for a year and started leading this spring. The hardest lead I have done is 5.7 and I have top roped 5.10Ds. I would really like to learn how to trad climb. How ever, what is the best way of learning? Should I find a guide to teach me? If so who is good? What are good climbs for a starter trad climber with bomber placments? Any how,
Thanks for any advice.
How to get strated trad climbing?
Find some experienced* traddies (possibly by hanging out at Miguel's or talking to people at your home gym) who will let you tag along with them and then follow/clean their routes. After a while of doing this you'll see the difference between good and bad placements, how to space out placements, when to use long slings, etc.
Start with leads like Father and Son - short, easy and straightforward to protect.
A lot of traddies won't agree with me on this, but lead sport a lot both indoors and outdoors. That way, you won't be as freaked by the simple fact that you are leading, and you can concentrate on your gear placements.
* the best people to tag along with probably won't be the loudest, biggest talking, know-it-alls.
P.S. Thanks for using spell check!
Start with leads like Father and Son - short, easy and straightforward to protect.
A lot of traddies won't agree with me on this, but lead sport a lot both indoors and outdoors. That way, you won't be as freaked by the simple fact that you are leading, and you can concentrate on your gear placements.
* the best people to tag along with probably won't be the loudest, biggest talking, know-it-alls.
P.S. Thanks for using spell check!
Bacon is meat candy.
Trad sucks. Start bouldering.
Or, start trad climbing. Now is a great time to climb trad in the red. You can find all kinds of cool things: Snakes, Chiggers, Nettles, Lichen, moss, choss, chewed through rap slings, long, sweaty approches with heavy packs. Well, I think you get the picture. Cool, eh? My sugestion to get the real traddy vibe going would be to bushwack into Muscle Beach (since the road is closed), lead all the routes there in the sun wearing shorts and no shirt. With no gear bigger then a #2 camalot. Then take a really hot shower that night. Feels good. That is what tradding is all about.
Wes
Or, start trad climbing. Now is a great time to climb trad in the red. You can find all kinds of cool things: Snakes, Chiggers, Nettles, Lichen, moss, choss, chewed through rap slings, long, sweaty approches with heavy packs. Well, I think you get the picture. Cool, eh? My sugestion to get the real traddy vibe going would be to bushwack into Muscle Beach (since the road is closed), lead all the routes there in the sun wearing shorts and no shirt. With no gear bigger then a #2 camalot. Then take a really hot shower that night. Feels good. That is what tradding is all about.
Wes
"There is no secret ingredient"
Po, the kung fu panda
Po, the kung fu panda
I started to volunteer. Then it occured to me that Wes is already steering him in the right direction. He wasn't kidding.
Right now I have a couple doubts about this guys learning ability.(see my rant)
Then again I'll feel all guilty about being so hard on a kid that has been cheated by the the public school system, and maybe this kid will be a great climber one day
and remember me the way I remember Wes ,taking me out to Tower and teaching me things like leave no trace and how to pull on gear.
So OK ,Philip if you are at miguels this weekend ask anyone to point me out and we will go do Vision and Eurika. Or maybe we will bushwack through the rodos in the SR looking for undone offwidth,if you have 4 wheel drive.
Right now I have a couple doubts about this guys learning ability.(see my rant)
Then again I'll feel all guilty about being so hard on a kid that has been cheated by the the public school system, and maybe this kid will be a great climber one day
and remember me the way I remember Wes ,taking me out to Tower and teaching me things like leave no trace and how to pull on gear.
So OK ,Philip if you are at miguels this weekend ask anyone to point me out and we will go do Vision and Eurika. Or maybe we will bushwack through the rodos in the SR looking for undone offwidth,if you have 4 wheel drive.
"Everyone should have a plan for the zombie apocolipse" Courtney
Pull on Gear? Me? Ha, what may seem like pulling on gear or hanging on gear to a gumbie, is actually dicey A0 climbing.
Oh, and Phillip, I see you are but a wee lad of 16. Now that will make it hard to find a good trad mentor, as most are pretty heavy drinkers, and will usually only accept payment for teaching in the form of cheap beer. So, I would say your best bet, would be to just start bouldering. It is the purest form of climbing, after all.
Wes
Oh, and Phillip, I see you are but a wee lad of 16. Now that will make it hard to find a good trad mentor, as most are pretty heavy drinkers, and will usually only accept payment for teaching in the form of cheap beer. So, I would say your best bet, would be to just start bouldering. It is the purest form of climbing, after all.
Wes
"There is no secret ingredient"
Po, the kung fu panda
Po, the kung fu panda
I can tell you are obsessed with climbing and I remember what it was like.
It's cool,and the only thing you want to think about.. Im really not an old meany
in real life so dont worry.Some one on one instruction is the best way to learn.
Read :Mountaineering,the Freedom of the Hills if you can get a copy, or some of the John Long books.
It's cool,and the only thing you want to think about.. Im really not an old meany
in real life so dont worry.Some one on one instruction is the best way to learn.
Read :Mountaineering,the Freedom of the Hills if you can get a copy, or some of the John Long books.
"Everyone should have a plan for the zombie apocolipse" Courtney
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squeezindlemmon
- Posts: 1452
- Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 7:02 pm
I would say ask J-Rock but he has been really busy lately. He has this policy though of never saying no to a person who wants to learn/go climb. I guess you can say he's my trad-mentor although I think I took on my first trad lead all by myself and no thanks to him. 
We were climbing multi-pitch at Tahquitz (SoCal) where the hike is a bitch (took me two hrs trudging uphill on scree). We get up there, he takes his sweet time leading the first pitch - it was long - and after I climbed to his belay station, he says, "I don't think I want to lead the next pitch, let's just rappel from here."
Needless to say, I was pissed for coming all the way to CA to do multipitch, hike uphill for two hours and climb one pitch. I took the gear sling from him and proceeded climbing; with J-Rock yelling instructions on placements every now and then. It was tough setting up the next belay but I've seen enough of it and had an idea (it held anyway).
Btw, J-Rock will tell you that he was just kidding when he said we should quit and rappel. To which I say, "whatever".
At least it got me started leading trad!
We were climbing multi-pitch at Tahquitz (SoCal) where the hike is a bitch (took me two hrs trudging uphill on scree). We get up there, he takes his sweet time leading the first pitch - it was long - and after I climbed to his belay station, he says, "I don't think I want to lead the next pitch, let's just rappel from here."Needless to say, I was pissed for coming all the way to CA to do multipitch, hike uphill for two hours and climb one pitch. I took the gear sling from him and proceeded climbing; with J-Rock yelling instructions on placements every now and then. It was tough setting up the next belay but I've seen enough of it and had an idea (it held anyway).
Btw, J-Rock will tell you that he was just kidding when he said we should quit and rappel. To which I say, "whatever".
At least it got me started leading trad!
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our mind. ~Bob Marley