What is lead rope climbing reddit. What videos and ideas would you share with those outside of the climbing world to show that it isn't necessarily an extreme… I have found out there’s flat webbing (like most leashes) and rope (like slip on leashes or climbing rope) types are available. I understand if a rock is kicked off and knocks me out, the climber should theoretically be on belay still. Hi! When you belay a lead climber and notice there is too much slack, what is the proper way to take it in? I was taught, that I should pull the tail end of the rope with my right hand simultaneously the active rope with my left, then grab the tail-end near the belay device with my left hand, move up my right and repeat. Newbie question but I'm wondering what counts as having finished a climb on an indoors top rope route. One of these was right below a small roof that I wanted to protect well, so I placed two cams in it about 5 feet apart from one another, at the same height. Background- 10 years of climbing outdoors, two years climbing retail, and I'm an AMGA guide. Also watch for abrasion, that’s what actually kills ropes. Which type would be better? Any advice would be appreciated. Use an ATC on trad climbing or if you are using half/twin ropes. Been trying to decide between two Edelweiss O-Flex options (9. Archived post. -I use the thinner 9. 8 - 5. Incorrectly clipped quickdraws can lead to dangerous situations such as rope drag, difficult clipping stances, or even unclipping during a fall. Remember to place them facing away from the direction of travel. 8, if you want to get comfortable practicing bring a mock rope with you and clip that while you are climbing top rope. He is adamant that top-roping is absolutely NOT sport climbing. But in my I always have a reverso on my harness when climbing outside for use as a rap device but in the gym, I use a gri-gri all the time on TR and most of the time on lead. Please submit your questions and tips that are constructive contributions. My Like many things in climbing, it's a personal choice whether to take measures for a very low probability event. Plus I want to dip my toes in some lead climbing this season. Reply reply Gedoubleve • Reply reply BananaGarlicBread My SO and I got into an argument about sport climbing. 28 votes, 51 comments. Why not combine both fears on a 12a Lead climbing is where the the rope is behind the climber. It feels like it’s awfully soon in our journey to start thinking about lead climbing, but maybe that’s just me, the over cautious, over prepared, learner. [1] The claim against usage for lead climbing is that since the device auto-locks, the belayer is required to hold the device open while feeding rope to the leader. Whipping on lead is scary. We trust the harnesses, top ropes, top rope anchors, draws, belay devices, and steel structures of the gyms we climb at. 1 mm rope and a 9. And i probably missed several other ways ropes will be used on alpine climbs. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. 54 votes, 44 comments. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. Ropes appear expensive so I want to make… Let's say a route is set at a certain difficulty for top rope. You start with a demonstration, explanation of all the rules, the whys and the how to (like why we clip the rope the way we do. You'll need to do some research about what rope to get though, there is a lot of varietydiameter, treatments, dynamic/static, length, etc. a, lead 10. $120 for 60m is pretty fair. In other words, if you only Top Rope, you are missing out big time :D Recently noticed lots of people don't understand where you clip from doesn't change the length of the fall, only how far from the ground you end up. I have a 10. I'm just curious as to what exactly are the reasons for allowing only one attempt in lead climbing. Apr 24, 2025 · We tied into 17 climbing ropes to find the best of the best. Rope climbing is long, steady climbing at a much "lower" V grade equivalent that take insane amounts of endurance and strategy to get through in one shot. The problem? I become nearly paralyzed with anxiety about actually climbing lead routes. Would love to hear your thoughts or a bit about what has worked for Hey fellow climbing humans, What climbing rope brands do you prefer? And what length did you go with for your first ever rope? I really want to get into lead climbing but so far I only have a harness. It all depends on the height of the route. A Grigri is very easy to use, and its semiautomatic brake is really safe. Also hoping to get into outdoor eventually (baby steps). lots of direction changes. : r/climbing Go to climbing r/climbing r/climbing Someone may use lead climbing to set up a rope and then prepare that rope as a 'fixed rope' for the remainder of the day/week/season. half rope technique), experience in reading the best line through the pitch, and the pitch itself (straight line, no traverses vs. I have lead up climbs in sketchy situations, but never where a fall would cause death. At this point I would say a beefy secure rope to learn on is more important than weight and to a degree handling. Currently I can only belay top rope, but I will take a lead course in a few weeks. Rope burns are known to occur in half rope technique with HMS in the HMS carabiner itself, or when lowering in a redirect carabiner, in which two independent ropes are simultaneously hung and loaded, but only lowered through one strand (a possible accident scenario in sport climbing). But take it from us – you don’t have to rush into leading climbing. For example, I was climbing with double ropes on thursday in the Gunks, where there are lots of horizontal cracks. I know ATCs have their issues, but I'm Use a Grigri. Tips, thoughts, recommendations? Any input is much appreciated. Lead climbing has a higher degree of fall chance since you will fall back down to the last clip in. It looks like a lot of my friends are getting into lead climbing and going outdoors. 