What is trad climbing vs sport climbing reddit.
11 votes, 12 comments.
What is trad climbing vs sport climbing reddit. 7” and less 5. They do however leave a lot to be desired. Trad Climbing Less gear required: Because the emphasis is on the moves, sport climbers don't place their own protection, but clip into preplaced bolts with metal hangers. For sport multipitch I’ve used a single when abs are short or half ropes. Tying in with the rope is also a good habit (not applicable here I realize). You can share carabiners between your quickdraws and alpine draws and just swap them out depending on if you're trad climbing and sport climbing. What type of climbing do you do and how does your shoes perform? How do they compare to other Sportiva products and other brands? Any issues? Sportiva shoes fit me way better than any other brand and I am hunting for some new shoes, both for the gym and outdoors. In my head it refers to one that poses a challenge but thats obviously subjective, I'd have a hard time hiking a paved trail and calling it Mountaineering 6 is a good start if you supplement with sport draws for long pitches. It then becomes the belayer’s job to How hard a given grade feels to an individual varies so much depending on factors like where you are, if its sport/trad, how comfortable you are with the style of climbing of that particular pitch, if you are climbing it 1500' off the ground in the middle of el cap, if the route was given its grade in 1964 vs. Sport routes tend to be delicate and steep. What is Lead Belaying? Reddit's rock climbing training community. As well as keylock noses for cleaning the draw off of steep routes. Reddit's rock climbing training community. In sport climbing, bolts are usually maintained quite frequently, while long trad routes can commonly have old, low quality, unsafe bolts. 9- hardest onsite, I feel comfortable on 5. In this article we explain sport climbing and trad climbing in detail, focusing on their similarities and differences, as well as the skills, knowledge, and equipment required for each. 20K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. Is this a good/bad thing? for me, indoor climbing has always been my main sport activity throughout the year, with only the occasional outdoor climbing. I led Cat in the Hat as my first multi-pitch trad lead. And therefore more likely to self-report to AAC. The last thing you want to do is produce a Find a climbing buddy who already climbs trad and follow/clean, gets you used to the climbing of trad and shows you good placements and how the gear works. Climbing consists of manageable risks and unmanageable risks. Generally, people find that the grade that they are able to top-rope is higher than the grade that they can sport lead and that their sport leading grade is higher than their trad leading grade. This may be because i live in the netherlands, and there are no good outdoor places closeby. The skillets aren't exactly the same (trad is more endurance, and sport is more power endurance), but if you get good at one, you get good at the other. Long answer: In terms of features, yes. This allows the lead climber to progress upward without the worry and hassle of carrying a full rack of gear and placing protection like you would with trad climbing. So if you're comparing new school sport to old school trad grades, the trad climbing is likely to be noticeably harder than the sport climbing before you even start to factor in trad gear management skills. Nov 4, 2024 · Sport climbing uses pre-placed anchors, while trad climbing requires placing your own protection. Trad climbing Reddit's rock climbing training community. I'm 32 5'7 145- 150 pounds. If you fell you would lower to the ground, pull the rope and start it again. The belayer provides safety for the climber by controlling the rope. But, there's also sampling bias. Now I'm on an exchange program to Scotland and there's not much outdoor sports climbing here so learning to trad climb would be ideal I guess. I was leading up to about 5. Nevertheless, a fatality risk remains, especially in alpine and ice climbing. I started climbing 9 months ago started with bouldering first and gradually to top rope and now sport. Free soloing, made famous by climbers like Adam Ondra, means climbing without ropes or harnesses – it’s extremely dangerous. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. Feb 14, 2022 · A comprehensive analysis of 30 years worth of data of climbing accidents recorded in Accidents in North American Climbing. ). I don't really get what the big deal is with climbing trad right away. Nov 7, 2023 · The world of rock climbing is rich with diverse styles, each offering a unique set of challenges, gear requirements, and philosophical approaches. 