Clevernamehere wrote:

"I found myself pushing my very physical and mental limits to hold still long enough for a safe placement." while also commenting on finding himself covered with bruises, cuts and peeling fingertips.



These symptoms will correct themselves as you gain competence and confidence in trad climbing. Indeed, the feeling of confidence and enjoyment where one previously would have felt fear and suffering becomes a proud benchmark of progression and improvement in any field. Now that you've got a feeling for trad, the gym and sport circuit may lose its allure and seem hopelessly tame.

Given passage of time since your first post, how about an update? Have you repeated the same route as your maiden voyage?

I LOVE TRAD CLIMBING!!!!! Trad belays SUCK!!!! All trad climbs should have bolted belays, PERIOD!

I've had more than a few friends hurt themselves while in the learning curve of placing their own gear.

--Study
and
--learn well

cause your life and your buddy's life is in your hands.

Practice makes perfect!!! And I think that bolts added post FA are called "chicken bolts" and get chopped and the driller usually gets shat on by his peers

Trad is great fun and very rewarding. I love sport and I am a better sport climber because I spent the first 20 years climbing trad. Nothing will teach you how to find the best stance like trying to get gear in. I even like to take my shirt off and put a beanie on and I love that too. It is all climbing and it is all good. The more you do the more opportunities you have. Trad will open up a world of climbing you are missing.