Learning to set pro

[tivoli_mike]

OK,

 

I have been climbing on TR for a few years now, been starting to lead on sport this spring, been traumatized by the Mtnrs Basic class, and now I am the possesion of some nuts I am looking for some good areas around Seattle where I can start working on my craft.

 

I am thinking Erie would be a good area. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

BTW I am available as a second on any climbing. available most weekends.

[scott_harpell]

i am available on weekends.... e-mail climbingmonk@hotmail.com and we'll see if we can work something out....

[slothrop]

There are a couple easy short cracks at Exit 32 if you want to start somewhere close to Seattle. One in particular takes mostly nuts, as a matter of fact, so you'll do fine if you don't have cams. There are also one or two moderate routes there with bolts and some gear placements, which seems like a next step toward leading harder gear routes.

 

Of course, I've been told that Squamish rocks your dome (and it does indeed). There are a few good easy cracks there, too.

 

My partner and I have been going to Exit 32 weekday afternoons when the weather's nice. Send email if you'd like to join us (rkb at speakeasy.net).

 

Oh, and get a #1 Hexentric. I've placed it on nearly every route, and sometimes it's the only piece on my little rack that works.

[tomtom]

This year I've also been learning to place pro. Decent practice areas are:

 

Icicle Creek: Mountaineers dome. The lower rock has plenty of cracks and short routes for practice.

 

Vantage: On the left side of Sunshine wall are Chapstick (5.5) and a couple of lines to the left of similar difficulty. Beware of loose rock at the top, though.

 

Smith Rock: In the Dihedrals right area are Left Slab Crack (5.4) and Right Slab Crack (5.5).

 

[ 05-03-2002, 10:54 AM: Message edited by: tomtom ]

[Bronco]

There are several cracks at the lower town wall at Index you can walk up to and mess around on. The first pitch of the Great Northern Slab goes at 5.0 with lots of good nut placements and bomber bolts at the top for rapping.

 

Get John Long's Climbing Anchors book.

[payaso]

I am interested in learning to place pro as well. Sometime in the next month or so. Real conservative and easy stuff to begin with so that I can focus on the pro more than I have to focus on the rock. It might even be a good idea to set up a TR first, then "lead" away, pretending you're not TRed. Maybe the few of us here who are interested could form a bit of a newbie day up at icicle creek or wherever soon. Anyone interested?

[freeclimb9]

You'll learn much about pro and its placement (and whether it's good, or not) by aid climbing. Seriously. Much like jigsaw puzzles, really.

[erik]

"who said booty call?!?!?!?!"

 

"they said, booty call!!!!!"

 

have fun and use good judgement. and if oyu have any extra good jdgement, let me know i might be interested........

 

[hikerwa]

I'd love to take part in a newbie day over in the icicle! Maybe the weekend after this? We could camp and drink, and stuff too. Kinda like i do almost every weekend anyway, but with gumbies like me!

 

sean

hikerwa@mindspring.com

[chucK]

quote:

---

Originally posted by slothrop:

Oh, and get a #1 Hexentric. I've placed it on nearly every route, and sometimes it's the only piece on my little rack that works.

---

Wow, you must have a pretty small rack! (i.e. Don't listen to that guy! He is (should buy) nuts! )

 

But seriously, if somebody really wants one of those things, I'll sell you mine. Cheep!

I'll sell 1 #1 Hexentric for $1 or a bottle of beer . I'll bring it to the next Pub Club I bring myself to.

 

I got other Hexes I would part with too.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Cram that shit in a crack and just find a route that you can free solo. That way you dont have to test it There you go - you're learning to place pro!

[Dru]

Wear your rack when you walk to work and see how much pro placements you can find in buildings, trees,rocks, and drunken winos along the way.

[Son_of_Caveman]

I prefer wearing my rack to work. It's a nice compliment to the lacy bra and panties I lounge around in. Marv Albert's got nuttin' on my action.

[ScottP]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

Cram that shit in a crack and just find a route that you can free solo. That way you dont have to test it

There you go - you're learning to place pro!

---

This is a good way to learn. One made even better if there is someone with experience in leading who can critique your placements.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Perfect short 5.0 cracks are on the left side of the Great Northern Slab at Index and on Bruce's Boulder way out left around the corner from the 5.11 face climbs. Nothing to brag about but I was able to free solo the latter the first season climbing, so I think it might work for most people. Hope it works.

[Greg_W]

Another good way to see and evaluate good placements is to second for someone who knows what they are doing. Cleaning well-placed pro gives you examples to file away for when you start placing your own.

 

Greg

[chucK]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bronco:

The first pitch of the Great Northern Slab goes at 5.0 with lots of good nut placements and bomber bolts at the top for rapping.