8/5. Nov 27, 2023 · This article provides an in-depth comparison between sport climbing and trad climbing, including gear, types of routes, and safety measures. If you are new to outdoor climbing you'll probably be starting off doing sport and top rope so you wont always have to spend long hours in your shoes without breaks, so I would recommend prioritizing feeling good climbing in them over other factors. I have both and love my old TCs but have had severe toe nail Issues since before even begin gon climbing and climbing made it much worse. We'll explore their core principles, essential gear, safety considerations, and the unique experiences they offer, providing a clear understanding of what sets each vertical pursuit apart. When the leader reaches the top of the climb, they use their equipment to build a climbing anchor. Mountain climber is a term used mostly by those outside the world of mountaineering. Oct 12, 2020 · Many climbers differentiate their sport leading grade from their top-rope climbing grade and their trad leading grade. Should I get comfortable lead climbing indoors and outdoors first before hopping onto trad, or can I go The best shoe is the one that fits your foot and meets your needs. 11-, trad 5. Also, be careful placing too many wires at the start without a omnidirectional piece. This being said, it depends whats holding you back. 8 trad (with a few exceptions), 5. Me and my sister are getting into trad climbing, right now we just sport climb. . New looks nice but to me felt worse. Dry treatment is a good upgrade for your first rope, especially dry sheath, it'll stay nicer, longer. I climb 5. Most people in the UK find that their sport and trad grades don't match this table at all, but the authors are probably technically correct that the technical grades are about right. Jul 17, 2019 · So you have some free time on hand and intend to pick up rock climbing. Currently I am in Moccasyms (mediocre fit) indoors and Miura VS (good fit) outdoors. 9, and boulder at V3 with the occasional V4. Yes, I am talking about the Solution Guide. Sport climbing isn’t it? Apr 15, 2020 · But if you want to do sport climbing you will also need quickdraws. 10+) alpine climbs like the harder routes on longs peak, that is alpine rock climbing more than mountaineering. I'm a newbie to crack and trad climbing, but am looking to get started once the season gets going. Making any accident/rescue considerably more severe. For someone that is new to rock climbing, it Hello! I've been climbing for about 2 years now, but over the past 3 months have been going on a regular basis and getting more serious about it. However, there was a specific climbing and mountaineering Dec 5, 2024 · Bouldering and top roping are two widely enjoyed climbing styles that appeal to enthusiasts for various reasons. I climb mostly in Utah in rock canyon and Ibex with the occasional moab trip. Running it out as a new trad climber is pretty much never a good idea. Trad, sport, and bouldering however are on par with skiing if I recall correctly. This seems pretty incorrect for climbing. Additionally, you can only place protection where the rock allows it, so sometimes there are large, dangerous runouts between pieces. Also surprisingly durable for a high performance shoe, lasted 8 months before I resoled them could have probably pushed it another month or 2. sport climbing is that the latter is a bit more focused on the physical climb, whereas trad climbing asks you to be more mentally prepared, using technical climbing skills and more What is your grade bouldering vs sport vs top rope? I know that some people boulder v4/5s but can't climb 10s because of endurance. New development of sport lines on exclusively or overwhelmingly trad oriented crags is What is the typical progression from climbing indoors to being a fully blown trad climber? Specifically can sport climbing be skipped? I've been climbing indoors for 4+ years and have been top roping in the gunks 10+ times in the past year. It is easy to be less attentive while trad belaying, but don't take your role lightly. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Sport Climbing Traditional climbing, or “trad” climbing, refers generally to the predominant style of rock climbing practiced in the United States throughout the 1960’s and 70’s, and, of course, still practiced today by many climbers. Alpinism as a concept developed in Europe, as a term to describe mountaineering generally. MembersOnline • Dino_smore ADMIN MOD When I started trad climbing I simply bought 60cm dyneema sling and converted my sport quickdraw into extendable. You now have added a dynamic component to the anchor and this can greatly mitigate the risk of high shock loads on the anchor. Explore the gear, self-sufficiency & unique challenges. I have been strictly top rope so far and have gotten up to 5. Trad gear (placing, bouncing, falling) absolutely damages sandstone, and other rock to a lesser degree, but it’s only a contention because those cracks are also used for hand/foot placement, whereas in sport climbing the holds aren’t affected by the protection. If you are single pitch climbing, it's probably fine, but multipitch climbing with a full double rack, draws, anchor material, atc/grigri, and water bottle/packable jacket gets really tight without a lot of gear loop