6-). What else do I need just to get outside and climb for the first time? What kind or rope and draws and anything else? Also, where can I find instructions for doing my first lead climb? Don't go way over, that can lead to reinforcing the fear, instead start off with something completely comfortable and go from there. Rope drag: depends strongly on the material available (sport climbing draws vs. Dec 30, 2023 · Lead climbing opens up new possibilities and challenges for climbers looking to advance beyond top rope climbing. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. Why is this? Isn't top rope a little safer, as there basically aren't falls? I'm a year into climbing (gym, top rope) and recently learned and tested so I can lead climb at my gym. It allows you to chart a new course up the cliff face and push yourself physically and mentally in ways that you can't when top roping. Take your brake hand way back on the rope, down by your thigh, so you've got about a yard of rope between your brake hand the the grigri. I climb in southern Arizona so it will mainly be well protected routes on pretty sharp granite. I think if you’re paying under $150 for a name brand rope you are doing pretty well. Pretty much everyone I've seen that are climbing hard grades will clearly distinguish that falling on a route means they didn't send it. The rope drag from pulling the rope back through the draws makes it a workout on its own and you don’t get to cheat a rest as easy. Lead climbing is the bread and butter of rock climbing. So this is a bit of an expansion from an answer in the Friday new climber thread- I thought I'd put this together in a little more depth and give people the chance to ask questions and give feedback. I am a little weary about lead climbing for fear of falling/heights, but have decided to push myself regardless. Clip at home! Clip on the bus! Clip at a park, with a loop over a branch. the gri-gri lets me control the rope better when my climber needs to boink or jug up the rope, I don't have to worry about the brake releasing if he asshats me or something bad happens. " is absolutely untrue - especially in multi-pitch climbing. Mostly lead climbing with a GriGri. I soon discovered this after I couldn't climb any farther. As for geartop roping is pretty easy to get into, the rope is the expensive part. I'm sort of stuck on which gear to buy to top rope on a few walls. Practice locking out or different resting positions and holding them for an exaggerated time to strengthen for clip fumbling. I was near the top of the wall when I fell. Skinny ropes of all designations are fine for alpine climbing, just understand that you might have to retire the rope if you actually whip (worst case scenario). Comparing them is like trying to compare BMX biking and touring the country on a road bike. You remove the draws after you're finished by rappelling or, if the local climbing ethic allows it (and many don't), lowering. It’ll be my main focus/goal for this outdoor season. If you don't, practice clipping on top rope, maybe even with a length of rope clipped on your harness to mock lead for timing. Now take your brake hand up and over, feeding the rope into the grigri from above. What is the official rule to having completed an indoor top rope climb? Hi all! I’ve been climbing for 2 years now and I just started outdoor rope climbing (woohoo!). You can place them on lead. The obvious example is speed climbing, but between bouldering and sport climbing (lead and top) the gap has increased the last years due to the modern style of setting. Getting several hours of clipping down so its muscle memory, then you can focus on other things like rope management, climbing, etc. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Lead climbing allows you to explore more adventurous multi-pitch routes while sharpening your risk assessment, gear placement, and climbing abilities. It really boils down to personal preference I have two different ropes that I use. Just did my first top rope solo, would love to get some feedback on the system I used. It will be used for lead & sport climbing outdoors and indoors. Community is dedicated to spreading information about this relatively new subset of climbing. And yes we are scared of falling. My question is, how can I improve my Although I understand it is "safer" what are your thoughts on these. I don't have much desire to do this, but it seems like there's a sentiment (I've seen it on this sub as well) that indoor top rope is just "pulling plastic" and is somehow an inferior way to climb. I know everyone always says work on your feet, but it is probably the universal truth of climbing. I've seen the Edelrid Pinch and love the fact that you can clip it directly to the belay loop. My climbing gym only has 24ft top rope/autobelay walls. Don’t just psyche yourself up, methodically review a climb and how you’re going to cruise up it. Other than that, some tubular webbing to make anchors, maybe some cordlette/slings, locking biners, and a belay device. *Dynamic- designed to stretch around 8% (varies from rope to rope) used commonly for sport climbing. Hey Climbit, I have a harness, a reverso 3, shoes, chalk bag, and a partner (with the same). Rope Soloing Just watched Pete Whittaker's film about rope soloing Freerider on El Cap last night and