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shockabuku
Oct 17, 2007, 1:58 PM
Post #26 of 55
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Top roped about 12 climbing days in Pennsylvania, New York, and Georgia before my first sport lead on a 5.7 in New York (all outside over about 3-4 years). Then I followed 2-3 multipitch trad climbs in the Gunks and climbed 3-4 months indoors in Georgia before my first trad lead at Looking Glass (in the following ~8 months). Probably wasn't the best learning method but you work with what's available.
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rudolphluciani
Oct 17, 2007, 2:03 PM
Post #27 of 55
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Lead some 5.7 sport my first day climbing outside. Took about a year and a heluva lotta ground school before leading any trad. I'm still pretty new at that.
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lena_chita
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Oct 17, 2007, 2:37 PM
Post #28 of 55
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I was climbing for about s year. My first sport lead was a 5.9.
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bizarrodrinker
Oct 17, 2007, 2:43 PM
Post #29 of 55
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Bouldered for about 6 years then went sport climbing with a friend and insisted on getting on something that I would fall off of.
Just wanted to know what it was like to take a whipper and have loved being above the rope ever since.
Got my first trad lead last year and have been continuing that venture as well.
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percious
Oct 17, 2007, 2:44 PM
Post #30 of 55
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Registered: May 19, 2005
Posts: 140
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A year and a month of TRing before going trad. My 5th lead was High E (onsight)!
Never looked back.
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shrug7
Oct 17, 2007, 2:48 PM
Post #31 of 55
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About 1.5 years in to the sport did I start leading Trad and that was also after a few months of sport.
First sport lead was a 5.7 and first trad was around a 5.4/5.
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endercore
Oct 17, 2007, 3:05 PM
Post #32 of 55
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I had climbed on toprope maybe 10 times in a gym, then went to college and bouldered in our gym about 4 times a week for a month or two before I hooked up with some guys going outside. I led sport my first day out on real rock and have never really top roped since. Trad is a little bit different. I worked guiding for the past two summers and we built top rope anchors for most of our trad climbs. So i toproped probably 15 diffrent cracks many times,some trad stuff up to 5.10. Came home from CO, stole my friends trad rack and just started leading. Currently leading around 5.8, but only because i've never tried anything harder.
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markc
Oct 17, 2007, 3:33 PM
Post #33 of 55
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I started top-roping late in the season in '97, and started leading in the gym some time that fall or winter. My first outdoor lead was a 5.8 at the New in spring of '98. (My area didn't have many bolted routes at the time.)
My first time seconding at Seneca was probably in '99 or 2000. With my fear of heights and financial limitations, it took a while to start leading on gear. I put a rack together and started leading in 2001.
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pbnjonny
Oct 17, 2007, 11:31 PM
Post #34 of 55
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Registered: Mar 31, 2006
Posts: 142
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I had gym climbed for about a year and became friends with a lot of the people there, Then for spring break we went out the RRG and I started leading sport there. First lead was a 5.8, second was a 5.10b that I fell trying to clip the anchor. Just started leading trad recently, so about a year and a half for that.
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chossmonkey
Oct 18, 2007, 12:19 AM
Post #35 of 55
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As soon as I got enough gear to lead. Probably a couple of months.
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AltitudeJunkie
Sep 6, 2008, 12:41 AM
Post #36 of 55
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I've been climbing for about 15 months.
I learned sport climbing technique (clipping and stuff) 5 months later.
This past May i was climbing 5.8/5.9 TR (still am actually).
My first leads were about 10 1/2 months after I started climbing.
First sport lead: Slabalito, 5.7, Red River Gorge.
First trad lead: Kate's 1st Trad Lead, 5.1, Red River Gorge.
From what I gather it seems like people start leading sport and trad within the first 3-9 months of climbing. Maybe I'm wrong.
The guy who owns the gym i used to climb at said that you shouldn't start leading trad for at least 3 years after you start climbing. I'm not sure I agree with that seeing as how many people are learning to lead within the first year.
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angry
Sep 6, 2008, 12:53 AM
Post #37 of 55
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My first lead was a 5.5 bolted slab on my second day climbing.
Within a few weeks of that, I'd led a handful of easy trad routes. Within a year I was leading 5.7-5.9 (not clean but surviving) cracks several each outing.
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lofstromc
Sep 6, 2008, 2:08 AM
Post #38 of 55
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My first lead was a sport climb - about 3 months after I started climbing - probably under 5.9. I honestly don't remember.
My first trad lead was either The Eye at Joshua Tree or White Maidens Walkway at Tahquitz. I don't remember this to clearly either. This was probably a year after climbing and leading sport routes up to 5.10
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Maddhatter
Sep 6, 2008, 2:17 AM
Post #39 of 55
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Registered: Aug 28, 2008
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I top roped, followed and cleaned up to 5.10 trad in gym shoes and a webbing harness before I got my first set of real shoes and harness and started leading!! LOL
Might be ok starting a bit sooner then I did!
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deltav
Sep 6, 2008, 2:37 AM
Post #40 of 55
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Registered: Sep 29, 2005
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AltitudeJunkie wrote: I've been climbing for about 15 months. I learned sport climbing technique (clipping and stuff) 5 months later. This past May i was climbing 5.8/5.9 TR (still am actually). My first leads were about 10 1/2 months after I started climbing. First sport lead: Slabalito, 5.7, Red River Gorge. First trad lead: Kate's 1st Trad Lead, 5.1, Red River Gorge. From what I gather it seems like people start leading sport and trad within the first 3-9 months of climbing. Maybe I'm wrong. The guy who owns the gym i used to climb at said that you shouldn't start leading trad for at least 3 years after you start climbing. I'm not sure I agree with that seeing as how many people are learning to lead within the first year.