space. That is basically trad Vs. Scotland has some amazing climbing, but could be a bit different to what you're used to depending on where you've come from. Last but not least, climbing will always need a climbing buddy (except for auto-belays, which not every place has), bouldering can be done solo. 13 votes, 58 comments. Feb 21, 2025 · Bouldering requires a different set of skills than standard climbing. Unfortunately I live in NYC so the nearest sport Craig is 6+ hours away. Jun 12, 2023 · Trad climbing and sport climbing are two popular rock climbing disciplines. And yes we are scared of falling. The French use this system for most things (apart from bouldering, for which they use the Font scale, and big Alpine routes, for which they use the UIAA scale, and mixed sport climbing, for which they use the M scale) and the British use it for sport climbing, where seriousness isn't a factor. Trad climbing with quickdraws is not ideal, but it works if you bring a few alpines as well for strategic extensions. Short answer: No, in terms of functionality, you can use any draws for sport climbing or trad climbing. But I would argue that it has a lesser skill component than most "traditional" competitive sports, like tennis or basketball. Try Tonto as your first trad lead. Essential gear includes a harness, ropes, and climbing shoes, similar to sport climbing. The solution is still my favorite sport climbing shoe that I have tried, precise and makes me feel confident on even the smallest feet. Top rope climbing Top rope climbing is the style of climbing you find most often in indoor climbing gyms. 11 votes, 12 comments. Today we’re going to translate three of the most popular styles of climbing in Australia: top tope, sport and traditional climbing. But still, i think it would be very wrong for gyms to focus only on "preparation for outside". 4M subscribers in the climbing community. 8 - 5. Note: If you’re interested in more differences between trad and sport climbing, we Dec 27, 2022 · The other type of climbing grouped under sport climbing is trad climbing, which is beyond this article’s scope. He taught us to place gear and he'll clean routes, but I don't think my dad has led a climb since his friends died. I top rope at 5. if climbing trad a softer catching low impact rope may be beneficial for marginal gear again to prevent senseless arguments ill simply post the beal numbers, which is based off CAI (italian alpine club research) models Maybe the community can help me out on a question I have on trad vs sport climbing and the definition of a “true send” In trad climbing you need to… From a trad climbing perspective: sport climbing takes most of the commitment, boldness, and mechanical skill out of climbing, reducing it to, well, a sport: a finger-tendon-and-knee-ligament workout like weightlifting but in the forest and with more grunting. A discussion on sport vs trad climbing with information about the similarities and differences and which might be best for you. Mar 21, 2022 · Trad climbing, or traditional climbing, and sport climbing are both types of free climbing. Boulderers usually wear climbing shoes and chalk to increase their grip. He is adamant that top-roping is absolutely NOT sport climbing. Been trad climbing for a while now, and have slowly built up a decent trad rack. 12a. 11 crimpy sport climb. It Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. Or wearing it over lots of layers while ice climbing. You don't want to sport climb with alpine draws. I hired a guide to instruct me on anchor building (natural and bolted). You must have been talking to some old dads from Yosemite or the gunks. 6, 5. My first year of climbing was exclusively trad. How do the easy routes (5. What my greater point was that, because the sport climbing final score is a product of the individual event scores, it means the number of competitors (20 in qualifying vs 7 in final) naturally influences the final standing. We are looking to go all out and buy everything we need all in one go. I started with 4 which in most cases was enough, I was using extendable only when needed and using my sport draw for when I needed no extension. Mountaineering is climbing mountains, regardless of the means. By comparing these styles, climbers can gain insight into which approach aligns with their preferences and goals. It’s not like a 5. 