First let me say, I am new to climbing and have been out with a guide/instructor 3 separate times. The first time to get a feel for the sport, the second time to emphasize rappelling and rappel safety, the third time emphasizing anchors. I'm afraid I can't afford $175 days anymore. Or I'd be out a couple times a week with a guide/instructor.

I own and have read John Long/Bob Gaines' Climbing Anchors book as well as the John Long's How to Rock Climb.

Myself and a partner went climbing over the weekend. I gave lead climbing a shot because the sport route we chose did not have top access to the anchor bolts, and I wasn't confident of a solid rappel anchor to access the top of the route from.

When I got to the top, I already knew I was going to use a basic sliding x, my instructor went over that one a lot for top roping.

What he did not go over was the transition from this anchor to the rope, if that makes sense. Basically, I anchored myself real fast with a quick draw and a sling so I could build the top rope anchor with both hands, but that did not feel to great due to the lack of redundancy and all the other rules of thumb my instructor taught me about anchors. After it was built, I had some difficulty transitioning my weight from my temporary anchor to the rope so I could release and clean my temp anchor. I was able to do it, but not very confidently at all.

Could someone please point me in the direction of some info, maybe a book or a knot I'm forgetting or even a method that comes with experience? Anything would be helpful. Thank you.

More complex methods than that...not going to try to describe on the internet. Learn from a real live person.

+1
Especially since there's the whole issue of how to get the draws back when everyone is done with the route, which also doesn't lend itself to an internet description.

That was my thought. If getting the TR rigged posed problems, how well did breaking the anchor and descending go? None of it is necessarily complex, but communication and sequencing are critical.

This and my initial issue never came up during the sessions with my instructor.

He simply went over a few TR anchors at eye level on the ground, the SRENE concept etc. Then we did a couple climbs where he incorporated other types of anchors.

The bomber bolts on my weekend climb had rings on them. So when I climbed back up to clean the anchor I fed the rope through them and rappelled down.

Which leads me to another question. If the rings weren't there, what would have been the best way to remove my anchor and get down without feeding the rope through the eye of the anchor? In one of these books (Climbing Anchors I believe) I remember reading that over time the rope will groove the eye of the anchor, which is a big no-no.

Especially since there's the whole issue of how to get the draws back when everyone is done with the route, which also doesn't lend itself to an internet description.

And if you blow the sequence, you can easily die - something that is often not fully realized by beginners.

I am new to climbing and have been out with a guide/instructor 3 separate times.
I own and have read John Long/Bob Gaines' Climbing Anchors book as well as the John Long's How to Rock Climb.

I gave lead climbing a shot because the sport route we chose did not have top access to the anchor bolts, and I wasn't confident of a solid rappel anchor to

You guys are buying this?




Would you even know all of the gear to buy for lead climbing after 3 guided days?

Would you even know all of the gear to buy for lead climbing after 3 guided days?

Uhh. it's a sport route...not exactly rocket science to figure out what kind of gear you'll need.

Sport climbing and someone who is a good observer? Sure, why not? Climbing ain't rocket surgery.