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jhundrup
Apr 3, 2001, 6:36 PM
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Registered: Jan 17, 2001
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In my opinion you must first consider your comfort level. If you feel comfortable with the placements that you are making with your pro, then you have to start leading some time. If you have the option, which I did when I started, find an experienced climber to climb with. I did a bunch of climbs as the second man, cleaning the route and examining the placements before doing my own lead. This gave me good experience climbing and looking at experienced placements. If time allows and you are cleaning, remove the pro and replace it in the same location so that you can get comfortable with the placements. Jared
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jhundrup
Apr 4, 2001, 4:05 AM
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Registered: Jan 17, 2001
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If you feel comfortable that you know what good placements and safety are then the answer is easy. Meet someone, tell them you are looking for a partner and that you are very interested in safety. Play it safe while you are climbing with them for the afternoon and if they do things safely then you have a new partner. If they don\'t do something safely, simply say I\'d feel more comfortable backing up that anchor a bit and then don\'t call them to go climbing with you next time.
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jt512
Apr 12, 2001, 4:05 AM
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Registered: Apr 12, 2001
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wrote: >Hi,> >I feel real comfortable knowing what a good placement is at this point, yet I realize I still have a lot to learn... If you are comfortable that you can lead safely, then start leading! At first, stick with routes that are easy to protect and easy to climb. As you gain experience, try gradually more difficult climbs. You asked if you should continue to lead on TR: no, you shouldn\'t. You need to start leading for real. >I would love to find an experienced climber to second, but once again how do I go about evaluating a climber before getting on the rock with them. At your current level of experience, you probably can\'t. >Just because someone is experienced doesn\'t mean they know their stuff, as I have witnessed firsthand. I was top roping at Joshua Tree after one of my classes and some guys who were leading 5.11 free soloed up a 5.8 climb to set a top rope anchor for a beginner in their group. They built one of the worst anchors I can imagine. It had only two pieces of pro and the guy who built it messed up the cordellete and failed to make it redundant. First of all, a 2-piece anchor is sometimes sufficient, if the 2 pieces are bomber. Secondly, a properly tied cordelette is redundant be design. Because of the master knott, if any loop of the cordelette breaks, it is backed up by the other loops. As to how to find climbing partners, for one thing, you could post your email address here, so that potential partners could contact you. Another option is to ask around at a gym. All the southern california gyms that I\'ve been to have some members who are experienced trad climbers. You\'ll just have to use common sense and instict to separate the competent ones from the posers. In my experience, good climbers exude a quiet confidence. The braggers are the ones you have to watch out for. -Jay
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rayborbon
Apr 19, 2001, 4:22 AM
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Registered: Feb 10, 2000
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Unfooofoo, If you can lead mock 5.8 start at 5.6 or so. Sounds like you are on the right track mit intruction there. If you feel uncomfortable then retreat. Looking for a partner just hang out at a real good crag long enough and you will certainly find one. -Ray wrote: >Hi, > >I have been gym climbing for about 2 years. I took a class indoors on leading and have been leading inside for about 6 months. This winter I took 3 classes at Joshua Tree. One was a 2 day class on building anchors and top roping. The other was a 4 day lead class which covered building anchors and top roping the first 2 days, then trad leading the next two days. All the trad leads were done with a top rop back up to prevent us from sustaining any leader falls. I subsequently repeated that class, and now I feel ready to try some easy trad climbing(=5.6). Do I have enough experience, or should I take some more classes? Should I continue trad leading with a top rope backup? Finally, how do I go about finding a safe partner? (Background: top roped 10a at Joshua Tree, and \"mock\" led up to 5.8 with no falls. I have never sport climbed outside. At my gym, I lead up to 5.10+, which is obviously much softer than Joshua Tree.)
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mattp
Apr 20, 2001, 4:21 AM
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Registered: Mar 29, 2001
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wulwulwul- I think Ray is right on the money - hang out at a traditional rock climbing area and you will meet traditional rock climbing partners. Climb in a traditional rock climbing area and you will learn to climb cracks, to sniff out a route where it may not be obvious, and to feel comfortable when there isn\'t a bolt within arms reach. As to what may be the basis of your question, how do I move from the totally safe area of top-rope gym climbing to the more uncertain area of leading trad climbs without getting hurt, the only real answer is \"be careful.\" As you take the risks necessary to lead traditional climbs, you will almost certainly find yourself misjudging climbs (or partners) and thereby ending up in places where you might rather not be. However, most of us find a way to get ourselves out of danger and back to the ground in one piece, and it is from these experiences that we learn what we need to know to be able to lead with confidence. I\'m not being cavalier about the risk. Getting scared is no fun, and getting hurt is worse. But accidents are truly quite rare and I think that many of us, if we really examine our climbing behavior, would honestly have to admit that we are far more timid than we need to be. There is a distinction between timid and careful, which is hard to identify sometimes. Seek out more experienced partners or instruction wherever you may find it, but the only way you will learn to lead traditional rock climbs is to lead them. And the only way you will learn to lead at or near your ability is to push your comfort limits. Just try not to get hurt in the process. One way to learn whether this or that placement is any good is to try aid leads. When you place pro and test it, over and over, you will eventually learn what works. Obviiously, the forces generated in a lead-fall far exceed those you put on a piece of gear when you step onto your aiders, but by repeatedly placing (and then having to remove) gear, and by weighting it, you will learn what works. And by getting yourself all tangled up and having to figure out how to make the rope run smoothly again, you wil learn a great deal about rope management. Climb safe, but above all - have fun. -Mattp wrote: >Hi,> >I have been gym climbing for about 2 years. I took a class indoors on leading and have been leading inside for about 6 months. This winter I took 3 classes at Joshua Tree. One was a 2 day class on building anchors and top roping. The other was a 4 day lead class which covered building anchors and top roping the first 2 days, then trad leading the next two days. All the trad leads were done with a top rop back up to prevent us from sustaining any leader falls. I subsequently repeated that class, and now I feel ready to try some easy trad climbing(=5.6). Do I have enough experience, or should I take some more classes? Should I continue trad leading with a top rope backup? Finally, how do I go about finding a safe partner? (Background: top roped 10a at Joshua Tree, and \"mock\" led up to 5.8 with no falls. I have never sport climbed outside. At my gym, I lead up to 5.10+, which is obviously much softer than Joshua Tree.)
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