11b/c and hardest redpoint is a 5. Modern usage of the term trad climbing is where you place your own protection (nuts, cams, etc. Sport climbing includes top rope and lead climbing for indoor and outdoor since they both use the North America YDS (Yosemite Decimal System). You should try on shoes that are intended for multipitch trad climbing. Movement skills used in trad climbing Besides the fundamental climbing skills commonly used in sport climbing, trad climbing calls on several movement skills that a climber is unlikely to have acquired while clipping bolts. However, the key difference is in the protection system. I own bouldering stuff (two pads); sport climbing stuff (quick draws & rope); traditional climbing gear (sets of cams, nuts, tricams, hexes); aid climbing gear (pitons, hammers, ledge, pigs, bashies, etc); alpine/ice climbing gear (ice tools, mountaineering axe, screws, snargs, crampons, deadman anchors, boots, specialized clothing, etc Oct 25, 2023 · Traditional climbing, also known as “trad” climbing, is an older style of rock climbing that evolved from aid climbing. imported? Brands to look at, brands to avoid, etc? 11 votes, 15 comments. Following a sport route isn't much different than following a trad pitch, but when you start multipitching speed is everything which makes it much more of a team effort. I'm headed to Leavenworth with my friend, who is also new to both trad and crack climbing, so we're looking to do the easiest possible routes so we can get solid on gear placements Trad climbing is more dangerous than sport climbing because the gear isn’t permanent and can slip if placed incorrectly. The main difference between the two is that in trad climbing, you place your own gear (such as cams and nuts) into cracks and spaces in the rock to hold your rope, thus establishing the route as you climb. I've also climbed outside a few times. Trad opens up more adventure-style climbing, tackling big walls and being out there on the wall for hours. I thought I was getting on Buissonier 5. In the world of rock climbing, there are many different styles. The gear loops are tiny compared to my dead bird harness. Burlier heavier draws make sense when you're falling a lot more often and want them to 26 votes, 114 comments. But this is predominantly a historic development. I have a very different take on this. And the trad doesn't have bolts in the bold sections, nor does it have bolted anchors at the top. Personally I enjoy half ropes for easy trad (that often wanders) and multipitch trad (same reason) and I use a single for “sport trad” like a perfectly straight finger crack with bomber nut placements but more on my limit. Interesting. Moreover, climbers are less eager to climb exposed route, and thus a big part of the climber is either climbing well bolted sport route or trad route where you can put a pro every 2 meters if you want. We did a lot of top roping together throughout my childhood and sport climbing as we got older, but I've never seen him trad climb. May 29, 2020 · New to trad climbing? Our Beginner's Guide to Trad Climbing breaks down everything you need to know to get started trad climbing today. Just keep climbing well below your level and really focusing on perfect placements. Trad-climbing versus sport climbing, the international climbing federation, the UIAA, looks to find a balance by producing a document entitled "The Preservation of Natural Rock for Adventure Climbing" Build the anchor and tether yourself using the climbing rope with a clove hitch to the master point. Climbing very obviously means different things to different people, and just like there is a difference between mountaineering and climbing, there’s a difference between climbing for the exposure / risk, and climbing for the physical/difficulty asked. 12 Of course bouldering isn't directly transferable to mountaineering, but if you want to do alpine climbing, you need to be able to do trad climbing, if you want to do trad climbing, you need to do some sport climbing and finally if you want to improve at sport climbing you could try bouldering here and then. The first pitch of chips and salsa is really easy. The harness becomes a lot more important when you're going to be wearing it all day, loading it down with 15lbs of trad gear, and doing hanging belays in it. One big note - anything mentioned that fits this criteria, is going to be 100% parties free climbing it in a day. comfortable flashing a 5. Sport draws tend to be burlier, heavier, and have thicker, and often times shorter, dogbones. One relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock for protection while the other involves manually placing/ removing safety gears. I would say trad climbing at the crag or a regular multipitch isn't alpinism, but if I were to climb a mountain via the south face or south facing ridge/pillar/buttress in summer (so basically only rock), so basically a trad multipitch that brings me to the top of a mountain and that required a glacial approach, than yes I would call it alpinism. ;) Reply reply is_907 • What makes you enjoy sport/trad climbing? Is it the adventure? The physical challenge? Getting a little scared running it out but keeping the headspace you need to execute? All of the above? Bouldering is similar, but I think boulderers and trad climbers are driven by different things. Until then, BD Momentum is a good default starting point. In my personal opinion climbing routes in gyms is good for endurance, strength, and can help you understand the movements required in climbing as a beginner. I can generally tell which of the two styles I'm climbing or have just climbed, but I really want to know how to articulate the distinction For cleaning sport routes there's no disadvantage to a PAS but tying and untying knots is a part of climbing and getting used to it is worth while. Trad Climbing vs. 1. Jan 8, 2024 · Sport climbing allows you to focus on the performance side of climbing, while trad climbing is more adventurous. Very overwhelmed on where to start. 