UKC

Hi

I started climbing last year and I love it, at the moment I am climbing upto about a 5c single pitch sport, I would like to get into some easy multi pitch routes

I have looked on YouTube at videos of belaying the 2nd climber, rope management, how to set up a goood anchor to belay off. The few question I have is

Are there anymore videos or sites for more information?

Would you recommend having a lesson/professional tuition?

What area should I be looking at for easy multi pitch climbs? I live about 25 mins from Chester.

Thanks in advance
Shane

In reply to Shane jones:

I would definitely recommend going with someone who's done it before - although the ropework isn't too complicated, it can be slightly daunting actually putting it into practice, and obviously there could be consequences to getting it wrong!

As for locations, there's very little multi-pitch sport in the UK - it's mostly trad. There's plenty to be found in France - somewhere like Ailefroide has loads of easy stuff?

In reply to Shane jones:

Join a club and learn trad. Good quality, easy sports climbing is rare in the UK and multi-pitch even more so. I can only think of a handful of routes and they start at 6b+. Trad on the other had is right there on your doorstep in Snowdonia and there is plenty of it.

Al

In reply to Shane jones:

Whether a course or tuition would help is hard to say. Many people feel they don't need it and many feeel they benefit from it. By the sounds of it though, the fact that you asked the question leads me to suspect that you would benefit.

Now the difficult part - to get any easier multipitch sport routes (and therefore tuition specifically aimed at multipitch sport) you rally need to be thinking mainland Europe. The more usual approach to multipitch in the UK is through trad - an appreciation of the requirements of trad multipitch directly translate into sport multipitch (but not vice versa)

In reply to Shane jones:

Hi Shane,

As others have pointed out, there's a lack of quality low grade multi pitch sport climbing in the UK. You're close to North Wales though, which has an excellent variety of trad climbing, with lots of low grade multi pitch routes.

I offer multi pitch trad climbing courses. Have a look at my website and drop me an email if I can help!

Http://www.mikenolanmountaineering.co.uk

In reply to GrahamD:

I do want to move on to trad just wanted to get my fitness and grades up before I moved on. I will have to find a club or company to learn trad

what do the trad grades tend to start at in the UK?

In reply to Shane jones:

Sorry to join the chorus telling you that you're asking the wrong question rather than just answering it, but you don't need to be particularly fit or climbing at all hard to get into trad. Most clubs would probably be happy to have a keen novice along who wants to move through trad seconding into leading, particularly if they can belay safely.

If you are after sport, there's virtually no real multipitch in the UK, but there are plenty of easier single pitch routes within striking distance of you - look into North Wales limestone, Llanberis slate and Peak and Yorkshire limestone, for instance.

In reply to Shane jones:

Good suggestions above re the dearth of multipitch sport climbing in Britain so seek the obvious alternative.
If you do want to persist in your next step being multipitch sport I'd say a good destination is The Ariege region of SW France. Cheap to get to, good weather most of the year especially Spring and Autumn and easy multipitch sport available. What's more there's British run accommodation with instruction/guiding if you want it. Have a look here: http://www.chezarran.com/climbing.html

In reply to Shane jones:


"Steep walking" basically.

Seriously, though, the easiest normal trad grades (Mod, Diff, VDiff) barely make it onto the French / sport grade scale in terms of technicality.

In reply to Shane jones:
Hey Shane,

You don't necessarily need to be climbing high grade sport routes before moving to trad. Starting out on single pitch v-diffs and below you should find relatively straight-forward if you are leading 5's. As you are close to Snowdonia a couple of days with a instructor or with a experienced trad climber somewhere like Little Tryfan would get you started in the Trad game.

As for fitness Little Tryfan is a 10 minute walk from the road

Cheers
David

In reply to Shane jones:

I would add that it would be better to get into trad sooner rather than later. If you attain a modest level of skill at sport, say 6b/6c you will find easy trad very boring but you need to serve this easy trad "apprenticeship" in order to become fully competent. Unless you intend doing most of your climbing abroad trad is the way to go. UK sport, in the main, is indoors and grotty quarries, trad exposes you to much, much more. Having said all that if you get very good a sport it seems to me that you do not need as many routes because you spend days and days and sometimes longer trying to get up the same one.

Al

In reply to Ramblin dave:

Thanks I have the peak limestone guide coming in the next few days

In reply to GridNorth:

Thanks AL i am going to looking into some courses tonight to see what would best suit my needs

In reply to Shane jones:


Really easy grades are available for trad multi-pitch.. e.g.Knights climb at Cheddar is a 3 pitch Diff,
Knight's Climb (WW) (D)
but there will be more amazing stuff closer to hand with fab moutain views in both lakes and wales...
Haven't done any multi pitch trad or sport myself but look forward to trying some later this year, no doubt they are an experience not to be missed at all grades.

In reply to Shane jones:

There's a multi-pitch sports route near Bristol - Schrodinger's Cat, Earl (6a+), the bottom pitch is only 6a and the top is a fairly soft 6b. You can also climb Still Nice and Still Sleazy (6a+) as two pitches if you really want.

There's some at Tintern Quarry but it's a dangerous place and the access is dubious.

I suppose I might ask if there's much point, multi-pitch sports climbing really isn't hard, just use a sling and screw gates to equalize a couple of bolts and belay. The only thing to watch out for is get the belay device around the right way and don't drop the rope or the belay device!

You might want to learn how to abseil safely if you don't know already, you can lower off multipitch but it's often cleaner to abseil off.