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xtremst80
Oct 16, 2007, 8:39 PM
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How long were you climbing for before you started leading? One year? Two year? And at what grade were you climbing?
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raymondjeffrey
Oct 16, 2007, 8:48 PM
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I was climbing for 2 years before I started leading. Funny thing: I never 'fell' (but I did come off of the wall while toproping) so I didn't have fear of falling yet.
So anyways I take my first lead fall and I nearly shit my pants. All my days toproping I never felt the sensation of falling; ya know.
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omalavet
Oct 16, 2007, 8:49 PM
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the second day i went climbing... 5.7 in sport climbing .... leading is not that hard in sport climbing just... dont backclip
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swaghole
Oct 16, 2007, 8:49 PM
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After one year. Started leading on ice first, then trad on rock right after.
(This post was edited by swaghole on Oct 16, 2007, 8:50 PM)
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mtnjohn
Oct 16, 2007, 8:51 PM
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I did my 1st lead after climbing for about a month or so.
It was Protent, a 5.5 ("with a 5.7 start") at The Pinnacles. About a month later I led West Crack in Tuolome.
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roseraie
Oct 16, 2007, 8:55 PM
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Sport: second day out, I could TR 5.8 so I led 5.7.
Trad: about a year in, after following at least 100 pitches, could follow 5.10, started leading 5.3.
(This post was edited by roseraie on Oct 16, 2007, 8:56 PM)
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AZrockclimber1988
Oct 16, 2007, 9:01 PM
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I started leading sport like right after I started climbing, it is not that hard at all, mostly just a mental game. Which once I got over that game, I can pretty much lead what I can toprope. I started to trad lead in less then a year after I started climbing, pretty much after following like 10 pitchs of trad. Which my first trad lead was a 5.6-5.7 first ascent, long story.
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cracklover
Oct 16, 2007, 9:49 PM
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First season, mostly indoors (hey, I started in the fall, New England winters are cold!)
Second season, learned to set anchors outside, toproped a lot.
Third season, trad leading. Here's me on my first real lead:
Top of pitch 3, Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge, NH.
Fourth season, sport leading.
I was reasonably solid at toproping 5.9s and some easy 5.10s when I started leading.
GO
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barefoot_utah
Oct 16, 2007, 9:56 PM
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In my second season, I was following at 5.9 and started leading at about 5.5. I am leading 5.7 pretty regularly now and loving every minute of it. Even when I am scared $h1t1e$$. 
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camerona91
Oct 16, 2007, 10:36 PM
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Sport-3rd day out (it was with a guide on a mountaineering course)
Trad-4 months in
Aid-5 months in
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Myxomatosis
Oct 16, 2007, 10:51 PM
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Climbing two and a half years... started leading four months in. First sport outdoor lead (also first time outdoor climbing) was eight months in, 5.9...
I took some pretty big fall's on my first few lead climbs indoors (overhangs), it removed alot of the fear I had.
Also took a fall on my first out door lead, nice 6ft cheese grater down a slab going for the anchors in the rain 
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rmsusa
Oct 16, 2007, 11:06 PM
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Started leading the same day I started climbing, in 1971. We read "basic and advanced rockcraft" by Royal Robbins. It all seemed pretty logical and simple so we bought some gear and started climbing.
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krosbakken
Oct 16, 2007, 11:15 PM
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cracklover wrote: First season, mostly indoors (hey, I started in the fall, New England winters are cold!) Second season, learned to set anchors outside, toproped a lot. Third season, trad leading. Here's me on my first real lead: Top of pitch 3, Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge, NH. Fourth season, sport leading. I was reasonably solid at toproping 5.9s and some easy 5.10s when I started leading. GO
Do you always wear your slings like that.
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AZrockclimber1988
Oct 16, 2007, 11:28 PM
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krosbakken wrote: cracklover wrote: First season, mostly indoors (hey, I started in the fall, New England winters are cold!) Second season, learned to set anchors outside, toproped a lot. Third season, trad leading. Here's me on my first real lead: [img]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/5/243845-work-13478.jpg[/img] Top of pitch 3, Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge, NH. Fourth season, sport leading. I was reasonably solid at toproping 5.9s and some easy 5.10s when I started leading. GO Do you always wear your slings like that.
He likes the possiblity if he falls he will be hung by the slings getting caught on something, and snapping his neck.