since I haven't stopped thinking about how nice rope soloing sounds. -I personally use the thicker 10. One of my friends did a 5. Solo climbing I am super new to climbing. I'm not at a point where I want to retire/cut my current rope, so I was planning on purchasing a 30-40M rope that I'd use exclusively in the gym. I think I'd only prefer static rope for top rope soloing, and even that is theoretical because in order for me to get the top rope up I first have to lead rope solo up there and therefore I'll still end up top roping on dynamic rope. Am I wrong with assuming that lead climbing and top roping are encompassed within sport climbing? -A gym rope is going to take a lot of falls and abuse as you try harder stuff to grow as a climber so they are generally thicker ropes (like 9. It is too hard to give slack and I find myself switching which way my brake hand is on the rope too often. At which grade did you start to plateau? When did you start seriously training? Today, my boyfriend and I took our brand new climbing rope to the gym to test out our shiny new lead cert passes. Properly clipping quickdraws is crucial for safety in lead climbing. But today I was leading an overhanging route where one of the quickdraws was in my lap as I clipped it, and I ended up clipping between my figure 8 and my harness. ]though Petzl recommends the device for use in both applications. Sep 2, 2015 · In a nutshell: Top rope and lead climbing are methods for protecting a climb. Just open the package and plop the rope on the ground, flake, and climb? We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. One of the things I like in bouldering is seeing a climber adapt and improve after they fail, and of course that is not possible in lead climbing. Would making the route more difficult, but allowing 2 or 3 attempts be a terrible idea? One thing disadvantage I can think of is the reliance on the To get lead certified it's a 2h class for which the only requirement is to be comfortable climbing and belaying top rope. You do want a dry rope for mountaineering, but you'll wear away the dry coating much more quickly if you use it regularly for sport climbing & trad, on rock. When I started i got an ATC and I ended up buying a Grigri for sport climbing. less durable (loses elasticity over time from stretching). 294 votes, 52 comments. Lead climbing is exhilarating and challenging. Personally, I am not comfortable to belay a lead climb with a GriGri. Do you have a rope and quickdraws yet? It might be very helpful to get a quickdraw, a length of rope, and to practice clipping (look up videos on how to do this correctly, or have an experienced partner show you). 9, but have been wondering lately; Should I stick with top rope, or is it better to "cross train" on bouldering problems? Nov 27, 2023 · This article compares top rope and lead climbing, discussing the differences in technique, equipment, mental and physical challenges, and risk. As such, it is a skill that most rock climbers are motivated to learn. 1. Oct 7, 2022 · The more experience you get with rope climbing, the more likely you are to begin lead climbing. Some are advertised as trailing/tracking or hunting leads. 7 (he leads 5. Taking a test is free as long as you're a licensed climber (aka member of a climbing gym or club). If you intend to go regularly, and split your time across climbing & mountaineering, I'd consider buying more than one rope. Your first rope should be a 9. I ask the staff when I'm really not sure, but I'd like to stop pestering them. 11 votes, 16 comments. See full list on climbing. A full setup for JUST sport climbing, where everything is bolted is as follows: harness, rope, full rack, belay device, a PAS of some sort, and an anchor build with the slings and biners. So I made a small graphic. Check out this Mammut. alpine draws), rope technique (single / twin rope vs. " Your statement "you're no more at risk burning your hands on a lead climb than you are on a top rope. It’s really best to have dedicated ropes for the different stuff you are using them for. I'm mainly needing to know which rope I need to buy for simple top roping and maybe a few lead climbs once I learn how to belay and clip in. Safe to say, I have mixed feelings about it now. Roped climbing in any form takes more equipment- harness, rope, helmet, belay device and eventually QuickDraws and stuff to make anchors if you are going to sport or top rope outside. If it's right at the top of your skill level, or you weren't comfortable placing some draws on lead, then you could place them on rappel, but it'll take longer. The fear is just your lizard brain trying to keep you from killing yourself. What are the best techniques? You take a test in a licensed club to obtain each passport, which involves climbing a few routes at a given level and belaying on toprope (white passport)/on lead (yellow passport). That’s why bouldering is more approachable to beginners. