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wc_sh
Feb 5, 2004, 1:45 AM
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Hello!I'm a sport climber. And I want to learn for Trad Climb.Which kind of
Gear(usually used Gear) shoud I buy first?Please give me some advice.
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mrme
Feb 5, 2004, 1:49 AM
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nuts,hexes are the cheapest gear. if you buy used make sure cables on nuts are in good shape, and replace those slings on the hexes.
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mrme
Feb 5, 2004, 1:54 AM
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nut tool and a nut tool hammer (combo) are really nice to own. you can extract what others have left and can not get back out.
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trad_mike
Feb 5, 2004, 2:05 AM
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A nut tool, two slings to anchor in with, and some prussiks for self-rescue. You are going to want to follow alot and learn what good placements look and feel like before taking the sharp end.
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scubasnyder
Feb 5, 2004, 2:35 AM
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Nuts, hexes, tricams, nut tool, runners, cams if you can get some.
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cadaverchris
Feb 5, 2004, 2:45 AM
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talk to people who climb where you climb.
when i started out, i split a rack of nuts, hexes and the small tricams with a friend and that was enough to climb the gunks and granite in New Hampshire.
advice for you- start with nuts, hexes and a nut tool
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wc_sh
Feb 5, 2004, 2:54 AM
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Guys Thanks a lot.I climb in YangShuo China.May I buy some Cams(Friends)?
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mmckinney
Feb 5, 2004, 2:55 AM
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i lead for the first six months of trad climbing on stoppers hexes and tricams....
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moeman
Feb 5, 2004, 3:26 AM
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CAMS. Don't buy any passive pro when you're a newbie. You have to learn w/ active pro
Just kidding
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slcliffdiver
Feb 5, 2004, 4:22 AM
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Black Diamond shaped stoppers size 6-10 and a nut tool. The order I'd buy any thing else would depend on how much money you have to spend and the specific rock you will be spending the most time at. If you don't have a lot of money to blow and have some partners with racks you can follow I'd put of buying too much more until you learn what is good for your area and what you like. If you are trying to put together a full "inexpensive" rack instead of just wanting to practice placing pro that you'll be able to use later there are some good threads on this already.
Things that might be helpful to mention: How much you can afford to buy, availabilty of partners with gear, shape and texture of the rock you plan to spend the most time on, what you are planning on doing with the pieces you get now (practicing placement or starting leading right away). The more specific you can be about your situation and what you plan to do the better.
Edit: Cadaverchris had the best advice "talk to people who climb where you climb". Gear that is great in some areas isn't as great in others.
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wc_sh
Feb 5, 2004, 5:14 AM
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Thanks a lot.My usually climbing area is limestone.Can I find some books
talk about the skill about the Trad climb?
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dynoguy
Feb 5, 2004, 6:11 AM
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Buy Freedom of the Hills and/or How to Climb
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nagatana
Feb 5, 2004, 6:24 AM
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There's a decent number of climbers out in Yangshou. Have you talked to anyone who works at ChinaClimb?
A book, while informative, will not teach as well as a good mentor.
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gravical
Feb 5, 2004, 7:35 AM
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Search thru the forum list....there has been a lot of "First Trad Rack" forum posts....you can find a lot of info there as well.....enjoy, and start off with a few months of real easy climbing.....at least four / five grades below your current sports climbing grade :)
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bustinmins
Feb 5, 2004, 4:57 PM
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Congrats on making the switch...you'll find that it is challenging in a much different way but you'll enjoy the artistry of placing your pro rather than clipping into the bolt. :)
My recommendations are similar to everyone else's:
1. purchase "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills"
2. Anchors
3. More Anchors
4. Knots for Climbers
5. Self-Rescue
I know that these apply to sport climbing as well but they are great references if you don't have them.
Gear:
Talk to local trad climbers and ask that they have to climb in your area....always a good start. I mean you don't need #4 cams if the largest one your local climbers carry is a 3....saves on the wasted cash and weight of gear. :)
Generic Recommendations:
BD Stoppers: 4-13 or if you can't afford that then get 4-10(two sets).
BD Hexes: start with a size that is just a hair larger than your largest nut and go up about five sizes. This will get you started. The good thing about starting out with passive pro is that you learn how to use it very well and in the long run you won't be as cam dependant as some climbers have become. I enjoy an excellent cam placement as much as the next climber but I have to admit that one of my favorite climbs was one that I did entirely on hexes. :) It was fun to do the climb on a route that suggested I rack up to a #4 BD Cam. :) I could have saved myself a lot of weight by leaving all of my cams. :) Regardless - it is just pure fun playing with the rock.