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majid_sabet
Oct 16, 2007, 11:35 PM
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I started lead climbing in gym as soon as I passed the lead test.that was one of the happiest moment of my life not just because I was a new 5.7 gym lead climber but also to hang my lead card on my harness while walking in gym.
is there a test for trad climbing out there?
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stymingersfink
Oct 16, 2007, 11:45 PM
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in '95 I spent three days in the Valley cleaning 5.8 trad routes for a friend, then didn't climb again till the summer of '02.
Decided I would spend some time getting into climbing, purchased some additional gear and TR solo'd some accessible routes within my range. Once I was sure I had the basic systems down, I started leading:
sport: end of first week (teaching myself roped soloing on 5.7's-5.8's)
trad: end of first month (again, roped soloing 5.7's - 5.9's )
ice: beginning of first winter (once again, roped soloing WI3+)
aid: end of second summer (this time at the elbow of an experienced aid climber, hauling and cleaning on Lunar Eclipse VI, 16p's, 5.7A4)
In the fall of my first summer I started working in a shop, climbing occasionally with some guys from work. In the spring of my second year, I felt confident enough in my abilities to be responsible for myself, so I began climbing with whoever would climb with me. Took a while, but finally found someone who clicked as a partner and we've been climbing rock and ice together ever since.
No major incidents yet, hope to keep it that way. Thanks to ANAM and John Long's books for keeping me safe in the beginning.
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vegastradguy
Oct 16, 2007, 11:46 PM
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lessee--
indoor leading- 4 months, maybe?
sport leading- 5 months, lead some 5.7, 5.8
trad leading- 6 months, lead 5.7, 5.8
my trad stayed at the 5.7, 5.8 level for a couple of years, though.
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waterman
Oct 16, 2007, 11:47 PM
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Less than a year. I was only 12 when I started and had some serious ADD so I was mostly rainbowing my was up the gym walls.
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binrat
Oct 17, 2007, 12:11 AM
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1st season, top roped almost evrynight, Lead ice the 3rd time out (WI3) then trad in the spring 5.fun(I think 5.6) then sport 5 years later.
Binrat
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happiegrrrl
Oct 17, 2007, 12:30 AM
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I started my second season leading, having spent some time during my first in ground school. Still leading at the same grade as when I started though, and I haven't led much this season.
I've only led 2 sport routes so far, in New Jack City on that easy wall. Rated at 5.8, I can definitely tell you....they aren't.
My first lead was 5.5, at dusk. It was dark when I topped out.
Here's a link to a story about one of my earlier leads, on Bitchy Virgin, which was the first R-rated climb at the Gunks. It's now G-PG, due to small cams..... I didn't have any small cams.
http://happiegrrrlclimbing.blogspot.com/...gh-keep-running.html
My other leads have been at the Gunks mostly, with 3 in Jtree, 3 down south, and 1 in New Hampshire.
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coastal_climber
Oct 17, 2007, 1:29 AM
Post #21 of 55
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Started climbing one fall (the season) and started lead outside the next summer.
>Cam
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zealotnoob
Oct 17, 2007, 1:42 AM
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After reading the FOTH a few times, started leading trad after two months of TRing.
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microbarn
Oct 17, 2007, 2:15 AM
Post #23 of 55
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I could climb mid 5.11's clean on top rope at the time when I learned each
end of the second season started sport climbing and led up to as hard as 5.9
middle of the third season I started trad and I kept it 5.6 and below with a few exceptions for a while
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CaptainPolution
Oct 17, 2007, 5:34 AM
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Registered: Jul 10, 2007
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eh I climbed inside for 4 months then broke my collar bone. didnt climb for a year then led sport a month after then my first trad like 3 months after that w/o any trad experience, just learned on the way like the big boys in the 60's
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cracklover
Oct 17, 2007, 1:40 PM
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krosbakken wrote: cracklover wrote: First season, mostly indoors (hey, I started in the fall, New England winters are cold!) Second season, learned to set anchors outside, toproped a lot. Third season, trad leading. Here's me on my first real lead: [img]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/5/243845-work-13478.jpg[/img] Top of pitch 3, Thin Air, Cathedral Ledge, NH. Fourth season, sport leading. I was reasonably solid at toproping 5.9s and some easy 5.10s when I started leading. GO Do you always wear your slings like that.
Haha! Good catch! Nope. Not even back then. Must have been messing with them just before the photo was taken.
GO
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