7, but it took so long to get here that it feels like I’ll never be a 5. Before you dismiss a harness as too expensive, think critically about what it really costs over its lifetime. Apr 16, 2025 · One of the all-time best-selling shoes in La Sportiva’s lineup, and beloved by sport climbers and trad craggers alike, La Sportiva’s Miura VS is a moderately downturned, highly asymmetrical, three-velcro shoe designed for vertical and slightly overhanging climbs that demand both precision edging and powering into incuts. 12a max, sport lead 5. Bouldering focuses on shorter climbs without ropes, relying on crash pads for safety 691 votes, 162 comments. For you this means you need dry if you're a guide or going ice climbing/mountaineering, because normal people and climbing- you just stop climbing when it's wet out. Bouldering is a good power exercise, but because climbs are generally very short and explosive, you do not build a ton of endurance, sport climbing is much better for that. 64 votes, 26 comments. Otherwise, it's just like any other trad climb, albeit with slightly more route finding, slightly more vegetation, slightly colder, and more exhausting due to the elevation. it's dangerous. For example, a climber can avoid falling by using a belay and tying a stopper It stretches out, but not back while wet. No other shoes at all. It covers everything from hard single pitch cragging where you're basically sport climbing on gear to sketchballs alpine climbing where the gear is mostly there so they can follow the rope to find your body. The dynamic belay is seldom used in trad climbing, and when belaying on a multi-pitch you can't move around. Sport can feel athletic and you can push your physical limits, whereas trad allows you to bring more skills and more psychological strength to overcome a challenge. The old school meaning of trad was to always climb from the ground up. Any suggestions on what a good “starter pack” would look like as far different cam/nut sizes? and then I can experiment and add to it based on need from there. While all forms share the fundamental goal of ascending rock, the methods and mindsets employed can differ dramatically. Learn the key differences between sport rock climbing and trad climbing—from gear to safety, difficulty, and risk. Top rope climbers use traditional climbing techniques. No hanging on the rope to work out the moves (hang dogging). Mixed use sport-trad crags do exist, sometimes with two routes of different ethics sharing intersecting lines (it's generally held you can't claim to have climbed the trad route if you used any of the fixed protection on the sport route during the ascent). If your idea of "big wall" includes hauling or aiding you will create an enormous bottleneck, and be universally crapped on. Am I wrong with assuming that lead climbing and top roping are encompassed within sport climbing? Climbing rocks is climbing rocks. Aug 21, 2023 · Sport and top rope climbing differ in terms of techniques, equipment, and physical and mental demands, and they have their own pros and cons. trueFor your first time climbing trad, you did pretty well. Now I’m comfy to around 5. At this point, just get what's cheap and fits. But, If slab’s aren’t your thing and you’re more crack or edging, then I can honestly say the TCs are the best. You “lead” both sport and trad climbs – but not in the same way. I'd suggest that trad accidents are more often reported than sport accidents: Trad climbers tend to be more experienced. Your complete guide starts here! Opinions on trad shoes I'm looking for a good trad/crack shoe that can smear well and has all day comfort. Mountaineering is absolutely wildly deadly. 11c sport, gym I feel comfortable on 5. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. 10b sport outside when I started getting into trad, then kinda had to start over when learning on gear. 6 at tahquitz or J Tree. 7) at Leavenworth compare to those at Index? I've climbed a couple of easy routes at Index, such as Pisces, Great Northern Slab, Corner Flash, Hag Crack, and Senior Citizens in Space. Been trad climbing with some buddies for a while now and ready to commit and buy my own rack. 9 is my hardest trad lead with a 5. See full list on climbinghouse. And therefore more into the sport. Lead climbing involves clipping a rope into protection while ascending a route from the ground up. So long as you don't decide that because you're a 6b sport climber you should find trad E2 ok Generally it's a good idea to get lots of mileage on stuff 4-5 grades below your sport onsight grade and do a fair number of g-rated climbs on stuff 1-2 grades below your sport onsight grade to get used to place gear in more strenuous positions. What I am wondering, is when previous