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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

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leading confidently on trad 1-Feb-2012 At 5:36:22 PM Nayda

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Still on a steep trad learning curve having only put on a harness & shoes some 4-5 years ago, climbing intermittently since & only just started to lead some easy stuff - highest grade lead to date being a 12 (!). Reading some of the posts by the more experienced climbing machines here ticking off more challenging routes ie. 17+, I’m guessing that most of these climbers either never fall, or more likely are confident in their ability to protect falls. Have been learning as much as possible from books like Freedom of the Hills etc, but would be great to hear from some experienced climbers on this. So for your aspiring lead climber, what are the considerations you make before you decide to back off a trad pitch, & what are the keys to confidently scrambling up these more technical & demanding grades without needing to set off a rescue beacon & make page 2 of the local rag? How do you build confidence that your gear will hold a fall, & how do you know when to retire a piece of gear that's taken a fall(s)?

nb. loving the discussions on this site, & more importantly the attitudes of most climbers out there - finding it much more of a positive & supportive crew than the surfing community, which of late has been trending towards the "every man for himself" vibe, at least at my local