I've been doing trad well below my onsight level for some years now and have only taken lead falls on sport.

I've been doing trad well below my onsight level for some years now and have only taken lead falls on sport. For some time I've wanted to do some higher grade trad routes where I definitely will fall. However it's one thing to look at a placement, intellectually decide it's bomber, but never fall on it, and completely another to do the same and take a good fall on it.

I did start my trad career via various AMGA trad courses, which included having your gear critiqued. My partners that I climb with have always been happy with my placements as well, overall I am pretty confident about my gear being solid. On the other hand I think it's often a fine line, even more so as the stress goes up and placements get smaller, and without actual experience of trying to make something pull it can be hard to know how close you are to that line.

I've been thinking to help ease myself through the transition a good way would be if I could test a bunch of my gear. While I don't expect to be able to exactly reproduce a lead fall onto them, I'd more or less like to reassure myself that I'm placing decent gear. I've been thinking of setting up a top rope solo line, then placing gear as I go and step onto it, maybe doing some gentle bouncing, seem reasonable or have other suggestions?

If any of you have done aid climbing, did you find that your ability to gauge good/bad gear increased significantly after spending so much time immediately using all your placements? I'm debating taking some type of aid course as well.

TIA

What I did was find sport routes that will also take pro and have clean falls. Preferably well within your ability so you're not physically challenged. Place one of each of the types of pro you carry a foot or so above a bolt (one at a time) with a clean fall and fall on it. Not a dinky little fall, give it at least a decent ten footer. No need to go huge, but make it a decent whipper. Make your pieces good so you think they'll hold. If they blow, the bolt's right there to catch you.

When I was starting to lead trad I did this with every type of pro I have (nuts, cams, hexes, tricams) and now I know they all work! In the meantime I've taken at least one lead fall on most every piece of pro I own, down to the micronuts (DMM Peenuts) and little cams (#00 C3). I started carrying some BD micros but I havent fallen on those yet.

I've only blown one piece in a fall. It was a #2 C3, placed quite poorly in a flare from a rather stressful position. It held long enough to stop me, but right at peak force it popped. A bomber .75 C4 was underneath to catch me so all I got was a little rope burn. If I hadn't known the bomber C4 and a long clean fall was under me I wouldn't have gone up on that #2, would have gotten something better.

I test marginal pieces on the ground while I'm waiting around. Find a crack, stick something in and bounce test it to see what happens.

Also, if you haven't fallen much on sport, you might go do that just to get comfortable with falling. It works wonders. I recommend something slightly overhung.

Cheers

On avg what would you say is the maximum size fall a piece of gear can repeatedly handle with ought compromising it for future use?.

There's no fixed answer for this as there are too many variables involved in a fall.

Everything from the rope itself, how much rope drag is in the system, the weight of the climber and belayer, what belay device is used, if the belayer lets some slack slip through or jumps as the fall happens, what angle the rock is, did the top piece have a screamer on it, how far is the climber out from the belay etc etc.

There's no fixed answer for this as there are too many variables involved in a fall.

Everything from the rope itself, how much rope drag is in the system, the weight of the climber and belayer, what belay device is used, if the belayer lets some slack slip through or jumps as the fall happens, what angle the rock is, did the top piece have a screamer on it, how far is the climber out from the belay etc etc.

Each piece of gear will have a rating in kN printed on it, this is a gauge of how strong it is. Find a fall force calculator and play with some combinations of the above factors and see what varies.

Thnx, i just looked into it and have some questions (as always).

Their is a route i want to climb, the first piece is around 12 foot high, and i may fall around 8 foot after that before the next piece.

Going off the calculator it says i would experience 5.25 kn, and if i understood rightly the piece of gear will experience 6.85kn.

I'm a little worried about having only 1 piece and a chunk of rock with unknown kn rating between me and a 20 foot deck out. What belay tactic would you guys personally have your partner use in this scenario?.

[Their is a route i want to climb, the first piece is around 12 foot high, and i may fall around 8 foot after that before the next piece.

Going off the calculator it says i would experience 5.25 kn, and if i understood rightly the piece of gear will experience 6.85kn.

Their is a route i want to climb, the first piece is around 12 foot high, and i may fall around 8 foot after that before the next piece.

That math only works on paper. In reality, rope stretch and slack in the system are all conspiring against you, and the bottom line is that, unless your belayer is extremely good, you're going to deck. (A standard soft catch is almost certainly a bad idea.) I would regard such a position as a "do-not-fall" zone, and make my choices accordingly.

An important caveat about bounce-testing your placements: Look at the placement carefully before you test it, but make sure to look away while testing it. If the piece blows, you don't want it to hit you in the face.