From the gym to the crag

So being new to climbing, I'm interest to here from anyone who wasn't lucky enough to be introduced to it by an already experienced friend or relative. If you started in the gym and are now climbing outside, how did you make the transition? Did you find another new climber, partner up, buy some gear and head out? Network with more experienced climbers at the gym or maybe just beg them to take you out? How did you make it to the crag from a start at the gym?

I didn't start at a gym and still haven't climbed in a gym.

I hired a guide to show me the ropes, so to speak. And hired him again. Eventually, I felt capable of taking a buddy out toproping, by ourselves. And the rest is uninteresting history.

So if you don't have an experienced friend, hiring a guide is an option.

I started on ice, then transitioned to rock, and then went to a gym for the first time 18-24 months after I started climbing rock. I was actually scared of the gym my first time. Went about 4 times in 4 years, climbed a few hundred days outside in that time.

I guess what I'm saying, no idea how you make the transition. Good luck.

Frank, I have considered hiring a guide or even going to a few outdoor training classes. The Colorado Mountain School runs courses very close to where I live, so I'll have to look into that more. Originally it seemed expensive, but after thinking about the time involved and the level of training (besides being good climbers) the instructors must have to be able to do their jobs, I think it's probably fair. Maybe I can even round up a few other noobs from the gym.

I was lucky enough to have a buddy take me out and show me the ropes, however, it seems to me that if you took a class, you would have a plethora of people at the same skill level as you interested in the same thing. partners and education found at once!
p.s there is a reason 'freedom of the hills' is the proverbial 'bible'

Two recommendations and 'bible' status? I order Freedom of the Hills.

My wife and I started climbing in a gym one November a few years ago, learning the basics and building strength slowly and patiently, giving our tendons time to work-harden. (Important at any age but for us starting out in our mid-50s, it was essential.) We transitioned outdoors late the following spring, when the weather was favorable. We used two books, Long's "How to Rock Climb" (part of the Falcon Guide series) and Luebben's "Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills". Two different sources gave us more understanding of the basics.

Transitioning was easy, because we took it easy and were deliberate about it. We stuck to sport climbing and toproping, as IMO placing gear for trad is a skill that must be learned live and can't be replicated in gyms. We started out a couple grades below what we were climbing in the gym. We were meticulous about double-checking toprope anchors and sport climb rap-offs, and taking proper care of our gear. We stuck to easier climbs until we had the procedures for handling the hardware well practiced, had a good sense of what holds to trust and how to deal with choss, etc. By end of season we were doing sport climbs at about the same level on rock as in the gym.

This year we'll start learning trad, climbing with friends in the Alpine Club. We'll stay well within our abilities until we have considerable experience under supervision, then more experience on easy climbs on our own, before advancing.

There seems to be something of an attitude here that if you learn to climb in a gym yer gunna die as soon as you try to climb on real rock. Pay it no heed. Just take a sensible and deliberate approach to climbing the learning curve, don't be impatient, and enjoy the learning.

Does your gym offer courses? Mine has a cheap toprope anchors course.

I did the gym to crag course my gym offered first. It was hard to learn anything as there were too many people not enough instructors. I hired a guide for two days to show me TR anchors. I was comfortable setting up anchors and TRing after that.

I did find a mentor by doing the interweb thing. I got very lucky to meet Scott. I have more horror stories than good ones meeting people on line. Scott was there my first lead (on ice).

When I wanted to get better at leading same deal. I hired a guide for two days. Best money I ever spent! We went over everything from gear placements to self rescue.

If you got the coin, guides are the way to go.

I bought my own stuff and tried it out. Awful idea. I'm still alive but there are so many little things you would never consider and there all nearly impossible to teach yourself. Friebds are great but I would consider professional instruction first, and then go from there. I'm seriously thankful to be alive. Spend the 200 dollars for a 1 or 2 day anchor building course. Is your friends and your own lives worth risking for 200 bucks???

Mathias, I'm in the same boat as you are- I started at a gym and all of my regular partners are relatively new, too, so they aren't much help in transitioning outside. I've already stalked everyone on facebook to see who climbs and who can be bribed with beer to take me out, but that wasn't terribly fruitful. So, I'm super interested in reading all the helpful comments. Helpful topic (for me, at least)!

Mathias, you're in a terrific location to learn all this. Absolutely, hire a guide for a few times out: it seems pricey, but ultimately is cheap life insurance. When you do, take along people you climb with most often. That way, you all learn and know the same things. Everybody knows exactly what the other people know; eliminates that annoying "I thought you knew how to do a self-rescue" situation.

