Lead climbing is one of the most intense and challenging types of climbing. If you’re lead climbing, your protection is your responsibility. There is a high possibility of falling as you climb higher. It takes you near to the ends which makes it a thrilling and time-worthy activity. You should know how to lead climb before hitting the cliffs otherwise it may be dangerous for you. In this article, you’ll learn about various forms of lead climbing and how to do it.

Forms of Lead Climbing:

  1. Trad Climbing

In trad climbing, climbers take all the protective gear like cams and wire with them for their protection. Cams are installed inside the parallel cracks. If it is installed properly, the four lobes of cam effectively bear the fall and keeps the climber safe. Wires are trapezoid-shaped gear which are fixed inside nooks or rock’s cervices.

  1. Sport Climbing

It is the most practised form of climbing. Climbers take a lead by stepping on the permanently fixed anchors on the rocks. They just have to carry quickdraws (two carabiners fixed to a webbing piece) for their protection. The top and bottom carabiners need to be clipped to the bolt and the rope respectively to prevent falling and also from the injuries. It is advisable to take two additional quickdraws to fix the two anchor bolts.

Practice Falling

You should know that if you fall while climbing, you will fall more than double the length of the last piece of protection.

For many climbers, climbing is all about adventure, fear control, handling the issues on the rock, and making decisions in various events. Deciding whether you must down climb, take a cigarette break, or go ahead make the rock climbing more exciting.

Climbers want to get used to the climbing and landing, this is the reason they practice falling. If you overhang a steep mountain, probably you’ll not hit any surface but fly through the air. In case, you fall on a surface, you should bend your knees and hit the surface as smoothly as possible. It is important to know about the risk of object like ledge systems, which you may hit when you fall.

Keep an Eye on the Rope behind Your Leg

When rope is wrapped behind your leg during lead climbing, it can be dangerous for you if you fall in an inverted position. If you notice the rope behind your leg, it is advisable to slowly shift at the front to prevent yourself falling in an upside-down position.

How to Get Down Safely?

The quickdraws need to clip into bolted anchor to get down the hill. Generally, a rope is clipped to the two bolts.

Ensure your security by clipping yourself in an anchor when climbing to the top of the cliff. Then re-thread the rope through the anchor, you can then take off the quickdraws as you get down.

Choose Easy Climbs to Start Off

You should start off easy by opting for a single pitch climb and climb with bolted anchors. Once you successfully complete one or two climbs, go for harder climbs.

You must learn to put on and off the gear as it is important for your protection on the rocks. You can join gym which offers lead climbing session where you’ll learn everything about lead climbing under a professional’s supervision.