---

Unfortunately the first pitch of Great Northern slab lies above dirty traverses, a 10c corner, a 5.8 crack, or a 5.4 highball (hand jam knowledge required or make that 5.8). Plus those bolts you are talking about are way rusty . I think Exit 32 is a much better place for people to go and practice placing pro.

[Cpt.Caveman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chucK:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bronco:

The first pitch of the Great Northern Slab goes at 5.0 with lots of good nut placements and bomber bolts at the top for rapping.

---

Unfortunately the first pitch of Great Northern slab lies above dirty traverses, a 10c corner, a 5.8 crack, or a 5.4 highball (hand jam knowledge required or make that 5.8). Plus those bolts you are talking about are way rusty

. I think Exit 32 is a

much

better place for people to go and practice placing pro.

---

You can bypass all this in the jungle to the left of the 5.10

[chucK]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

You can bypass all this in the jungle to the left of the 5.10

[/QB]

---

jungle = dirty, I stand by what I wrote

[Cpt.Caveman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by chucK:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cpt.Caveman:

You can bypass all this in the jungle to the left of the 5.10

---

jungle = dirty, I stand by what I wrote

[/QB]

---

You are funny and stubborn

[Dru]

Squamish (in more or less ascending order):

Diamonds and Spades aka Unnamed 4th class or 5.2 behind the sugarloaf.

Hope 5.2 or 5.6 depending on guidebook.

Fern Gully 5.4

Cat Crack 5.6

Klahanie Crack 5.7

MCM 5.6

Lieback Crack 5.7

Wisecrack 5.7

Squatters Rights 5.6

Laughing Crack 5.7

Alexis Cracks all 3 5.7

Davy Jones Locker 5.6

Edible panties 5.7

Easter Island 5.8

Brick's Crack 5.8

Mosquito 5.8 & Phlegmish Dance 5.8

Quarryman 5.8

First Class 5.8

Pixie Corner 5.8

Octopus Garden 5.8

High Mountain Woody 5.8

Diedre 5.7 7 pitches

Calculus Crack 5.8 5 pitches

Banana Peel 5.7 7 pitches some are kinda runout but most are 5.4ish

Penny Lane 5.9

Cold Comfort 5.9

Up Up & Away 5.9

Orphan aka Minutia 5.8+

Worlds Toughest Milkman 5.8+

St Vitus Dance 5.9 5 pitches

 

All good cracks of varying widths requiring at least set of nuts and set of hexes and having good stances to place gear from. a set of Tri Cams will work excellently at Squamish too and supplement if you cant buy a full set of cams. The last few harder climbs will generally require some cams too.

 

You will find all of these to be about the same difficulty as Sabre 5.4 on Castle Rock.

 

[ 05-03-2002, 02:38 PM: Message edited by: Dru ]

[fern]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Dru:

Squamish (in more or less ascending order):

Diamonds and Spades aka Unnamed 4th class or 5.2

---

nothing to brag about but I was able to free-solo this climb after 5 years of intensive preparation and training

[specialed]

Buy all the hexes you can because you'll use them all the time and you'll look super cool with them clanking around on your gear sling.

[sk]

Jeez dru, can we stay at your house and have a newbie fest??? I like following for now, I do agree that is a great way to learn. It changes how you climb. You are SO focused on getting the gear that climbing is second nature.

[Jason_Martin]

Lots of good beta here! All of the preceding locations are great.

 

Here's a little info on "practice" leading:

 

1) It's best to look at an experienced leader's placements. See what works and what doesn't. Look at the surface area of the gear on the rock and such.

 

2) Placing gear on toprope, dragging another rope up and "mock" leading is one of the best ways one can learn to lead. If you don't have two ropes, consider making a big loop with your single rope. Tie in with the line running up to the anchors, back down to your partner's belay, and then back to you. Thus you are dragging a rope up below you with which you can clip into gear and practice the art of leading. Once again, having an experienced leader look at the placements is a great advantage.

 

3) It has been stated already, but aid climbing is a great way to figure out what will hold and what won't.

 

4) Of course you should practice your placements on the ground before doing any real leading. Put pieces in, then pull and tork on them to see if they will come out.

 

5) Once you have a good idea of gear placements, it's not a bad idea to do extremely short pitches on a 5.0-5.4 route. In other words climb up five feet and build an anchor, then have your partner climb five feet above you and build another anchor. Do this until you are at the top of the crag. Obviously you'd want to choose an unpopular route for this type of training... You would also want to understand the concepts behind a SRENE anchor set-up as described in John Long's book.

 

After you've completed all the steps above you should have a pretty solid idea as to how to lead on gear.

 

Jason