tips for a new trad climbers

--This was originally posted by rgold in another thread. I thought it was so good I reposted it for better search-ability in the future--

Moreover, there are really several learning issues involved. One of them is about adequate placements. Much of this can be learned as well or better in ground school, bounce testing with an aider.

Another excellent way, often recommended, is top-roped aid climbing. This allows the climber to bounce test every piece (remember to look away while actually bouncing!) It has the significant advantage that the leader learns just a bit about aid climbing and so will be much more able to get out of trouble. It is also likely to force the climber into finding placements when they don't have the ideal piece, which is a very good skill to have when actually leading. Moreover, you can play games like not allowing the largest stoppers so that nuts have to be placed sideways, or (for certain terrains) banning cams. The aspiring leader can also safely work with very small pro, which in spite of things often said can be important and effective on moderate routes. After the lead, simul-rapping with an experienced person to get commentary on the placements (and better alternatives) completes the process.

Ok, that handles placements, but doesn't deal with many other issues involved in leading. I can think of seven more offhand. Obviously, only the briefest of comments are possible here.

(1) Psychological issues: dealing with pressure and anxiety. Emotions tend to make people rush and skip essential placements or allow themselves to be satisfied with inadequate ones. One has to exert conscious control over natural stampeding tendencies.

(2) Clipping issues. You don't want carabiners loaded over an edge, so may have to thread slings in some cases. If something about the rock configuration looks like it might open a carabiner gate, use a locker or double up.

(3) Redundancy issues: knowing when to get in more than a single piece. Especially if you are a beginning leader, don't let some snotty light-is-right fanatic talk you into heading up with a minimal rack. When you sre learning and your judgement cannot possibly be very good, redundancy is your best bet for coming back in one piece. But you have to have the gear to do it, and you have to do it in a way that doesn't use up too much gear and doesn't create rope drag---see Item (4). Redundancy can apply to slings and draws as well. If a piece is truly mission-critical, consider clipping with two quickdraws with both sets of gates on opposite sides. Or carry a quickdraw or two with lockers on both sides and use that.

(4) Rope management issues: avoiding drag, guarding against nuts lifting. Sometimes you just can make a placement because it will create too much drag, but almost all the time the solution is long slings. One of the noticeable differences between experienced and inexperienced leaders is that you'll see an experienced leader climb down every now and then to lengthen a sling and so prevent drag from stopping them dead (double entendre intended) higher up.

I think unexpected zippering is the most common error experienced climbers make, so that means preventing it is especially hard to learn. Make sure a ground belayer is up against the wall and not standing back, but even so try to get in an early multi-directional piece. The idea sometimes floated that a cam in a vertical crack will rotate 180 degrees upward and hold is a dangerous fantasy you do not want to have tested---moving cams are even more unpredictable than stationary cams. Good directional pieces either need to be in horizontal cracks or else anchored down in some way.

Rope also has to be managed at belays so that it doesn't tangle and doesn't get hung up.

(5) Protecting the second. One of the weakest skills in the new leader's arsenal, but every now and then someone gets quite good and is still clueless in this regard (I'm sorry to say I've been on the receiving end of this type of incompetence far too often). The leader has a deep moral obligation to do everything possible to protect the second. The leader gets to choose the level of risk they want to confront, but the second is forced to endure the risk imposed by the leader. The leader has to go the extra mile, put in the extra effort, do whatever it takes to make sure their second is not going to take a swing with dangerous wall or ledge impact. If the leader has to make a long easy traverse (like walking across a ledge to a belay), the leader needs to build something on the order of a belay anchor over the second to make sure that pivot point is absolutely bombproof. I can't count the number of times I've seen this violated.

(6) Building a belay anchor. Plenty of stuff about this on the internet. Perhaps the main issue is doing it with all deliberate speed, because many climbers are maddeningly slow at this. (However, every climber, no matter how experienced, will sometimes require a lot of time to set up a trustworthy anchor).

