Thinking of making the jump from rock climbing indoors at your local climbing wall to braving the natural stuff outdoors? Excellent choice, you won't regret it.
I'm assuming that you have done some indoor lead climbing on sport routes, and that you're comfortable with clipping into quick draws, but that you haven't yet placed any gear (wires, nuts, cams, hexentrics etc).
Here's a few pointers to get you started as safely as possible:
1. Find a buddy with some experience of climbing outdoors
It's really easy to get caught up in the excitement and miss things when you first climb outdoors. An experienced climbing partner will watch your back and point out your mistakes, keeping you safe. If you can't find an experienced climbing buddy, consider paying for an outdoor leader climbing course.
2. Practice placing protection
Get your climbing partner to show you how to select and place gear. It is absolutely imperative you know how to do this properly - your safety depends on it! Practice placing gear into cracks in the rock, while you're stood on the ground, keep this up until you are proficient (it'll be harder when you're under pressure on a climb).
3. Start with something very easy
Even if you're a confident 5c leader, you should aim to start a good few grades lower for your first outdoor trad routes. If that is your level I would recommend starting around Diff or Vdiff (around 4a sport grade). This might seem really low, but you are likely to find that climbing outside is a whole different ball game. Placing gear will add a significant amount of time to clipping your rope (which you won't be used to).
4. Make sure you have good technique
I guarantee that you will find challenges that you will rarely (or never) face indoors, once you start to climb outside. Lay backs, finger jamming and bridging are all very useful outdoor techniques. I would certainly learn to mantle shelf, as almost all outdoor climbs involve climbing over the top to finish (unheard of indoors).
Climbing outdoors can expose you to some truly beautiful environments. Just be sure to be careful and keep risks to a minimum and you will enjoy outdoor climbing for years to come.
I look forward to seeing you on the crag.
I'm assuming that you have done some indoor lead climbing on sport routes, and that you're comfortable with clipping into quick draws, but that you haven't yet placed any gear (wires, nuts, cams, hexentrics etc).
Here's a few pointers to get you started as safely as possible:
1. Find a buddy with some experience of climbing outdoors
It's really easy to get caught up in the excitement and miss things when you first climb outdoors. An experienced climbing partner will watch your back and point out your mistakes, keeping you safe. If you can't find an experienced climbing buddy, consider paying for an outdoor leader climbing course.
2. Practice placing protection
Get your climbing partner to show you how to select and place gear. It is absolutely imperative you know how to do this properly - your safety depends on it! Practice placing gear into cracks in the rock, while you're stood on the ground, keep this up until you are proficient (it'll be harder when you're under pressure on a climb).
3. Start with something very easy
Even if you're a confident 5c leader, you should aim to start a good few grades lower for your first outdoor trad routes. If that is your level I would recommend starting around Diff or Vdiff (around 4a sport grade). This might seem really low, but you are likely to find that climbing outside is a whole different ball game. Placing gear will add a significant amount of time to clipping your rope (which you won't be used to).
4. Make sure you have good technique
I guarantee that you will find challenges that you will rarely (or never) face indoors, once you start to climb outside. Lay backs, finger jamming and bridging are all very useful outdoor techniques. I would certainly learn to mantle shelf, as almost all outdoor climbs involve climbing over the top to finish (unheard of indoors).
Climbing outdoors can expose you to some truly beautiful environments. Just be sure to be careful and keep risks to a minimum and you will enjoy outdoor climbing for years to come.
I look forward to seeing you on the crag.
About the Author:
Gareth Hanson is an enthusiastic climber. Check out his blog for information on rock climbing, including gear reviews, crags, climbs and techniques: rockclimbinguk.com
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