I'm looking for tips for first outdoor climb

I'm relatively new to climbing - I've been doing a lot of indoors stuff in the past two months and I'm seeing myself progress quickly - inside I'm very confident on 5.10's. But my ultimate goal is to get outside, and I'm concerned the translation from inside to outside is going to be a whole new animal for me. What are some good indoor training techniques you can use to get ready for your first ever outdoor climb?

Depends, are you planning on leading outdoors or top roping?

well, I've been practicing lead climbing in a gym, clipped into an auto belay so I can climb alone (I have the opposite work schedule as my one friend who also climbs). I know top-roping is easier so I've been told, but I'm personally more interested in lead climbing - I'm a person who likes a challenge :)

I think the best thing you can do to make the transition to outdoor climbing is to find an experienced partner. Someone that can "show you the ropes" on outdoor climbing. Don't lead your first time outdoors.

FrankPS wrote:I think the best thing you can do to make the transition to outdoor climbing is to find an experienced partner. Someone that can "show you the ropes" on outdoor climbing. Don't lead your first time outdoors.

Make sure you tick the shit out of everything, its like outdoor tape

In the gym, practice clipping and leading. Leading and TR are astoundingly different for most newer folks. On TR, you can yell "take" and rest whenever you want.

That luxury is gone for a good chunk of leading. Except when you are right at your pro, and rest involves falling. This messes with your head a lot, if you're the average climber. The nerves that result can destroy your technique, especially when you are new,

So maybe spend some time in the gym refusing to allow yourself to use the top rope to take? Imagine it's not there.

But really, you need to get on the sharp end. Learning how to build TR anchors outside is the first step, I think. Lead as much as you can in your gym.

Jumping right into lead climbing outside is not only dangerous, but it may leave you with a bad taste in your mouth, as failure is almost inevitable. But it's your choice!

Also remember that route finding is a new challenge outside. I'm not sure how you could replicate this in the gym.

If your goal is to lead outside; practice leading inside. Leading on an auto belay is not the same. You and your climbing partner need to learn to communicate, feed slack, take in slack, fall and catch falls. You can not learn to do this without doing it. I assume that you took a lead class at your gym, now you need to practice it.

Good luck.

Megan, good to see you contributing. Sorry if some of this is redundant. Lot's of good advice above. But forget the ticks. Spraypaint on the holds is much more gym like.

Some suggestions of things you can do in the gym-

1) try leading in the gym without the auto belay. NOT the same as the outdoor routes you will be on, but will help you adjust to being on the sharp end. It is usually very safe to fall in the gym, and I would recommend doing this, but it is often NOT safe to fall on easier routes outside.

2) Holds outdoors are typically smaller, slopier, and less friendly. Consider a day or two at Movement, where they tend to set worse feet, esp in the bouldering area. Or seek out those holds at the BRC or the Spot.

Outside suggestions-

3) If you are a competent belayer, find someone to climb with outside and plan to follow routes for a few days. Don't post up asking somebody to teach you to lead. If you want a lesson (not a bad idea) then pay for one.

4) Plan to drop the difficulty several number grades until you get used to things. Starting on 5.6 sport, if you can find it, will be more fun than starting on 5.10.

5) I would strongly encourage you to focus on climbing well in the new environment, rather than climbing hard, to build good habits, so you won't need to break bad habits in the future.

6) I haven't reread Hunter/Hague's book 'Redpoint' in a while. It might have some useful info and I think the library has a copy.

This has been a ton of great advice! I'm out of town at a wedding this weekend, but when I get back I'll set up a cocktail hour date with my climbing partner (who has much more experience than I) and I'll talk to her about all these suggestions and make a plan with her for my first time outdoors! I can't believe how much feedback I got so quickly - thank you all for the help!

I don't think I'm saying anything new here, but just to reiterate: climbing outside is way different than inside. Don't expect safe falls from every location in an outdoor climb. Inside everything is bolted so you don't hurt yourself, outside that may not be the case. Don't get in over your head. There's a difference between knowing what sort of challenge you're getting yourself into and walking blindly into an epic. Start slow and easy and you'll have many good years of climbing ahead of you. Also, grades inside generally feel way easier than outside. My advice would be to find some nice 7s and 8s, do a dozen easy climbs before you start to push the grades. And make sure your friend has enough experience to see if a route is safe for you, knows how to clean a sport route, and knows some basic self-rescue techniques. Hope this helps! Have fun and be safe!