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. This is common in climbing gyms. Any tips on how to tell which clips to use? Climbing lead is also different, you might want to work on endurance and footwork, you are holding your entire weight for the climb unlike top rope and you have to stop to place protection, precise moves will help prevent you from burning out. An ATC is more delicate as its proper use requieres more attention and experience. This post goes over the exact differences and the gear used. Buying my first rope. They climb to a point, and then clip the quickdraws, and keep climbing. Bottom line is that again it all boils down to personal preference. Lead rope soloing is scary. I've seen people touch the bar at the top, touch the final hold, match on the final hold for 3 seconds, touch the autobelay deviceand depending on the route some of these things are much harder than others. There are also half ropes where you might lead using two and alternating (more of an ice climbing thing). Second bolts are notoriously the most dangerous to clip as any amount of slack out will almost certainly expose a climber to decking, or getting very close. Falls closer to anchor with any slack in the system will be more jarring etc than any top rope or lead fall. com Lead climbing (or leading) is a technique in rock climbing where the 'lead climber' clips their climbing rope to the climbing protection as they ascend a pitch of the climbing route, while their 'second' (also called the ' belayer ') remains at the base of the pitch belaying the rope to protect the 'lead climber' in the event that they fall (e Lead climbing is when you tie into the rope at the bottom of the route, so it’s not anchored to anything. 1 the majority of the time, because I am a heavier guy and am predominately a traditional climber. Granted, it looks like hard work, but it makes the necessity of having a partner for lead climbing obsolete. Top rope climbing is where the rope is anchored from the top. 8 mm rope. Is it possible to top or lead rope solo? Also this may sound like a dumb question but how do you top rope outside? In lead, the selection it's a compromise between efficiency and risk of failure, so in that sense lead is more mentally difficult than bouldering. Does anyone have experience with the Pinch? How does it feel compared to the Grigri? Is it good for lead? Thanks! Learn how to lead climb! This series of articles teaches you everything you need to know to lead climb safely at an indoor climbing wall. Your lizard brain is just trying to look out for you, but your rational brain knows better. Thus, the real reason to learn how to lead climb, and to improve beyond the 5. If I know they mostly climb indoor, I tend to assume they mean top rope indoor. I definitely don't condone it. Lead climbing is different and harder, lead climbing outdoors is significantly different and harder, depending on how the route was bolted. 8+) where as an outdoor rope is thinner for weight savings and won’t see as much use as a gym rope (9. ♥️ Hey, any advice for a beginning lead climber? I just started lead climbing (indoors, hoping to move outside in a month or two) and I'm having trouble figuring out which clips to use when the route traverses. I recently gained my lead certification at my gym and I’m really excited! But yikes lead climbing is scary! I’m a very strong and capable climber (was top roping 12s before) but I get so in my head when I lead climb, I find myself resting at every clip and barely making it up a 10b. Is the route you want to TR solo at an ideal angle? It allows for gear placements that would create significant rope drag with a single rope. My gym does the lead test on a 5. That way I am always grabbing the tail end with one of my hands. So I guess I have a few questions… Bouldering is short, intense climbing. Sport climbing= Climbing with a Harness and clipping the the rope into the wall as you go up. Partner gets back on belay quick and you’re good to go. 2), the Sterling slim gym Lead climbing should be scary when you start out. The dude had been climbing for at least 5 years mind you. However, it is the logical conclusion of "free climbing," freeing yourself from the need of a rope. 9+ or mid 10) free-solo and i told him that it was pretty selfish. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I'm a fairly new climber (2 months) I'm desperately wanting to get outside more and start climbing roped problems instead of just bouldering outside. I’d much rather learn about how to top rope climb outside before getting into lead climbing, I guess that might be a personal preference? Idk. I already didn't like the guy. I really liked the Grigri for top roping. Any advice for how to overcome this anxiety? I love climbing and think leading is really fun, but so far I Hey Tundrawolf_ This is from wikipedia: [. The home of Climbing on reddit. After lots of use and abuse on rock, ice, and at the gym, these came out on top. Also, you generally want short (30-50m) & skinny ropes for mountaineering, because they save a lot of weight Generally if you’re new to lead climbing you don’t fully understand how more slack = less impact (the impact gets applied to system slower and more evenly spread out through out the system). Been indoor climbing on and off for the last few years (top rope) and my partner and I are looking to take our lead course in the next two months. Any tips and recommendations is much appreciated. I started splitting my time between top rope and bouldering at my gym. Your lizard brain doesn't understand that the equipment will keep you safe, it just sees a rope going from your waist down instead of up, and it freaks out. You then climb up the wall, trailing the rope behind you and clipping it in at certain points so that it catches you when you fall. If rope has chance of abrading over edges you can setup intermediate anchor below that feature using a clove hitch to a draw before that feature with rope above loose/will be unweighed untill unclipping the clove. . If I know someone climbs outside regularly, I assume they mean their lead grade outdoor. c) and want to start getting into climbing multipitch outdoors… Hello! I've been climbing for about 2 years now, but over the past 3 months have been going on a regular basis and getting more serious about it. Jun 20, 2025 · The differences