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zakadamsgt
Sep 28, 2007, 12:58 PM
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OK, i've been bouldering and sport climbing for a couple of years, but now I'm finally getting the oppurtunity to trad climb and multi-pitch. I've always wanted to do this because I feel like this is a side of climbing that I have not experienced yet and people tell me it's amazing. It opens so many doors to different styles and locations to climb. I'm totally psyched but I am a little nervous. Supposedly, the climb is 5.7-5.8 and 5-6 pitches. We have 4 people going up on 2 ropes and I will be leading each pitch behind the first time.
I'm not spraying here but I boulder V5 and sport climb 11c. I'm looking for some feedback on first trad leads and the grade relative to your other climbing grades (sport etc). I've heard dropping a few grades is good for starting trad. I'm sure most of this will be in my head and I will need to stay mentally calm.
Anyways, I'm climbing Linville Gorge in NC. It's supposed to be gorgeous. I'm so excited, but nervous nonetheless. Here's to sweaty palms in my cube....
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reg
Sep 28, 2007, 1:16 PM
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zakadamsgt wrote: OK, i've been bouldering and sport climbing for a couple of years, but now I'm finally getting the oppurtunity to trad climb and multi-pitch. I've always wanted to do this because I feel like this is a side of climbing that I have not experienced yet and people tell me it's amazing. It opens so many doors to different styles and locations to climb. I'm totally psyched but I am a little nervous. Supposedly, the climb is 5.7-5.8 and 5-6 pitches. We have 4 people going up on 2 ropes and I will be leading each pitch behind the first time. I'm not spraying here but I boulder V5 and sport climb 11c. I'm looking for some feedback on first trad leads and the grade relative to your other climbing grades (sport etc). I've heard dropping a few grades is good for starting trad. I'm sure most of this will be in my head and I will need to stay mentally calm. Anyways, I'm climbing Linville Gorge in NC. It's supposed to be gorgeous. I'm so excited, but nervous nonetheless. Here's to sweaty palms in my cube....
"We have 4 people going up on 2 ropes and I will be leading each pitch behind the first time."
ya need three ropes and what do you mean: i'll be leading each pitch behind the first time"?
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bizarrodrinker
Sep 28, 2007, 1:22 PM
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Do you mean mock leading? Trad is great, and can be a major head game in certain situations...like when you realize there's a wasp nest behind that flake when you are 10-15 ft above your last piece.
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zakadamsgt
Sep 28, 2007, 1:30 PM
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I meant behind the first team. Let me clarify - There's two people climbing (leading/cleaning), then me and my partner are following (leading/cleaning).
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penoyar
Sep 28, 2007, 1:32 PM
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You're gonna do great, as long as you're in good shape. You're totally right that you have to drop a few grades for early trad leads, cause you're gonna be hangin there for 30, 60, 90 seconds trying to find the right stopper and really lock it in. I assume you've been practicing placing pro on the ground to at least get an idea what placements should look like. Keep calm, find comfortable rests for when you're placing, and be ready for this to take ALL day: 6 pitches, say 8 placements/pitch + anchors, double checking everything thrice = LONG day.
And if you get frustrated, don't just run-out the rest of the 5.7, as tempting as it'll be. You're here to learn trad, not onsight solo a 5.7, right?
You'll have a blast, good luck!
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notapplicable
Sep 28, 2007, 1:35 PM
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Welcome to the dark side amigo.
If you are regularly redpointing in the .11's you should be OK on 5.7 for you first trad lead but it wouldnt hurt to start even lower. Also, unless you have a very experienced trad climber with you, you may want to reconsider the idea of making your first gear lead multipitch. Just my thoughts, whatever you do have fun and be safe, its far easier to make a mistake when your building belays and handleing multiple ropes.
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reg
Sep 28, 2007, 2:00 PM
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zakadamsgt wrote: I meant behind the first team. Let me clarify - There's two people climbing (leading/cleaning), then me and my partner are following (leading/cleaning).
oh ok gottcha - are you going to lead?
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zakadamsgt
Sep 28, 2007, 2:02 PM
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Yesssssir.
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munky
Sep 28, 2007, 2:05 PM
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Welcome to the brotherhood. Linville is a great place to enter the light.
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markc
Sep 28, 2007, 2:30 PM
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I'm curious about how much experience you have seconding and practicing placements. If you've never done a multipitch climb, you're going to be learning quite a bit at one time. Are you building your own anchors? If so, does the second in the other party have enough experience to critique you? Are you really comfortable with the process, including the descent? Is another member of the larger group more experienced in this sort of climbing?
If you have the time and inclination, you might spend a day working out kinks at a single-pitch crag or shorter multipitch (3-4 pitches). You could start at the 5.5 - 5.6 range to gauge how comfortable you'll be on 5.7 - 5.8. Especially early on, you can lose a lot of time and energy working out good placements. On top of that, you'll be dealing with routefinding, limiting drag, and other issues. Definitely look for G or PG routes so you have lots of options.
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guccipiggy
Sep 28, 2007, 2:33 PM
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notapplicable wrote: If you are regularly redpointing in the .11's you should be OK on 5.7 for you first trad lead but it wouldnt hurt to start even lower. Also, unless you have a very experienced trad climber with you, you may want to reconsider the idea of making your first gear lead multipitch. Just my thoughts, whatever you do have fun and be safe, its far easier to make a mistake when your building belays and handleing multiple ropes.