Kirby, Max and Lee are spot-on. Definitely acquire Freedom of the Hills and Long's book(s). You will wear them out over the next year or two. A not-inconsiderable perk is the delight of reading John Long's writing!

Take your sweet, ever lovin' time; enjoy your progress through the grades; ask every single question that comes to mind; acquire your partners in person, not on line; and have a fabulous time!!

The American Alpine club has been working on helping people do exactly what you're asking about. The Front Range section has a meetup group and they are having their first 'Gym to Crag' clinic this Saturday, June 21st at the AMC in Golden.

meetup.com/The-American-Alp…

For those not in the Front range, contact your local AAC chapter, as assisting with this transition is a new mission of the AAC.

I learned how to belay from taking a class at my local gym. I later bought Freedom of the Hills and a few other books. The books, combined with finding a mentor really made it seemless. I started leading trad at a really low level, 5.4 was my first lead. I was able to find a local climbers group by using Meetup.com. Through that group I've been on many trips and met some wonderful people.

Thanks, Chris! I came across that meetup, but based on the description, I assumed it was for current American Alpine Club members. Good to know there's another resource.

+1 for John Long's books. Very accessible and with a humorous no-nonsense approach to staying alive.

Much less humorous, but in my view a tremendously valuable piece of reading is this essay by John Dill. It doesn't really teach you what to DO, specifically, but it teaches you a whole lot about how to THINK...
jrre.org/stayalive.pdf

Colosadie, you do not need to be an AAC member, but of course, it would be highly encouraged that you are or become one!

I went to the gym all of three times before hiring an outdoor guide and starting to build my rack. I learned with my boyfriend at the time (now hubby), and we were both completely clueless when we started. We bought John Long's book on anchors and Freedom of the Hills. I'm more of a nerd, so I spent a lot of time building systems and tying knots sitting on my bedroom floor.

We did a fair amount of top roping while we slowly built a rack. When we had a half-baked rack, we started mock leading, which was kind of boring, so we moved to real leading. We had plenty of epics. We both ran out of gear halfway up climbs. We were too poor to get cams in great amounts, so we made due with mostly nuts and tricams, slowly got better at placing them.

Looking back, we are both amazed we never killed ourselves or each other. The only things we did right, really, is to read a lot and progress slowly. What we did wrong could probably fill a book. That said, I believe because we learned together, we advanced in our understanding together. We got really comfortable with trusting one another, relying on one another's judgments. We developed an unspoken communication that somehow allows us to know when to push each other and when to shut up and give the other person space. I think we do so well in the mountains together today because we had no one else at the start. We still prefer to climb with one another over anyone else.

It bears repeating, though, this is not the safest approach. We could have died more times than I'm sure we even realize. It was always a hell of a good time, though :)

There's also a Denver Social Climb on meetup.com

The group is just based around climbing in general, but you could probably meet people that are willing to teach.

I am willing to teach top-roping and sport and am looking for someone to learn trad with me, but I do not claim to be a professional.

I learned just like Alicia. Practicing knots, anchors and systems at home on the beam my hang board was attached to, sometimes using a tree in backyard. Then outside, same thing, on the ground placing gear, building anchors using gear. Mock leads, easy leads, and so on.

Along the way I did learn a lot from actual people, though I have never climbed rock or ice with a guide (officially, I've got a few guide friends). Some little tips, tricks and confidence builders, but I learn well on my own. While my ice partner could lead 4s when I started climbing with him, he'd never led a pitch of rock or placed rock gear. So we sort of figured it out together.

I think the only thing to be careful with using the learn via books (and these days youtube is great) is that you have to remember to not get ahead of yourself. Even worse coming from a gym because you have awesome technique and strength but the alpine sense of a 3 year old. As long as you realize despite being able to recite Freedom of the Hills from memory, applying this stuff when a mistake could mean death is a different story. Some people aren't good at assessing these things. It's like being an awesome GTA driver on the XBox but not realizing that XBox and working a stick, clutch and cutting the apex on the road are vastly different in real life.

Make a valid assessment of your self, and based on that either hire a guide or go figure it out.

I'm in the middle of making this transition now. My plan is gym-> top roping-> leading. I am in the middle of the top roping phase now. I highly reccomend taking a class with a guide. Seeing the steps in action instead of just looking at pictures is very helpful. On top of how to climb and freedom of the hills I would recomend Bob Gaines top roping if you are going to go that route