UKC

Just come back from a climbing trip to Malta and sick of seconding so decided to try and lead. Did my first lead climb indoors today which was only on a 4 to get me used to clipping in.

Really pleased but would love some advice so I can lead outdoors eventually... Is it better to push your grade leading? How on earth do you do that ha! I have no idea what my technique etc was like I was so focused on clipping in. Any advice would be great. Thanks in advance!

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

Just keep clipping at lower grades and get used to it and work out which method you prefer, once you feel more comfortable push your grade a little bit more.
Also get over the fear of falling and clip/drop. Once you have clipped at least 3rd clip or above then drop off the wall, start off by dropping below the last clip, then with waist by the clip and finally waist above the clip, if your belayer is competent you will start to realise it's not too scarey and then you will be able to really push your grades.

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

Going on a learn to lead course is one route, learning on real rock is much more fun!

Indoors, just lead lots of easy stuff and top rope harder stuff, as often as you can.

In reply to jezb1:
Hang off a straight arm when you're clipping or resting. It stops you from getting pumped too quickly.

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

I am not an expert, and prob repeating what many others have said, but this is what I know about lead climbing. If anyone more experienced than me wants to correct anything I said wrong feel free too.

Falling while leading above clip on a slab can be a bit dangerous as you scrape down the wall, this is one of the reasons you generally don't see many leading slabs indoors. On vertical slabs you ideally want to gently push yourself away if you fall off as you could potentially hit a hold on the way down. That said myself and plenty of other people have taken many falls on vertical indoor walls and never hit a hold or been injured. If you want to build up confidence falling off, it is safest on a gently overhanging to very steep wall, as you are falling into empty space and won't hit anything.

Try to avoid having the rope go behind your leg, as if you fall off you will be flipped upside down. You can also ask for your belayer to watch out for this and yell to you if they spot this. Also watch out for Z-clipping, where you take up rope to clip from under your previous quickdraw instead of from your harness, usually instantly noticeable by the huge amount of drag this produces.

Try to clip from good holds and a good position, don't be tempted when feeling pushed to try to clip from bad hold or from way below, as you will sap loads of energy pulling the rope up and you are introducing a huge amount of slack if you fall just before clipping. On steep ground I generally find it much better to climb until the next clip is very close to my waist, so I don't have to spend a lot of time hanging on one arm and can quickly clip.

I make sure I fall from above a clip at least every other climbing session to keep driving it into my head that falling from above gear is safe. Another thing to note, if you ask your belayer take you tight while above a clip then come off you will generally end up with an uncomfortable fall that swings you in quite quickly back into the wall. This is because a short pendulum swings quicker than a long one... basically unless there is risk of you hitting a ledge or a floor, a fall from above gear with a bit of slack out will generally be much more comfortable, though you will end up a bit further down the wall. For the first three clips the belayer should have minimal slack, be close to the wall and have a close eye on you. After that more relaxed belaying with more slack out is fine.

In reply to Karabiner Karen:
Lots of good advice already.
I would add ditch the top roping ASAP. there is a
Place for it ie. training or working hard moves.
But otherwise it is the destroyer of confidence

In reply to Sink41:

Good post! Nothing that needs to be corrected in there

Back to the OP always make sure that when you clip the rope it comes out from the clip towards your harness (I.e. The rope from your belayer comes up the wall, behind the back of the clip and then out through it toward your harness). If you do it the other way round there is an appreciable risk of the rope unclipping itself from the crab in the event of a fall. Along with this the 2 other golds. Safety rules (as mentioned) are to keep the rope between your feet and the wall and to try not to fall off before the 3rd clip.

Other than that, just do more of it and enjoy yourself! There's some good info in this thread

Mike.

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

Some extra ideas which may help:

- Don't be afraid to lead lots of easy routes, you don't have to push your grade every time. Try for a slightly harder grade when your are feeling warmed up / good / confident. Think of a grade triangle where lots of easier grades build you up to fewer harder grades.
- Sometimes the grade is less important than choosing a route that is the right style for you to begin with. For example you may find a 5 overhang very hard but a 5+ balancy vertical wall easier.
- You can top rope a route before leading it. Perhaps even trailing a lead rope to clip in whilst still on the top rope / auto belay so you find the right positions for clipping.
- Visualise / rehearse the lead from the ground.
- When top roping a route stop at each clipping point for a few moments as if you were actually clipping.
- Practice clipping right handed / left handed / gate facing left / gate facing right whilst on the ground to develop smooth, fast, fumble free clips.
- Each time you are at the wall ( perhaps just before you leave ) look at routes that you might like to do next time. Rehearse them mentally as mentioned above.

Have fun

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

Wow everyone Thank you so much - I've printed this out today... amazing tips, really grateful!

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

No one has said we all started somewhere nor to try trad (its easier, there is lot more of it in the UK and the risk aspects are often a lot lower than they are made out to be).

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

The ultimate joy of climbing is the adventure of going into the unknown. There are many folks like yourself asking about how to get into climbing as you have done. I would say get outside and start doing it. If you are not sure about the skills required, then either read up and practice yourself, or go on a taster course. It isn't rocket science, but there is nothing to stop you just going for it.

Have fun and stay safe!

In reply to Sink41:

Generally agree with this, although it's possible to go too far so apply common sense. If you've got to a hands-off rest before a hard sequence and a bolt at head height then it'd be pretty perverse to start the hard bit without clipping, risk a big whipper for a couple of moves, and then try to clip from a tough position mid-way through the sequence purely because you want to clip at waist height!



Agree, although this should probably be taken in conjunction with your previous advice about falling being a lot safer on overhangs!

My current approach is trying to stop myself from downclimbing to below the gear before sitting on the rope if I can't do something. The ideal would be to keep climbing until I fall (assuming it's a position where it's safe to do that) but if I'm not feeling confident enough to fall properly then I'll at least jump from as far above the gear as I dare. On a good day, that then feeds back into an attitude of "well, if I'm going to jump anyway then I might as well keep climbing and fail in style", which in turn becomes "wow, I wasn't expecting to get that move!"

In reply to Ramblin dave:

I like that last bit of advice, I was told that by an instructor in Malta too and think that helps a lot. What a head game... Can't wait to put all of these tips in to practice on the weekend

In reply to Karabiner Karen:

Hi
tried to reply to your other post where you mentioned N Wales but it has been archived - have a meet in N Wales 7 there will be several experienced climbers/ partners available 25-30 May.
Cheers
Woodsy

In reply to Karabiner Karen:
Great advice here already, just thought I'd link you to this:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1838

It's definitely important to be able to push your grade on the lead and feel comfortable doing it like you would on top rope. Safest place to practice this is indoors, when you're outdoors you'll know when it's safe to fall off with experience.

Mileage is key though, get lots of easy leading in before doing clip drop so you're comfy with the process of leading and you're thinking about the climbing not the next clip