Please create a forum for roped solo

I would like to make a suggestion to the wonderful and brilliant people that design MP. The suggestion is for the addition of a forum focused on roped soloing. This would cover soloing in terms roped lead, top rope, techniques, and gear related to the endeavor.

Discussions on roped soloing get scattered all over other forums and it seems that the interest has hit a critical mass that would deserve a dedicated forum for the topic.

Thank you for considering this change.

It would also be helpful if people were explicit when describing what they are talking about when it comes to 'roped solo' - i.e. 'TR solo' vs. 'free lead roped solo' vs. 'solo aid' (or similarly descriptive terms).

I think there could be a "sticky" thread for soloing, like there is for Red Rock:

mountainproject.com/v/frequ…

It would be helpful for all the soloing threads to be in one convenient place, along with PAS threads, Gri-Gri threads, what's the best climbing pack, etc.

Mr. Wonderful wrote:...interest has hit a critical mass that would deserve a dedicated forum for the topic.

FrankPS wrote:I think there could be a "sticky" thread for soloing...

Mr. Wonderful wrote: Fabulous idea. Where would it be located?

I support this. Roped solo: TR soloing, and lead soloing whether it be via sport aid or trad.

Under general it reads "Trad Climbing: Bolts? What are those?"

It could even have a catchy phrase "Roped Soling: Partners? What are those?"

Definitely nothing about the subject is anything beginners should be getting ideas about. So not in beginners.

I just wish they would include a frequently asked questions thread . Then again most who ask don't bother to do any kind of searching so it's probably a moot point .

And I agree it's not something to place in a beginners section . Frankly if you have to ask its pretty clear you have no business doing it in the first place .

^^^^

Let me reiterate - NOT FOR BEGINNERS (OR REALLY EVEN INTERMEDIATES).

If you haven't been climbing a lot for a couple of years or you aren't thoroughly comfortable leading 5.8 / 5.9 or don't have much yardage under your belt relative to leading pitches at those grades, then you really haven't developed the general wherewithal, situational awareness, and overall experience operating at heights and around edges necessary to do any form of roped soloing.

It's really not about this roped solo technique or that; it's about your very generalized knowledge, judgment, abilities and confidence on rock in lots of different situations and circumstances which only comes with experience and yardage. Particularly on free lead roped solo - but still germane even to TR Solo - do not in any way underestimate the fuckup potential involved, the need to be able to resolve some pretty strange situations, the need to [safely] improvise on the fly, and the need to make sometimes hard choices around transitions.

^Very true. Until I developed a consistently efficient, and safe system, I was incredibly conservative when TR soloing when I began. Even on things that some people would consider boulder problems, I treated it like I was hanging 1000 feet over a vat of acid lol. Glad I had a mentor to begin or I think I would have gone a very different road with (TR) soloing.

I think a FAQ forum would be a good place for these recurring threads. But as iceman said above, many people are too lazy to do a search, or don't know how.

There are so many of these threads that come up once or twice a year. Not just roped soloing, but:

• what's the best climber's car
• Gri-Gri threads
• what's the best climbing pack
• what shoes should I buy (yawn)
• what rope should I buy (snoozefest)
• how do I wash a rope

• REI return policy or "Why I love/hate REI" (personally, I like REI)

People will probably come here if they search for 'roped solo' so I'll stick this link here for what I do.

Roped Solo Free Climbing - The essence of self-reliance, one path among many