He is not totally full of it. The idea is to build a solid foundation before moving into something that requires a considerable amount of skill and understanding over TR, even sport really.
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shockabuku
Sep 6, 2008, 3:04 AM
Post #41 of 55
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Registered: May 20, 2006
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deltav wrote: AltitudeJunkie wrote: I've been climbing for about 15 months. I learned sport climbing technique (clipping and stuff) 5 months later. This past May i was climbing 5.8/5.9 TR (still am actually). My first leads were about 10 1/2 months after I started climbing. First sport lead: Slabalito, 5.7, Red River Gorge. First trad lead: Kate's 1st Trad Lead, 5.1, Red River Gorge. From what I gather it seems like people start leading sport and trad within the first 3-9 months of climbing. Maybe I'm wrong. The guy who owns the gym i used to climb at said that you shouldn't start leading trad for at least 3 years after you start climbing. I'm not sure I agree with that seeing as how many people are learning to lead within the first year. He is not totally full of it. The idea is to build a solid foundation before moving into something that requires a considerable amount of skill and understanding over TR, even sport really.
Yes, he is totally full of it. He's what's wrong with climbing today. Check it out - people used to start their climbing careers trad climbing. Because that's all there was.
Started lead climbing (sport) the first week I met somebody else who had the gear at a place it could be done. Toproped about a dozen times before that, never with climbing shoes.
Followed two trad leads in the next couple of months, climbed for a couple of months in the gym, and did my first trad lead a total of about 8 months after my first sport lead. I think it was Second Coming, 5.7, at Looking Glass.
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Lazlo
Sep 6, 2008, 4:15 AM
Post #42 of 55
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Registered: Nov 14, 2007
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My partner and I started climbing at the same time. We learned TR, and immediately started advancing. We both read Freedom of the Hills and John Long's Anchors cover to cover. We climbed slabby sport and plugged nuts any time we had a place we could stick one...then we'd test them on TR. Some blew. Some didn't. We learned quickly. Every climb schooled us. Every clip and every placement meant something. We had no mentors...there aren't enough climbers around here. We just asked anyone and everyone questions. And we tested everything as we went.
First lead: 5.8 after four months
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andrewG
Sep 6, 2008, 5:34 AM
Post #43 of 55
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Had been climbing about 5 weeks, mostly indoors, lead an indoor 5.7. Was TRing .9s clean.
First outdoor sport lead was a 5.7, still TRing 5.9/easy 10s. Had been climbing around 3 months.
First trad lead was a 5.7. Had been following occasionally for around 9 months. Probably followed 20-30 pitches before leading and could TR .9/.10-.
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dondada
Sep 6, 2008, 10:03 AM
Post #44 of 55
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Registered: May 4, 2007
Posts: 75
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started climbing this past november, lead my first route(5.9 sport-stu boy@wheeler canyon)in june i think(6-7months). i was climbing solid 5.8 ish in the gym but always seem to be able to climb harder outside im not sure if the gym route setters are sandbagging where i've been or im just that good at going off route. i havent lead trad yet but im building a rack and i feel like i could lead a 2-3 pitch 5.7 if i had gear. my next big hurdel is taking a fall on a single piece i placed
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tomcat
Sep 6, 2008, 2:10 PM
Post #46 of 55
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Registered: Sep 15, 2006
Posts: 325
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There were about six toprope climbs where I started in Pennsylvania.After we did those a few times we did like one mock lead,and set off leading trad.
I had never followed a trad lead and only witnessed a few.
On ice there were no topropes available,so started out leading ice day one.
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time2clmb
Sep 6, 2008, 3:48 PM
Post #47 of 55
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Registered: Apr 26, 2007
Posts: 473
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My first lead was a sport lead, a few months after I started climbing. My second lead, and the next several leads were on gear shortly after.
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oldsalt
Sep 6, 2008, 3:58 PM
Post #48 of 55
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Registered: Jan 19, 2004
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This is one of those issues where there cannot be a single answer (obvious to anyone reading the thread). My gym had bolts on 5.7 and up and an excellent climbing director who assessed individuals instead of setting arbitrary rules. I was leading Sport within my first year, but it took longer to get enough experience with gear.
I followed my climbing partner (Jimmy) on some routes as he practiced what he had learned from professional guides. One day he pushed me out on the sharp end waited to catch me, but he didn't have to.
I think you begin any new step in climbing when you decide that you are going to do it, and you act on the decision. If your gym is one of those that is caught up on grades, get outdoors and climb with people you meet out there. You can tell in an instant if you are watching a competent, safe climber or an idiot.
Go do it!
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currupt4130
Sep 7, 2008, 2:11 PM
Post #49 of 55
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Registered: Feb 7, 2008
Posts: 515
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I got into the climbing club here at Va Tech and went with them on a trip to the RRG. Got out there and didn't know the first thing about ropes. I didn't own a harness, an ATC, and didn't know how to tie an 8. Learned how to belay the first day, started leading the second day. I think my first lead was Pogue Ethics (5.9). Then I took a 30 foot whipper trying to clip the anchors on Creep Show later that day (5.10d)
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saxfiend
Sep 7, 2008, 9:34 PM
Post #50 of 55
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Registered: Dec 31, 2004
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I started leading sport in the climbing gym about two months after I started climbing, and outdoors about two months after that. I'd been climbing a little over eight months when I did my first trad lead. By the end of my first year of climbing, I'd done my first multi-pitch trad lead. It felt like a good progression to me.
JL
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). However, after that I did most of my early leading in the gym, probably a few months after that first climb. First serious lead outside was about six months later. 