My rack includes the following:
BD Stoppers(two sets): 4-13 and one additional set 4-9
BD Hexes: (two sets): 5-10
BD Cams: .5/.75/1/1/2/2/3/3.5/4 each with own BD Hotwire biner
HB Flared Nuts: one set (specialty items for Flatirons in CO)
Aliens: Red and Green...getting blue and yellow (use these instead of BD Micros because they have a much more flexible shaft)
BD Hotwire Biners: 12-18 extra biners for slings
BD Hotwire QD's: 15 Good for straight vertical work
Spectra Slings: 6x48" and 5x24"
Nylon Slings: 3x24" useful in friction knots where you can't do that with spectra slings.
2 Maxim Cords: super strong cordelette for anchors
BD Positrons: 8 of them for anchors
Tri-cams: smallest five sizes
Several Custom Slings made from 1" webbing. Hint- get the different sizes in different colors of slings..makes your life a whole lot easier. :)
Some will ask "Why Hexes?" Those are ancient tools! You can respond that they save cam placements at anchor points that will allow you to keep your cams for the unexpected adventures above. :)
I know that the gear list above sounds quite expensive and it was. I bought most of it during sales...or purchased one piece of pro per paycheck. I had my rack within a year. It may take you longer - doesn't matter...just keep accumulating pro and you'll have the rack you want.
Good luck on your trad climbing.
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slcliffdiver
Feb 5, 2004, 9:30 PM
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In reply to: Thanks a lot.My usually climbing area is limestone.Can I find some books talk about the skill about the Trad climb?
Limestone is a fickle creature. She takes on many forms depending on where she is. Someplaces she's tame others you swear she's out to kill you. The point is you won't know what is what without some good local guidance. The sport routes may be cleaned of unsafe holds but some of the trad routes may not be. I very seriously suggest you don't lead just from books. At the very very least start out leading routes specifically suggested by experienced climbers. Limestone in some areas has hand sized or larger holds that show no cracks from below or to the sides and very subtle indications from above but can break of with very little pressure (less than body weight). Water seepes down from the top and dissolves a little seem inside the hold add freezing and thawing and you can get the equivlent to a hold held on by a layer of paint or worse one strong enough to get you to commit to it before it breaks (a very painful lesson I learned first hand). I'm trying to make a graphical point. Trad skills involve a lot more than learning how to place pro and set anchors. You can easily get yourself killed on a very very easy climb if you don't understand the rock. There are some types of rock where it's fairly consistantly obvious which holds to watch out for if you are paying careful attention. Limestone isn't one of them. At the very least get experienced people in the area to point you toward routes that should be safe for you. I know I repeated myself but with limestone (depending on the area) it may be doubly important.
The book recommendations so far have been good. Get someone experienced to take you out if you possibly can. If you can't be very very careful and don't even think about falling until you can get someone experienced to look over your placements and anchors.
Good luck, have fun, and climb safe.
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climbobsessoin
Feb 7, 2004, 4:42 AM
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every one is saying nuts and hexes and things like that. but how many?
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tenn_dawg
Feb 7, 2004, 5:32 AM
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Buy a bolt gun brutha. There is just no substitute.
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tim
Feb 7, 2004, 7:55 AM
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ahem -- some of you people are going to get this guy killed if he takes your advice.
The guy's climbing on limestone. think about this for a second. cams and nuts have a nasty tendency to blow in limestone... as David's post sagely noted. I'm surprised no one else caught that. SE Asian limestone is not necessarily beginning trad territory -- this isn't granite we're talking about. If I were to advise any purchase it'd be as follows:
Buy a shit load of slings for threading, and maybe some pins!
and NEVER EVER believe anything you read on the Internet.
I guess the above is inherently a paradox. Too bad.
Anyways, climb safe and talk to first ascensionists in your area. Limestone is tricky stuff to be leading on trad gear, make sure you know what you're doing. So far David's post is the only one that seems to have taken into account the brittle nature of calcium carbonate.
If I remember correctly there are at least half a dozen Cantonese and Chinese climbers on the site. Getting in touch with them would be an excellent idea.
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andypro
Feb 7, 2004, 3:54 PM
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In line with what alot of others have said...
Your first piece of trad gear to buy should be beer (or your local equivalent preferred beverage). Its an excellent peace offering to a local or two who has the gear and knowledge you already need. When your starting out, you should use others gear. Yeah..everyone wants thier own stuff...but it's alot cheaper to use someone elses gear and knowledge before you embark on the quest for a rack (which is sometiems slow and NEVER ENDING :twisted: ).
This way you find out what works and what doesn't, before you run out and get yourself killed on something that should otherwise be a nice enjoyable climb.
Good luck, and have fun.
P.S.- In the gear category...go to gearexpress.com and get a "new leaders package" if you must have gear...and a buttload of biners and slings. Work from there. (new eladers package is $109, biners..say..20 at $5 avg. a piece, huge runner, webbing, and cordage package is $40). If they dont ship to your area (I dont see why not), use it as a guide for local purchases. Just my suggestion.
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