climbing experience becomes necessary, and is it possible to learn alpine rock climbing (with mountaineering boots and crampons rather than climbing shoes) without learning trad climbing? The reason I ask is because I do not have a lot of money to spend. May 11, 2025 · Traditional (trad) climbing requires a broader range of equipment since the climber needs to create their own protection placements in natural rock features. I personally dont like using sport draws for trad climbing so I carry 10 regular shoulder length slings and 2 double length slings on longer stuff, all racked with 2 carabiners on my harness. Jun 28, 2010 · Sport climbing 'properly' - as opposed to treating sport routes just like trad routes with fixed pro - has really opened my eyes, and my grade sky-rocketed (for me) as a consequence. However, after taking a quick look at the activity, you have a hard time making your mind between 2 styles: sport climbing and traditional climbing. Kinda curious about what everyone else has in mind for their own dream rack. Sport vs. 9, but have been wondering lately; Should I stick with top rope, or is it better to "cross train" on bouldering problems? Should I consider lightweight draws if I want to transition to trad in the future? Should I keep sport and trad gear separate -- double down and get sport-only quickdraws that heavy but sturdy with thick dog bones to hangdog? Should I pay a little more for the US-manfactured biners vs. Or concerned about weight because you're climbing 5. Climbers often May 9, 2025 · Understand what is trad climbing & how it differs from sport. If you haven't done much sport climbing, you should familiarize yourself with the challenge of putting up draws and clipping with sport climbing, it gets a lot worse when you are fumbling around for the right piece and can't get that cam into a good position in a flaring crack! I would argue route climbing gets you way more technical skills. 10a “R”. Bouldering, sport, trad, etc. I’ve been climbing about 8 years, leading trad consistently for maybe 3. Sport and regular bouldering are not really extreme IMO. The home of Climbing on reddit. There are some good sport crags, but mos too the clibing is trad. If you're already good at elevation, and you are a confident trad climber at the grade of your alpine climb, you'll be fine! Reply reply thE_best_cookies • Nov 7, 2023 · This comprehensive guide will demystify three of the most popular and distinct climbing disciplines: Bouldering, Sport Climbing, and Traditional (Trad) Climbing. I feel like a lot of people think trad can't be as intense physically as sport climbing, but I think once you've done it a while, it's perfectly reasonable to climb just as hard grades trad climbing as sport climbing. It’s a great style for beginners who want to focus entirely on the movement of climbing. are all just different styles of climbing with differing skill sets required for each. The climbing you do see in the alpine is more “long section of chossy 5. As far as brands go, I absolutely recommend the mammut dyneema slings. 11a/b sport climbing outdoors, hardest redpoint outdoors is a 5. Multi-pitch trad, alpine climbing, free soloing, and high ball bouldering I would say are extreme sports. Mountaineering is a very broad term, using technical climbing, hiking, trad, aid, siege or alpine style, ETC to climb a mountain. 10 trad climber. In this article, we will be making a climbing grade comparison between bouldering and sport climbing. They were wrong. • Trad- Arc’teryx alpha AR 35 Sport- mountain Hardwear cragwagon 35 Multi pitch desert- BD creek 20 Multi pitch alpine- BD Blitz 20 Reply reply mocfilm • single pitch - petzl kliff - simple, light, comfortable, with a rope tarp and cheap multipitch - Simond rock 20 - superlight 290g, convenient and comfortable for 35 euros Reply reply Rip Trad climbing is a lot broader than sport. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. If your partner falls, there's a good chance the fall is going to be big and on gear which holds less force than a bolt. Trad climbers use cams, nuts, and hexes, which are inserted into cracks in the rock to Jan 31, 2023 · Trad climbing, short for traditional climbing, is a style of free climbing that does not rely on fixed gear, like bolts on a sport climbing route, to protect a rock climb. 14+. I guess I went into the conversation as a somewhat ignorant climber that almost exclusively boulders, I consider climbing with ropes and safety gear (non-trad) to be sport climbing. On a trad route, the leader places removable equipment into the rock face and clips their rope to protect against a massive fall. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. If you are trad climbing you will need additional pieces of protection, such as cams and nuts. I love trad climbing, hence why I created this subreddit, but ultimately, it's different strokes for different folks. All brands fit differently as well so maybe offering to purchase one in your budget is a good idea. Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. 