Falling off The ultimate goal of a successful lead is to reach the top without falling off. Whilst it is fairly normal to see sport climbers practising a move by grabbing runners and taking falls prior to a clean redpoint ascent, this approach is much more dangerous on traditional climbs and a clean on-sight ascent is not only ideal but advisable. Firstly, you should consider what you might hit if you fall off.
Anything less than vertical is going to involve a collision once you are airborne. Pulling on a natural runner may well rip it too as the loading will be outwards rather than simply downwards. If you are unable to complete a move, try reversing back to a resting spot. This allows a war of attrition, gradually piecing together a sequence until you are ready to go for it.
The safest way to escape is to down climb until below a couple of reasonable runners, before getting lowered to the ground, retrieving the gear by abseil.
Trying to save time by stripping gear as you reverse climb is a very good way to get injured, as many climbers can testify. Multi-pitch climbs Leading multi-pitch climbs is a more committing proposition, and before embarking on the route you should consider how you will get off, whether or not you complete the route. This gives a great team spirit to the climb, and allows you to choose pitches that suit individual skills - your mate will probably be happier than you on that poorly protected overhanging offwidth pitch!
At the end of each pitch a belay must be constructed, strong enough to hold the potentially greater forces involved if the leader should fall off on the following pitch. If runners fail, the leader could fall beyond the belay, resulting in a very high shock loading.
Alternatively, a heavy leader can pull a light belayer upwards or sideways, so the anchors need to be chosen with this in mind. A couple of low spikes may be fine for bringing somebody up a pitch but might be lifted off when holding a heavy leader. If the runner subsequently were to fail, the team would be left with no belay! In this situation, high anchors are preferable and multi-directional anchors such as threads are ideal.
Long multi-pitch climbs are best treated like an expedition, and you should aim to be independent in the event of unexpected changes in the weather or incidents. On mountain routes, light waterproofs are a sensible precaution, and a small head torch with fresh batteries. You may well want to carry walking shoes to save your feet on the descent.
Choose a light sack with a simple attachment point so that it can be clipped into the anchor while belaying. Some have gear loops for carrying kit, and you might prefer an incorporated hydration system, but personally I prefer the simplicity of a recycled water-bottle.
Before leading climbs you will also need to have developed the ability to find opportunities to rest and recover. Hanging on long enough to place a natural runner takes a lot more effort than clipping a bolt. A positive frame of mind is essential for leading climbs, so regular practice is essential, particularly if you want to progress to harder routes.
Desire is essential for leading climbs. This article has been read times. This popular training event will be returning in over the weekend of May at Plas y Brenin in Snowdonia. The weekend is aimed at the experienced members of affiliated clubs that support less experienced members whilst they gain experience, develop skills, and become competent climbers, walkers and mountaineers in their own right.
Are you ready for sea-cliff climbing adventures? Check out the new five-part BMC TV skills series to discover the skills and techniques that you'll need for this new environment.
There's no secret trick to climbing sea cliffs, but it's all too easy to mess things up, complicate the situation, or end up confused and off route. Alternatively if you do not wish to login you may post a comment anonymously. The British Mountaineering Council BMC is the representative body that exists to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers. The BMC recognises that climbing, hill walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death.
Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions. Not a member of the BMC? You need to opt-in to receive communications from us. The rope half-way mark came, and stopped - about a meter away from me along that traverse. I couldn't hear anything from my partner, and shouting only created nice echoes that spooked a coyote in the parking lot - as the sun was all but down.
I had no idea what was going on, but I never felt any tug from above and my partner didn't give me our old standard "3 tugs - off belay" signal. I tied off the rope and escaped the belay. Now dark, I pulled a headlamp from my pocket and scrambled down so that I could walk around the base of the rock and look up, lighting the way with the headlamp, to see if my partner was on top of Trash Can Rock, or stuck He was on top.
Ex-Navy meteorologist Vietnam era that he was and Ham radio operator that I am, we were able to use Morse code he had his headlamp to arrange for me to scramble back to the belay, release the rope, and dissemble the anchor while he pulled the rest of the rope up through the protection that he placed and set up a rappel.
Not all of the protection could be retrieved as my partner rappelled down in the dark. Much of this could have been avoided with use of lightweight personal radios that we had - safely stored at the hotel. I could have confirmed that my partner had summitted and had put me on belay to follow and clean the route - if only he could have heard me.
Now we always take radios. We don't use them very often, but one set of "family radios" is far cheaper than one Omega Pacific SLCD and much safer than trying to send and receive Morse Code at 8: The book is solid as can be - I just wanted to point out that radios no cell coverage have their place, even on single pitch routes! This felt more like a glossary of climbing rather than a climbing guide.
This book is great if you have no climbing knowledge base to start from, but this book in no way prepares you for any kind of climbing. If you have no idea where to start, read this book to make yourself aware of terms and concepts and then read John Long's guide to climbing anchors and then go climbing with an experienced climber. If you're a gym climber or sport climber looking to get into trad read John Long's Climbing Anchors and then go climb with someone who is experienced and can monitor and guide you through safe climbing.
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