No one yet, really? Ok...

YER GUNNA DIEEEE!!!

Look or routes way below your level to jump on.

Have a great time on your first climbing trip outdoors, Megan!

Real rock requires dozens of different techniques, moves and strategies than what you are used to in a gym. Footholds especially; you will eventually learn to trust tiny chips and irregularities that cannot be duplicated in a gym; and also simply make minor advances to eventually make the big reach. Same goes for in-cut sinker pockets. At first, you will miss some of the most important holds and moves because they are not obvious. Don't let this frustrate you, real rock takes time to get a sense for how to position yourself. You need to build a quiver of techniques, a process that never ends.
Your personal responsibility amps up right away, decisions have to be made regarding the amount of risk you choose to take on. Often, these decisions present themselves as the option of either continuing or retreating. It is up to you to determine if what you are about to weight will in fact hold you. You will encounter loose holds, some may be bad enough to cause serious harm; so you learn to check by touch and sound. Put a chalk X on the bad ones.
Observe the tactics of others around you, incorporate the ones that are more efficient than your version. Bring lots of water in your pack. Some sort of a pad to sit on to change shoes will help keep the holes in the seat of your pants at a minimum. Gather a ton of buttshot pics from your friends as you learn to be more discerning on how to get decent action shots. Only bring the pooch along if s/he is trained to behave, and don't leave them tied to a tree in the sun while you do several pitches.
You will learn to be efficient with your pack only through trial and error. Remember the bigger the pack the more crap you will haul around.
When you have your first epic, tell your friends everything no matter how embarrassing. We thrive on those stories like they're junk food. Try everything at least once; including offwidths and friction slabs. And start planning your roadtrips, there are incredible places to go to all over the place. Lastly, remember that Fall is project-sending season.
Edit add: We survive on redundancy. No matter how long/often you do this, you double check everything as well as your partner's. Evaluate when a system is limited to one point and correct it. Avoid having to trust your life to a single point at all costs. This is why there are usually 2 anchors atop sport routes. One is enough, but we insist on redundancy. BTW, where do you live? Front Range Denver has several entry-level leading crags now.

Do not climb with rings on your fingers, bad idea.
Lots of good advice above

+1(I think the best thing you can do to make the transition to outdoor climbing is to find an experienced partner. Someone that can "show you the ropes" on outdoor climbing. Don't lead your first time outdoors.)

Out door is incredible , sadly I think more gym climbers get hurt than someone who starts outdoors with gear. Just my what I think.
Enjoy the whole experience, be safe and have fun

+1 find an experienced partner.

In case you don't find an experienced partner, read a bit about outdoor climbing ethics (namely, Leave No Trace).

rei.com/learn/expert-advice…

+2 find an experienced partner

(In place of "+2", I was going to say: "read about building top-rope anchors, read about cleaning anchors, learn how to judge the looseness of rock and position/communicate with your belayer accordingly..." In terms of the gymnastics, climbing outdoors is the same as indoors, except you don't have tape to tell you where to put your hands/feet, so training your body isn't necessary. However, there are many things to know in order to climb safely and ethically outdoors, and so the best thing to do is...)

+3 find an experienced partner and climb with them for a while. Someone you trust.

The purists might bash me for this, but if you're new and your partner is new, and you are going to lead sport--I'd invest in a stick clip for the first bolt.

The above are all good tips. Climbing outside is definitely different than indoors. In my opinion scouting the routes is the biggest difference. Even with a guide book it can present a challenge. You have to feel the areas out. Very helpful to keep going to the same crag with a good variety of easy to moderate routes you can expand from. Ask lots of questions like all the time ....ask everybody ...passer by's , people hiking the approach trail or parties at the crags. Do not be shy. You need to learn to process the beta and info even if your partner states he knows the crag. Another thing is to familiarize yourself with different textures of rock...unlike the gym there are many many of those.
Its very exciting!