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General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Taking leading to the next level 11-Aug-2006 At 12:13:47 PM Ronny

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On 11/08/2006 gfdonc wrote:
>Interesting. I've noted some ppl's avoidance of routes is based solely
>on a few words in the guidebook description - and their interpretation
>of them! ...

Yeah that really gets on my nerves. Recently I did Take Five after years of not touching it because of the guide bood saying 'you might as well be soloing too...' There's loads of gear on that route - sure you've got to look for it, but its hardly soloing.

Re: Taking it to the next level - I think the most important thing is to keep a very good awareness of the situation you're in, and manage the risks accordingly. IMO this is the main area where inexperienced/out of their depth leaders come unstuck. 'going for it' is good practice if you've assessed the situation properly, taking into account the gear you've got, gear you might get, what the moves look like, how far the ground/ledge is away. But its easy to get too focussed on one thing, and not think about other things. Like pulling too much rope through when clipping, making it dangerous, cause you're pumped. Or like letting the rope get behind your leg, or forgetting that the gear you just placed is crap, and the next one is waay down...

I think you can confidently push your grades to the next level (what ever your current level is) so long as you are keenly aware of what is going on, look out for possible dangers, and manage the risks appropriately.

dR