between rock climbing ropes can quite literally mean life and death. Here's what you need to know to buy your first rope. Wasn't holding the rope properly and it slipped through. With a single rope, the pieces Hi! Just started climbing, and I've only done top rope and bouldering so far, but in all of the professional climbing I've seen, everyone is climbing lead. Also worth mentioning there is the grigri plus that has selectable options for top rope or lead climbing which increases the amount of friction needed to lock it out. I guess I went into the conversation as a somewhat ignorant climber that almost exclusively boulders, I consider climbing with ropes and safety gear (non-trad) to be sport climbing. ) The trick is to use your short gym rope and have your partner lower you fast, then pull your own rope SUPER fast after your partner gets off belay. 13 would have maybe v7-8 moves, but a 60 foot 13 would have v4-5 moves. An equivalent mistake would be clipping between your 10 votes, 43 comments. 57 votes, 42 comments. Tips for a newbie with lead climbing / climbing outdoors - confidence and technique I am relatively new to climbing, and recently went on a trip with my local climbing group to try outdoor climbing for the first time. Could lead climbing that same route increase its grade in theory? In my gym there are walls where you can climb top rope or lead with the permadraws along the same routes. A common mistake while belaying a lead climber is to hold open the device the entire time, thus defeating the auto-locking Whenever I hear the big no-nos (with regards to clipping) for lead climbing, it's always not to z-clip and to back-clip. Getting the rope on the thing you want to climb can often be the hardest part of a TR solo project. My gym has limited lead ropes to give out, so having my own fixes that issue, and now I have options for different lengths and cutting it down. You have to train Reddit's rock climbing training community. 8 It'll be thin and supple, but beefy and durable enough to last you a I recently started climbing outside and am looking for a first rope for leading that will be able to take a beating. I wasn't sure if there was a good rule of thumb about lead climbing adding a certain amount of grades of difficulty or not. I started lead climbing, then switched to almost only bouldering, which I think all in all has affected my "technique" negatively for lead. Does the route you want to climb have top access to hang the rope? If not, you’ll have to get the rope of there by other means (lead rope soloing an adjacent pitch, aiding, etc. 10 level is that it opens up a massive door to incredible areas, incredible climbing, and in general, just ramps up this sport to astronomical levels of awesome. I'm just curious The thing with lead climbing is if you fall, you fall the distance you are above your last anchor point, then you fall that distance again, because of all the slack, and then you fall some more, because the ropes are dynamic - they stretch. I forced myself to do some today but didn't leave feeling any better about it--actually managed to psych myself out on a top rope route after that. Imaging yourself falling is really common (it’s currently holding back my lead climbing big time), imagining yourself cleanly climbing is harder, it’s more involved, but it’s beneficial. Any tips for preparing physically and mentally as we transition into lead climbing? Next Step: Learn How to Clip Quickdraws Lead Climbing Guide: Pro-tip In this lead climbing guide, we recommend to practice clipping quickdraws before you lead climb. the lead climbing part is easy (don't have your leg behind the rope, don't zclip, know how to clip, don't back clip, know how to fall is basically all you need to know for a gym test. Practicing the clipping motion in a non-stressful situation can get the muscle memory started, which is very helpful, and mock leading on top rope is a good way to test the waters of difficulty. Dealing with fear is a very common theme in climbing, all the way from being afraid of bouldering heights to being afraid of taking big whippers when lead climbing advanced grades. 8 or 10. ). I hit someone standing there on the head with my butt in my fall and I guess this slowed me down enough that the belayer finally caught me 1 meter above ground. 60 votes, 98 comments. I am a competent gym rock climber (top rope 12. Bouldering= (typically) Short climbs that don't require a harness or rope. Im curious what everyone’s climbing progression/timeline has been like? How quickly did you progress from V1 to V2, and then V2 to V3 etc (not limited to bouldering grades). I started climbing around five months ago, mainly as a way to exercise and to help with anxiety. Most of my anticipated outdoor projects this year are at least double that length. Consisting of strenuous moves and usually less than 25 feet off the ground. Falling and risking cratering is part of the package when lead climbing. I'm looking a buying a new rope for using in the gym, as my partner is getting tired of me abusing his 60M sport rope. ), then learn how to give slack with a climber on top-rope who is down-climbing, then climber It's really hard to equate the grades of bouldering and rope because if a route is 30 feet, a 5. It’s totally normal for leading level to be lower than top rope level. Thanks! There are some pretty good sales right now. 8 when climbing sport or in the gym. So I'm going to start lead climbing in my local gym and I'm going to need a rope. God damn it was so much fun. psge ezwhw woq egyo odzcyi nrtdku yvhxjvp mtijyh lsxvg npk
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