2004, etc. I've been trying to figure out what the differences actually are between competition and traditional style. The gunks I still wear my sport harness if I’m projecting something and I know exactly what gear it takes or if I’m climbing offwidth (don’t wanna fuck up my expensive harness and I appreciate less bulk when climbing wide). I totally get why people may not really get stoked on trad climbing, but as others gently pointed out, they're wrong. It was only when I moved away from the UK that I had to learn to sport climb. or people who can climb 12s but can't boulder v3/4s. com Feb 25, 2021 · Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing, often referred to as “lead” climbing. There is no single perfect bolt, as different rock types and qualities dictate different types of appropriate bolts. Trad and sport harnesses can be different with the padding and gear loop layouts. It was a cold and windy January in Joshua Tree, my partner and I both had no experience trad climbing, but a good amount of sport under our belt. A fair chunk of trad climbing in the UK is face climbing. You'll probably have it for several years and you might try a lot of different climbing styles in that time - get 4 full sized gear loops in case you want to learn to trad climb. I also have no intention of starting a sport vs trad vs bouldering debate, as the question I'm asking is only really about trad, and I understand rapping or lowering off of fixed anchors/chains on a sport route. Slab climbing Someone once said that friends don’t let friends climb slab. Was wondering what my ideal trad rack would be if money wasn't an issue. Each offers distinct challenges and experiences tailored to different skill levels. Just know that trad climbing takes incredible knowledge and experience and is only performed outside. 74 votes, 60 comments. Firstly there is very little sport climbing. My SO and I got into an argument about sport climbing. If it helps for determining common practices, I believe the climbing video I am referencing was shot somewhere in the UK. What is the best way buy everything? Should I just buy the full set of 7 black diamond C4 cams on amazon? Should I also buy a set of nuts too? Do you think it is better to just buy individual pieces? Any suggestions on what to buy? metolius After climbing in a pair of mythos for years, I like how well they smear and climb on slabs. According to the charts I have seen this all lines up (the trad downgrade being a purely fear thing which I’m working on). I would say once people seek hard (5. Obviously, you need to work on your gear placements, but that is something that comes with time. 7 but actually started up Mama Woolsey 5. Jan 24, 2024 · The main difference between trad climbing vs. If you are not quite sure and curious to know more about bouldering, sport climbing, or any of the terminologies above, please visit my following Jul 9, 2023 · Trad climbing is a form of free climbing (not free soloing) where the leader places their own removable protection into the rock instead of clipping bolts like on a sport climb. I got into climbing this year and have spent a lot of indoor climbing, both top roping and bouldering. Trad routes tend to be a bit off the beaten path. 43 votes, 48 comments. A broad and all-encompassing term. A friend and I learnt trad climbing with a guide, and he told us to avoid using static materials for building anchors, as it can be harder on the anchor points in case of a fall, which is more likely for them to fail. The answer depends on where you are in the world. From the abstract, emphasis added: Overall, climbing sports had a lower injury incidence and severity score than many popular sports, including basketball, sailing or soccer; indoor climbing ranked the lowest in terms of injuries of all sports assessed. Jun 4, 2025 · Sport climbing relies on pre bolted climbing routes while trad climbing requires the climber to carry and place their own protection as they climb the route. Climbing certainly has more of a skill component than "pure" strength/fitness sports, like weightlifting or running. Nov 9, 2023 · 10 steps to your first multi pitch trad climbing adventure including necessary skills, gear, resources, and techniques. This comprehensive guide will demystify three of the most popular and distinct climbing disciplines: Bouldering, Sport Climbing . Media, etc. Easy trad at red rock is easy. Find out what sets the two styles apart and choose your favorite. Then, in the event of a fall, the trad gear in the wall, in conjunction with a belayer on the ground, arrests the leader’s fall. 10+/5. 11 trad, 5. I primarily boulder and always thought things were technical just because they felt difficult or had to be precise on my boulder projects but those sport and trad climbers have so many more knee bars hand jams slabs faces pockets dihedral aretes. This is because you must rely on balance, power, and problem-solving abilities to reach the top of the boulder. hbrlyrxshszekyupilxrehcumtufahpidlbkacqvoaazagqqaxnn