I agree with this post about starting on the lower grades (although I don't regularly redpoint 11's).
Regarding multipitch though, I think your situation will be fine because when you reach the belay stations, the party ahead of you would have set that up already. Assuming they are waiting for your party to get to the belay or leaving the anchor for you to use.
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dingus
Sep 28, 2007, 2:47 PM
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You're gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.
It will be easy and fun and awesome, you'll see. I think the first multipitch route I ever did was the Mummy at Linville, so I can relate. Some great shit up there on Table too... moderate cracks that you can hang from all day with that v5 power of yours. You'll be just fine and fiddling gear ain't the rocket science we make it out to be.
Easy as 123. You'll see.
Have fun
DMT
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markc
Sep 28, 2007, 2:48 PM
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guccipiggy wrote: Regarding multipitch though, I think your situation will be fine because when you reach the belay stations, the party ahead of you would have set that up already. Assuming they are waiting for your party to get to the belay or leaving the anchor for you to use.
That could work so long as he's passing along similar protection to the second of the first team when he reaches the belay. Otherwise, the first leader won't be building that back in the rack. Considering that the OP may want to place more pro than the first leader, I wouldn't count on getting back the exact same types of pro. I might be inclined to rack a bit extra. (I'm taking it for granted that the first leader is experienced.)
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reg
Sep 28, 2007, 3:02 PM
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maybe i missing something - your going to lead your first ever trad climb?
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zakadamsgt
Sep 28, 2007, 3:09 PM
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I am going to have a full rack as well as the team in front of me, I dont think there will be a problem with having to pass off gear etc. Also, the team in front is experienced and I trust him. He said if I want to on some of the pitches, they won't clean the gear and I can just replace it with my gear and pass back to him at the belay station.
anyways, I'm getting more and more excited..
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dingus
Sep 28, 2007, 3:12 PM
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I bet the leaves are starting to turn too! I always felt a sense of history up there, a strong hint of 'Daniel Boone' blowing on the breeze (seriously, I did).
Don't worry about the gear wanking. Just make sure you get good placements and bliss will be achieved.
It really tain't no thing.
DMT
ps. I went there for the first time in a party just like yours.... me and my bro Jr. (neither of us had ever done multi anything) and this dude named Arno and his mostly-non-climbing partner/workmate.
We conduct ourselves to the base of the Mummy and I'm thinking.... we'll follow this Arno and his buddy up for some beta right. Then Arno's all...
'Why don't you lead this first Dingus, so I can get some pictures."
Gulp. You have to climb up like 40 feet or something for the first placement on that route. I swallowed the big lump in my throat and up I went.
They didn't coddle the noobs much back then. Hand em a rack and have at it, ground up. Very fond memories of that place. It set in motion patterns that have affected the rest of my life, seriously.
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zakadamsgt
Sep 28, 2007, 3:27 PM
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Everbody's got stories of Arno...Do you live in Nashville? There's a climber there names Mike Millner (he looks like Bob Ross)...great dude.
The weather is going to be perfect...i'm not sure what routes we're doing, but we've got 2 days!!!
It's hard to lower my expectations at this point!
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nepaclimber
Sep 28, 2007, 3:30 PM
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your going to have fun, i did my first trad lead 2 weeks ago, i followed my friend on a warm up, my second time cleaning a trad route, then he handed me his rack and said ok your turn, started on a 5.5 then went to a 5.6 with a horrifying sketcy 5.9 friction top out about 15 or 20 feet over my last piece, which was a bit of a head game. i didnt get to do multi pitch but still it was a blast. be ready for tired legs from standing on your toes for a long time
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dingus
Sep 28, 2007, 3:36 PM
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zakadamsgt wrote: Everbody's got stories of Arno...Do you live in Nashville?
I grew up in Dickson county and cut my teeth climbing choss middle TN limestone then eastern rim sandstone. Ran into Arno fresh back from Wyoming in 83 or 84 I think, at Bee Rock upo Cookeville way. He showed me T-Wall when there was only like 20 routes there.
Then I moved to Cali and never looked back. Been here for going on 21 years now.
Cheers
DMT
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dingus
Sep 28, 2007, 3:38 PM
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Oh I forgot to mention... I didn't exactly TELL Arno I'd never done multipitch before..... hehe.
DMT
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onceahardman
Sep 28, 2007, 10:39 PM
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In reply to: They didn't coddle the noobs much back then. Hand em a rack and have at it
boy, dingus, aint that the truth. i think it was my 3rd time climbing, i grabbed the rack, and off i went! nice story!
and to the OP, dont get psyched out...it aint rocket surgery...
just think clearly. you are clearly plenty strong enough.
one thing to remember, when screwing around trying to get in a piece from a strenuous stance...sometimes it is safer and better to just climb on through, and protect later.
bring some longer slings too, longer than sport draws.
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boardline22
Oct 15, 2007, 3:32 PM
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you'll be fine. My first trad lead was also my first multipitch lead. Granted it as only 5.4, but I was the most experienced one in my group. No one died, we rapped in the dark, and it was a blast.
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fitzontherocks
Oct 15, 2007, 4:44 PM
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boardline22 wrote: you'll be fine.
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