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Easy routes for beginning trad lead


Toast

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Okay, so I've spent the summer getting up to speed at Exit 38, and I'm comfortable leading 5.9 sport routes (at least at Exit 38... got spanked on a 5.8+ at Mt Erie [Wink]

 

Anyway, I've built up a rack of nuts and hexes, and I want to practice placement. What are some of the best First Trad Leads in the state? I'm looking for easy routes, 5.4 - 5.6, to learn the craft. Multi-pitch routes are better [big Drink]

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Practice sewing up top rope climbs at your limit - i.e. Classic Crack, Dog Leg Crack, etc and jump on the pro it see if its good. Lead Sabre, then lower off and place gear on Canary on TR. Or follow a climb, pull the gear and replace to see what your leader did. Then come back and lead it placing the same (or better!) gear. L'worth, Tieton, and Frenchmans might be good places to try this.

 

Be safe - learn to lead a few grades below your sport and following ability.

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freeman

 

sorry but i have t disagree with the tr gear placing crap....

 

learn to place pro on the ground and learn it well...find anything to work with....manufacture crappy placements and test the...once oyu have a good working idea of protection then go out on easy leads...

 

the biggest thing with leading is maintaing your cool...and tr pretend leading does not allow you to do that...

 

a couple of weeks ago, i taught my friend how to lead trad....once he grapsed the concept there was no stopping this guy...he rope gunned the rest of the weekend.....we only worked on mellow climbs...

 

when i learned to lead with gear we just went out and did it....climbing orbit about a week after diong r&d...

 

certainly it comes down to the individual...but might as well practive perfect to become perfect...

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I would recommend going to the Great Northern Slab at Index or to any one of the easier crags in Icicle Creek. These places are less steep than Tieton or Vantage, so you will be able to stand around in balance while you fool with your gear. Also, placing gear at either Tieton or Vantage is trickier. At Tieton, the cracks are often wider inside than on the edge, which can make visual inspection more difficult and causes cams to walk though it frequently offers bomber hex placements where you insert a piece and let it drop to a secure setting from which your second may have difficulty removing it. At Vantage, the smooth-sided cracks and soft rock make gear placement both more challenging and less secure than granite.

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quote:

Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing:

quote:

Originally posted by fern:

if you've seen a topo then why are you asking? Pick the easiest line and work up the grades - does it really matter what the name is?

Probably because there's more to route selection than randomly picking things based on how hard they are, Ms. Snippy.
[Razz]
Sheesh.

dfa....fern is right almost all the cracks on that thing are baby cracks.....

 

shut it smiffy boy...or come up here and sample some of the fine face routes of index...i will belay and collect your booty biners~~~!!!

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quote:

Originally posted by Dr Flash Amazing:

Probably because there's more to route selection than randomly picking things based on how hard they are, Ms. Snippy.
[Razz]
Sheesh.[/QB]

I apologize, you are correct. The route name is an extrEEEEMly important factor [Roll Eyes]

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Oh yes. And I'm with Erik: Just do it. Learn the craft of gear placements by any method (standing on the ground is probably easier than messing with a "pretend" lead, but the latter would be fine as well). And then go out and lead as many climbs as you can (you may want to start with climbs that are so easy you will have not a thought of falling off but once you have even a fundamentally working knowledge of gear placement you could lead crack climbs with lots of gear pretty safely even if they do approach or even exceed your ability). But the real challenges to leading are as much mental as they are technical, and you can only master them by leading, and by leading climbs that will cause you to take leader falls. Once you have the fundamentals mastered, I think aid climbing is a good way to get better at placing gear and knowing what will hold, but sewing up an A-1 crack is not the same as leading a more "normal" trad climb.

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Toast,

 

The GNS "standard " route is great, although often crowded with people learning to lead, best on a week day. I have even seen people aiding up that route... [Roll Eyes]

 

Also there are some good short easy leads at Exit 32. On the British Isles and and in the Woods that can be lead easily with passive gear. I can't remember specific names.

 

Saber is a great one, becarefull on the first little section, I've seen people deck there. I wouldn't recomend Canary, the gear is not exactly straightforward, get some other stuff under your belt first. Vantage and Tieton have some good cracks (you'll want cams), just be sure to sew it up!

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quote:

Originally posted by erik:

toast i will teach you for beer!!!!

Yeah. Show up at Rope up, and there will be plenty of climbers willing to show you something about it. And if you're new to multipitch climbs, it'd be a good opportunity to get on one of those as well (last year we had some fun with mass ascents in the canyon and on Castle Rock).

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