UKC

Hi again!
I'm trying to introduce my brother to the world of trad climbing and want to do so slowly and safely! Before I take him on any trad routes I'd like to get him seconding and then leading a few sport routes and multi pitch sport routes at the start of the new year. Does anyone have any recommendations of easy places for sport climbing in the peak as the only experience I have had has been at horseshoe quarry? Thanks Harry

In reply to h.cook2000:


I don't think it's a good place to start. Some of it is falling down (or has already fallen down), and while the main wall routes may be solid, they can feel a bit run-out.

In reply to h.cook2000:

Agree with the previous poster, for heaven's sake, don't take him to Horseshoe - and this from that someone who used to quite like the main wall. I'd take him to a few climbing walls, for variety, get him top-roping stuff, then leading stuff at a lower grade. I'd explain that sport outside is different from climbing walls and trad is very different to sport. Then (if he hadn't legged it!) I'd take him to Stanage on a brilliant sunny day and get him seconding lots of easy stuff - hopefully loving it.

Then... well, there's a whole world out there. But the important thing is that his early experiences are good ones. Forget about multi-pitch sport. Best if he just gets used to single pitch trad.

Good luck (and be safe).

Mick

In reply to h.cook2000:

Do you feel this is safer than starting on easy trad routes such as Diff and Vdiff ? Possibly if he is any good, he will soon be on 6b or 6c, then maybe will not want to do such technically easy trad routes, which is where you can learn the craft of placing runners in relative safety.

In reply to h.cook2000:

Most, if not all the easy sport in the Peak is as crap as it is at horshoe.
If you want to introduce your brother to trad climbing then take him trad climbing, there's a vast choice of high quality climbing in much nicer places than crappy old quarries. as long as you can set up safe belays he's as safe following you up a trad route as a sport climb and he'll be learning about gear placements as he goes.
As far as leading is concerned, most easy sport climbs are quite badly bolted with high first (and second) bolts giving big deckout potential and all the bolts tend to be very spaced making it feel quite scary with big falls possible. With even a modest gear placing ability easy trad routes will be safer and less scary.

In reply to Mick Ward:

He's already completed a couple of top roped 6b routes in the Lake District with me however I'm just a tad wary about trad.

In reply to h.cook2000:

Why?

In reply to Babika:

I'm not sure why your asking why?

In reply to h.cook2000:

Why be wary of trad?

Take them to the Idwal slabs on a nice day - as long as they can do heights they'll have a blast

In reply to nniff:

And moreover, what are you going to learn climbing sport outdoors (that you couldn't learn indoors) that will make you safer when you start on trad?

In reply to h.cook2000:
I agree best way to learn about trad is by climbing trad if you want to get him leading you can always do it indoor as the weather is gash , I'm not sure what your worried about with trad? , is it the gear , quality of rock you will be climbing , or building a solid belay? , because as long as you have fairly good knowledge on these things you can explain all this one day at the base of a crag and get him up a few simple slab climbs ? , hope this is some help 😊

In reply to h.cook2000:

Sounds like you're the one who's scared of trad

In reply to Mick Ward:


Yeah - don't bring your girlfriend winter climbing and make her belay in the snow for 45 minutes as her first outdoor experience.

In reply to h.cook2000:

As everyone else says, don't go to Horseshoe for trad routes. There are some trad routes on the RH buttress as you go into the quarry, that Jungle, Andy Dight and myself did in 1980 something. I have no idea if they are in the current guidebook. They are all around VS, but on loose chossy rockj, with only the fence posts for belays at the top. Only for the true connoisseur of choss.

In reply to h.cook2000:

If you want to do it slowly and safely go to Stanage. if you want nice sport routes go to Costa Blanca.

In reply to leewil86:

According to previous threads, h.cook2000's brother is 11 and he's 15. In another thread in December he said he was "just starting" trad climbing himself (and I'm not clear on how much trad leading he's done yet).

It's not unreasonable that he might feel that he's not yet got the experience to teach an 11-year-old how to trad climb.

I think there's lots of advice here that would be perfectly reasonable if h.cook200 was an adult who'd been trad climbing for a few years himself.

But given that he's not, I can see why he might want to consolidate his own skills before he starts trying to teach someone else, particularly someone so young.

In reply to wilkesley:


Don't think anyone even suggested that!

In reply to slab_happy:


Well done slab_happy for checking. I was about to reply to this yesterday but my reply would have been equally inappropriate as others in the circumstances. I guess the handle h.cook2000 should have given us a clue.

The thought of an inexperienced 15 year old and a novice 11 year old on the Idwal Slabs today (a very "nice sunny day" I expect) would be a bit worrying, but I expect Mr Cook has a great deal more sense than that.

Martin

In reply to h.cook2000:

Ive just done a quick search and I can't vouch for them but I found Harpur Hill Quarry and Colehill quarry are within your area. Hope this helps.

If it means anything I also started sport climbing in a means of a stepping stone for trad for the feeling of being safer.

In reply to slab_happy:

Ahh cheers mate I was completely un aware of the climbers age I wasn't being a nob or any thing I was only giving advice on what I read ( which was very little to go of) , in that case a local club would be the best bet for both of you or a good guide good luck lads hope you enjoy your climbing adventure!