You hear them a mile away, gear jangling on their harnesses. Next, you see them—covered in dirt and blood, hands taped-up, swaggering through the sport crag with an air of superiority. Finally, you probably smell them, a melange of supreme confidence and #vanlife hygiene habits. They are trad climbing. You want to be counted among their ranks. Where to begin?
Trad climbing (short for “traditional” climbing) is climbing in which you place your own protection pieces as you climb. In top-rope you have a pre-built anchor at the top and in sport climbing you clip into pre-existing bolts. But trad climbing requires that you carry gear on your harness while being able to properly place different types of protection. For more on this, check out this article. If you’re interested in what types of gear you might need for trad climbing, check out “Your First Trad Rack.”
Is trad climbing for you?
Before we begin, a few warnings:
- Trad climbing is dangerous: Every form of climbing is inherently dangerous, but even more so for trad climbing, because you’re responsible for bringing and placing your own protection. If you don’t bring the right gear, or place it incorrectly, or drop it, things can get very dangerous very fast. It’s is like becoming an adult: you have more power and control over your destiny, but also more responsibility.
- Trad climbing is expensive: Purchasing a trad rack costs $500-$1000 minimum, just to get started. Consider finding a partner who has gear to see if you like it before investing in your own gear.
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- Trad climbing is different:
- Crushing 5.11c at the Motherlode in the Red? Not once you start climbing trad. Be ready to downgrade.
- Also, if (often painful, bloody, and difficult) crack climbing sounds awful, trad climbing probably isn’t for you.
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On many trad routes, especially multi-pitch ones, you’ll spend less time actually climbing compared to a day at the sport crag.
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- Trad climbing is addictive: Despite the warnings above, trad climbing will change your world. Once you’ve felt the full weight of responsibility that comes from placing your own protection, other forms of climbing pale in comparison. If you’re ready to never be satisfied with any other type of climbing, read on.
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How to become a trad climber
Everyone’s route to trad climbing will be slightly different, but here are some good first steps:
- Learn to sport lead in a gym: The safest place to learn to lead and the easiest place to get a ton of practice is an indoor gym. While trad climbers are generally more averse to falling than sport climbers, it’s good to get comfortable with falling and the feeling of leading. Most gyms offer 4-8 hour lead courses that aren’t too expensive.
- Find a mentor: Despite a multitude of books, YouTube videos, or articles on trad climbing skills, nothing beats advice from an experienced trad climber. Mentors can give you lots of real experience while double checking your work to make sure you’re safe.
- Find a guide: If you can’t find a mentor, spending the time and money on professional training is well worth it. You can be confident you’re getting the most up-to-date technical knowledge and you can get your skills and techniques critiqued in the moment. There are fantastic guiding companies all across the United States who provide introductory trad climbing courses. Here are a few of our favorites:
- West Coast: http://www.alpineinstitute.com/
- Bay Area: https://www.adventureout.com/rock-climb/
- East Coast: http://foxmountainguides.com/
- Midwest: http://exumguides.com/
- Colorado:
- Practice skills on the ground: Spend an afternoon placing cams and nuts wherever you can. Practice will help you lead more efficiently, since you’ll pick the right cams and nuts faster, rather than wasting time and energy trying multiple different pieces in a single crack. You’ll also learn how to remove gear efficiently and how to use a nut tool.
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Planning your first trad climb
So you’re ready for your first lead. First leads are exciting, but also scary, and they can easily lead to panic. Since you won’t learn anything if you panic (plus panicking while up on a rock is dangerous), it’s important to choose an appropriate challenge. Here are some tips for your first few leads:
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Start easy/downgrade
This cannot be stressed enough. Trad climbing is different and requires more than just climbing skill. You have to place protection at the same time as climbing, which means you’re on the rock longer, while carrying more and heavier gear than you’re used to. Start easy and don’t get in over your head. For newer climbers who haven’t climbed outside before, downgrade 3-4 grades. For experienced sport climbers, 1-2 grades is probably enough. Also, be aware that older trad routes (pre-1960s) were graded when the Yosemite Decimal System only went to 5.9, so they’re sometimes more difficult than their grade suggests (this is commonly referred to as being “sandbagged”). If you consult a guidebook or mountainproject.com, you can usually find this out about a particular route. Two more thoughts when picking out a first route:
Play to your strengths
Trad climbs usually follow some sort of crack system, in order to be able to place protection. But not all require specifically crack climbing skills if there are face holds to use. Make sure your first trad climbs are a style of climbing you’re experienced at—if you’re used to climbing in a gym, this probably means you should start with face climbing. The grade is important, but a 5.7 crack climb might feel a lot harder than a 5.9 face climb.
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Protection difficulty or climbing difficulty (choose one)
Consider playing to your climbing strengths, but remember that trad climbs can also be difficult because they’re hard to protect well, or it’s difficult to place gear easily and efficiently. If a route doesn’t play to your climbing strengths, make sure it doesn’t also stretch you in your protection skills, and vice versa.
Check out some East Coast trad climbing: Seneca Rocks, WV Climbing Guide
Bring plenty of gear
Your first few leads aren’t the time to bring the lightest rack possible. Bring more than you think you’ll need so that you don’t have to try and place in tricky spots. Especially if you’ve downgraded adequately, the climbing should be easy enough that a little extra weight won’t hurt.
Stick to single pitch
Get a good number of single pitch leads under your belt before venturing further upwards. If shit hits the fan, being able to lower to the ground radically decreases the seriousness of the situation. Multi-pitch trad climbing adds risk and difficulty, so make sure you’re comfortable on single pitch climbs where the risk is lower.
Want more inspiration? Check out our ambassadors trip report on climbing Half Dome’s famous Snake Dike
Conclusion
To those who love it, trad climbing is the purest form of climbing rocks. It’s American self-reliance in climbing form. But it takes time, money, and dedication to become a confident trad leader–it’s definitely not for everyone. As legendary climber Leonard Coyne eloquently said, “You either got the spirit or you don’t. If you got the fucking spirit…you rock. And if you don’t…you’re a sport climber.”
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