(7) Retreat strategies when things aren't working out.

This is a hell of a lot more than just getting placements right, and much of it does have to be done in some practice leading situation---after the aspiring leader is already ok at placing gear in non-leading situations.

For advice on all this other stuff, by far the best set-up is an experienced climber jugging next to the leader. And close too, because you really want the experienced climber to be able to intervene. The aspiring leader temporarily clips into the jugs via a prearranged tether so that they can actually absorb what the jugging leader is saying. For instance, it isn't at all uncommon for the aspiring leader to miss, by a long shot, the best placement and make do with a marginal one. (This is especially true when the aspiring leader settles for a small cam when much better cam or nut placements can be made.) You want to be able to have them remove the crappy piece and place a better one. For at least part of that process, you'd really like to have them clipped in.

Ok, I know what everyone is thinking: no one has ever been taught this way. Not true, but perhaps nearly true, And yes, some of us learned all by ourselves, but some of the folks who went that route are dead or permanently incapacitated as a consequence, and you only hear how wonderful that method is from the ones who lucked out. Part of the reason why there are many more incompetent leaders out there (most of who have no idea of their own incompetence) than there needs to be is because folks aren't learning the full complement of necessary skills, thinking they're good to go once they can place gear that doesn't fall out as they climb past it.

BITD, people started leading and following easy climbs, and built their leading skills in parallel with their climbing skills. Gyms and, to an extent, sport climbing have completely undone that connection, and many climbers are "too good" to put in the time on easy climbs that would have allowed them to acquire items (1)--(7) safely and enjoyably. This means the kind of unlikely teaching scenario I described above is considerably more important now than it would have been many years ago. Good luck finding someone to do it for you, with or without pay!

I think a final comment is in order. Trad leading is risky, and risk is an integral part of the trad experience. Performing safely in the face of intrinsic dangers is what makes trad climbing trad, not what you are clipping into. I feel as if a lot of aspiring trad leaders don't get this, especially if they are coming over from gym or sport leading, which in most (but certainly not all!) cases is exciting top-roping. Folks like to pooh-pooh the old-fashioned "leader must not fall" commandment of bygone days, but almost all trad leads have sections, where the leader really must not fall. And other sections where the result is going to be very bad if some of the gear doesn't hold. Aspiring trad leaders need to know this and find the prospect attractive and exciting---they need to be going into the realm with their eyes wide open to the potential dangers. You don't have to do this. Make sure you know what you are taking on.

5 and 6 are my pet peeves.

Not sure if Rgold mentioned this (I didn't see it) but protecting the moves after the crux for the second are very important, even if the terrain above is easy. Leaders often skip this if they can see safe ground ahead, but sometimes this piece is key for the second, as much as the solid gear below the crux was key for the leader.

rgold's post is one of the all time best entries on mtn proj

I'm glad you re-posted it here

and I'll second the "redundancy issue"

I've seen a lot of newish (that is, more experienced than the 'noob' stage) trad climbers risking 15, 20 even 40 ft ground falls if the one last piece they placed were to fail.

This frequently occurs if someone simply places a piece at fixed intervals, say every 10 ft.

Forget everything you learned in a climbing gym.

J. Serpico wrote:5 and 6 are my pet peeves. Not sure if Rgold mentioned this (I didn't see it) but protecting the moves after the crux for the second are very important, even if the terrain above is easy. Leaders often skip this if they can see safe ground ahead, but sometimes this piece is key for the second, as much as the solid gear below the crux was key for the leader.

This is part of protecting the 2nd. And it is, like so many things, situational. If the route continues such that the next piece (or anchor) will be directly above the crux -- then there is no need for a piece shortly after the crux -- but if the climbs goes off at an angle, this becomes important.

Though, personally, as a trad leader I like to place a piece fairly soon after the crux for my own sake. It feels kind of like saving the game after winning the boss fight. I won't have to re-lead the crux section if I fall later.