better views, less people, like to play with gear, trust myself more then a bolter i dont know and a bolt i dont know the history of (although i do climb sport as well) i like and do all climbing but i get the most from trad.
I really like the feeling of superiority. The ability to look down on other activities makes me smile. While trad climbing I like to discuss the silly things that sport climbers and boulderers do, the clothes they wear, and how softly graded their climbs are.
I also enjoy the ability to focus on every minuscule detail of my day except the actual climbing itself.
I really like the feeling of superiority. The ability to look down on other activities makes me smile. While trad climbing I like to discuss the silly things that sport climbers and boulderers do, the clothes they wear, and how softly graded their climbs are.
I really like the feeling of superiority. The ability to look down on other activities makes me smile. While trad climbing I like to discuss the silly things that sport climbers and boulderers do, the clothes they wear, and how softly graded their climbs are.
I also enjoy the ability to focus on every minuscule detail of my day except the actual climbing itself.
I think it's pretty obvious that the best climbing in the US is all protected by natural gear, meaning that if you want to climb at the best areas you have to know how to place gear. It's not like we live in Spain...
If you can climb trad, you can climb sport or boulder.
The opposite, however, does not neccesarily apply.
I disagree.
Take your pick, you can say that grades count, or you can say they don't. Anybody can take a nature walk on a 5.1, certainly a sporto can. According to some of the chuffers on this site 5.1 still counts as trad. Hell, some of the chuffers on here that spend their time lamenting against sport climbing can't climb much harder than that. And if you're going to put in a restriction like 5.9 trad, well... you know where that's going.
Also trad climbing brings in the mental games, which is almost non existent in sport climbing. not to mention there are very few places where you can do multi pitch sport routes
I feel like the reasons should be obvious: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Joshua Tree Eldorado Canyon, RMNP Indian Creek, Zion Shawangunks, Adirondacks virtually every alpine rock route just to name some that pop into the mind quickly. Any single one of these locations would be reason enough to climb trad, on their own. Consider that the skills are transferrable, and the real question is, "Why wouldn't you trad climb?"
I feel like the reasons should be obvious: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Joshua Tree Eldorado Canyon, RMNP Indian Creek, Zion Shawangunks, Adirondacks virtually every alpine rock route just to name some that pop into the mind quickly. Any single one of these locations would be reason enough to climb trad, on their own. Consider that the skills are transferrable, and the real question is, "Why wouldn't you trad climb?"
I feel like the reasons should be obvious: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Joshua Tree Eldorado Canyon, RMNP Indian Creek, Zion Shawangunks, Adirondacks virtually every alpine rock route just to name some that pop into the mind quickly. Any single one of these locations would be reason enough to climb trad, on their own. Consider that the skills are transferrable, and the real question is, "Why wouldn't you trad climb?"
This question is like asking "Why do people play tackle football?" Trad climbing is climbing - everything else is a subset of climbing or training for climbing - Trad climbing is neither superior to nor inferior to any other type of climbing. It is just climbing. Tackle football is football - it is neither superior to nor inferior to flag football or touch football or frisbee football. It is just football.
accessing long routes is a valid point and i should have included it, but can't seem to now.
in my experience, trad climbing did not prepare me for sport, but it did work the other way around: before sport i could do 5,10, after learning to do things like warm up, rest, and breathe, i could do 5.11 trad immediately.
I feel like the reasons should be obvious: Yosemite, Tuolumne, Joshua Tree Eldorado Canyon, RMNP Indian Creek, Zion Shawangunks, Adirondacks virtually every alpine rock route just to name some that pop into the mind quickly. Any single one of these locations would be reason enough to climb trad, on their own. Consider that the skills are transferrable, and the real question is, "Why wouldn't you trad climb?"
That basically covers it.
The reason I trad climb is because it's the only way up the stuff I want to climb.
Also trad climbing brings in the mental games, which is almost non existent in sport climbing. not to mention there are very few places where you can do multi pitch sport routes
Rumney N.H. has at least one, two pitch sport routes, Orange Crush 5.9,,tropicana 5.11,,via ferrata 5.11 is a three pitch, iron man 5.11,rock du jours 5.9 the thang 5.10c thats just a few . AND YES I checked the guide book and it is a current printing as well .
I didn't like trad climbing when I first started so I stuck to sport climbing for 10 years. Then I got bored and I wanted to be a more well rounded climber so I started going out to the Creek with a buddy. Now I enjoy both types of climbing.
Ok, this is coming from someone who has barely dipped her toes into trad climbing (so far), but I think if you have to ask that question, you aren't going to understand (most) of the answers you're going to get. It's like my friends who don't climb asking me why I do. There's not an answer that will really make them understand it.