In reply to Fred Astaire:
> (In reply to Hazelnuts) If said teenager wants a buzz, he should lead trad routes at the limit of his ability. Unless he has no mates to hold the rope.
I don't see the distinction between leading and soloing. On many outcrop routes, part of the route is a solo anyway, or becomes one as soon as one piece of gear fails/would fail.
For me and particular skill set and route choice, going soloing on grit is usually much safer than going leading. When I go soloing, I do routes I know I can do and I never fall off. When I go out leading, I do routes which I might well fall off, and they're rarely particularly well protected.
So I think your binary view of climbing (rope = safe, solo = danger) could benefit from readjusting to something a bit more nuanced.
>
> Soloing is a mug's game. What do you do if a hold comes off in your hand? Or a fulmar vomits in your eye? Or it starts lagging down with rain?
I kind of agree if you're going soloing at Gogarth, but that's probably not what the OP was talking about.
>
> I presume the teenager in question has loads of experience of leading on real rock? He's done mountaineering to boredom? He's summited the Ben via every grade VI ice route? Or is he an indoor climber who's done some sports routes and thinks placing gear is too much like work?
What's half of that stuff got to do with it? You don't go soloing because you've climbed everything on the Ben, you go soloing to enjoy a climb at your local crag, free of faff, doing loads of routes, and enjoying the the buzz of it.
Have a watch of this video which is great look at soloing on grit:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4748
It might inspire you to get to your local crag and enjoy some of the classics you've done before with a new perspective.