thanks for the response. i do understand why it's essential to be aware of where you place your foot. but specifically i want to know if there's a point in the route where you are required to step to the side of the rope or if it's all a judgement call.

I took a lead climbing class yesterday and the instructor was talking about how important foot placement was. He mentioned that sometimes you have to step to the side of the rope, (as opposed to having it between your legs) but I don't understand when you need to do this. Is there a specific sequence (ex: always stepping to the side of the rope between the first and second clip), or is it entirely a judgement call where you step to the side of the rope only to avoid getting tangled up in it?

thanks for the response. i do understand why it's essential to be aware of where you place your foot. but specifically i want to know if there's a point in the route where you are required to step to the side of the rope or if it's all a judgement call. Thanks.

thanks for the response. i do understand why it's essential to be aware of where you place your foot. but specifically i want to know if there's a point in the route where you are required to step to the side of the rope or if it's all a judgement call. Thanks.

step underneath the rope.

this is exactly what you DON'T want to do. never step under the rope. if the rope is running behind your leg, foot, or anything for that matter the fall will be most unpleasant.
If you are looking for a rule of when you usually want to be next to the rope rather than behind it, you wont find one. I generally try to clip with the rope beside me rather than in front of me, but even then this is not an absolute. its all dependent upon your stance/body possition the route and how you climb.

Sometimes you just find yourself there, and to "fix" it when you're in a funky, tight, precariously balanced spot, where you can't fully guarantee you can do so without falling(and the rope snagging you into a flip) is not the right thing to do. Instead, you choose "leader must not fall" and get past the move.

Really? Because I do what I would call stepping under the rope frequently. This puts the rope resting over my thigh as opposed to behind my foot/calf/knee. But maybe we mean different things. I would say be careful about stepping over or behind the rope (and placing your foot behind it).

...but specifically i want to know if there's a point in the route where you are required to step to the side of the rope or if it's all a judgement call. Thanks.

I notice a lot of beginning trad climbers doing this on hand and fist cracks where the feet and rope are all forced into the same general area.

I would argue that this is the wrong approach to take...I feel that it is dangerous to make a practice of pushing on through unsafe situations. It might work most of the time on easy climbs but it is sketch and will lead to death if you start trying harder climbs. To be a truly safe leader one needs to develop constant focus and mindfulness of things like this.

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't progress safely you have a number of options:
Downclimb/reverse a mover or two
Hang out and try and place gear higher or figure out a way to progress safely.
Jump off and take the fall.
Convince someone to drop you a top rope.

You should decide exactly how much risk you are willing to take before you leave the ground and use these options to not let yourself get past this limit...a good leader should never be in the situation you describe.

He mentioned that sometimes you have to step to the side of the rope, (as opposed to having it between your legs)

I actually side with HG on this one. The only way you can truly prevent these situations is never leave the ground at all, good leader or not. Climbing contains adventure and adventure is comprised of uncertainty, so climbers will necessarily find themselves in unanticipated situations. Yes, trying to prevent problems is ideal, but you sometimes have to climb your way out of trouble, deal with the crappy situation you are in, and realize the moments in which you must not fall.

My point is not that one should avoid all risk in climbing.

My point is that a good leader decides what risks they are willing to accept and what they are going to avoid and that thrutching upwards with the rope behind your leg is both very avoidable and very risky.

I am not a risk adverse climber, I have tried (and fallen on) R rated routes above my lead level (mid to high 11's) on natural gear and onsite and I have belayed very skilled climbers trying R rated 12's onsite.

In these situations falls are expected but having ones leg caught behind the rope is entirely unacceptable even on the easy but run out terrain as it greatly increases the risk of injury/death...If I see a leader accidently get their foot caught up in the rope I tell them so and I expect the same from my belayer.

I feel it is best for beginning leader to develop this habit early and practice it always... it is not that difficult to avoid having ones heel caught on the rope ... many consider it a very basic skill of leading.

Watch video of people trying hard R/X rated climbs (or even non R/X hard climbs). I guarantee you will never see them with their leg caught up in the rope even when they are firmly in no fall territory.

I completely get all of what you're saying and am still raising you a shit happens. I'm not saying to be slipshod in avoiding this situation, however, and if that is your interpretation, you completely misunderstand me.

Have you never found yourself having stepped within the rope system. Ever?

Certainly I have... pretty much every time I crack climb my feet are quite near the rope for most of the route. In these situations I try to make an educated guess about which way I will fall and run the rope to the other side of the crack by extending my gear and use my thigh, toes and knee and hands to keep the rope on one side of my body.

I've also done a lot of slabs that require a foot to be placed on a bad smear immediately above a bolt or piece of gear which can be a bit sketch but again, I make a judgement call about which way a fall is probable, weather it is better to have the rope between my legs or over a toe or a knee try the move and if i fall try and fall in the "safe direction".

All of this takes a lot of focus and may be overkill for some one who never pushes themselves to the point where falls are likely but it is the only way I have figured out to minimize the chance of flipping when you do fall.