Trad vs sport climbing reddit I like them fine in sport climbing as well, but the comfort fit makes them iffy when it comes to highly-ambiguous limestone footholds, so if next year I'll find myself sport climbing on limestone a lot, I'll probably buy something slightly more aggressive (but only slightly, since there's still little limestone where I am) and on a smaller size. 13 trad with a quad rack in the same harness i sport climb 5. My draws have solid on top and wire on bottom. sport grading is often different, Yosemite routes tend to be longggg, etc. for multipitch or single pitch trad climbing i use a clove. only single pitch sport is where i’ll bust out a 120cm nylon sling as a PAS to clean anchors. Sport draws are too rigid for use on nut placements and don't help that much on cam placements unless the line you climb is very straight. I climb trad so I value the large gear loops and even the small rear loop (on the AR-385a). A big wall harness is different . Different climbing disciples are sprenading apart from each other more and more (not a bad thing). No one-size-fits all in either climbing style (blocks vs swing) or anchor building (slings vs rope). Hi, my half ropes' lifespan comes to an end soon and I m looking at new options. Sport Climbing. See full list on climbinghouse. As far as brands go, I absolutely recommend the mammut dyneema slings. Then we swap devices when swapping leads so whoever is leading is belayed with the Alpine Up. Some opinions about this would be great. I carry about 8-10 at the Gunks. More loops, heavier, wider back, upper body on some. 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. He suggested buying Alpine Quickdraws as opposed to regular quickdraws if I will eventually get into trad climbing. Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. I know my trad climbing friends like wires to keep the total rack weight down. May 22, 2025 · The chart may be true for the actual moves, but in practice Sport climbing is just “Clip and Go” whereas in Trad you have to find a suitable placement for gear, find the correct size gear, place it, check it then clip it all the time while making sure you dont get pumped or fall off. Sport climbing isn't without its risk either, and its problematic if people (and I'm sure you don't) think that you can just rock up and give it a bash without knowing what you are Sport climbers want to push their bodies hard, absolutely minimize risk and sort of sterilize the unpredictable nature of climbing that trad climbers crave. In sport climbing, the primary objective is athletic - doing hard moves, getting a redpoint, etc. 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. 11-, trad 5. 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. Same loops, same padding. Lead outdoor sport climbing many times (> 20 days out) Hire a guide to teach me multi pitch and trad skills (2 day course) Go on a trad climbing trip with experienced leaders (get on very easy trad, 3-4 grades under your sport level) Start buying gear and repeat step 4. While both forms of climbing have their risks, sport climbing eliminates the variable of placing gear. Mar 21, 2022 · Trad climbing vs sport climbing; Header Cell - Column 0 Trad climbing Sport climbing; Safety: If you place your gear badly, or the rock is crumblier than you think, it won’t be strong enough to support your weight if you fall: You’re clipping into bolts that are drilled into rock and pretty unlikely to move if you fall: Gear and expense Jan 8, 2024 · Learn the key differences between sport and trad climbing, two types of outdoor roped rock climbing. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. Leader belays follower with an ATC-Guide or Reverso. Quite a narrow article, no mention of 2 ropes helping with rope drag etc. I've not seen too many amazing, awesome V0-2 around that aren't slabs. The intended use is for single pitch trad and sport climbing, at the project level. But sport climbing obviously is something that is done by climbers, even if its easier to get non climbers into it. Trad dads love that natural pro: +10 Looks like that whole flake wants to rip out: -8 Final score: 2/10 would whip May 29, 2020 · Trad Climbing vs. But I couldn’t bring myself to pay for three times as many again for the trad rack when the miniwires are $7 vs $15 for each helium. 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! 6 is a good start if you supplement with sport draws for long pitches. Yes, I am talking about the Solution Guide. I think trad climbers all benefit from placing more gear, so climbing a shit ton of easier routes is really valuable, because it's the best way to get lots and lots of practice placing gear. Last week-end, I went trad climbing with a 40l pack. In normal multipitch id much rather have trad draws with 2 biners than single biner. 5-3 C4 cam size. Most trad climbing is not particularly sustain or pumpy if you can recover off a full pad edge and some okay feet. I have wide feet, use Instincts in my street shoe size for sport climbing (although I might go half a size smaller) and I'm very happy with the Scarpa Vapor Lace for multipitch trad, half a size up from my street shoe size. Sometimes it's actually cheaper to buy sport draws and cannibalize the carabiners. I like the wires for clipping, but the solid feels more robust which I guess helps feel more solid. I would wear this one for multi pitches. A 20l is plenty for sport climbing, multipitch and a lunch. 7 C1 if you get shut down. I didn't know anyone who trad climbed so I enrolled in a two day weekend trad climb course and they taught the basics of placing gear, had you lead some super easy trad. Generally you never need a 240 sling if you're able to be creative with anchor building, but a lot of people like them because it can help simplify things. 9. 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. Sport climbing isn’t it? there's a lot of information in the stickied post on this sub but standard rack is doubles . A mentor explained to me like this, multi pitch trad in an alpine environment to a summit (glacial approach, snow travel/climbing) is alpine rock, and basically when you add section(s) of water ice or mixed climbing in the route of alpine rock it becomes straight alpine climbing. That is basically trad Vs. For alpine climbing I usually won't bring them since routes tend to wander a lot more and you want more versatility. offsets nuts are really nice to have Trad climbing is just sport climbing, with the following caveats: Hanging out to place gear, which can be “modeled” as simply shaking out longer and more often The occasional 30-second long awkward lockoff while you fiddle with gear Yea the definitions get confusing for me. I have heard that I would love the Up Mocc's and then also that the TC Pro is the end all be all of trad shoes. when one rope gets a coreshot, reducing rope drag by clipping just one strand etc. When I put on my new TCs all day the pressure and pain in toes became in bearable on a trad trip where I just was able to wear my old TCs for the same duration and while uncomfortable it wasn’t unbearable I use a reverso because it allows for more options in rescue or bailing situations. I have a different experience with the post-2018 Adjama: I am right in the sweet spot for the medium size but the gear loops on the left are not symmetrical to the right side and are too far back, the gear loop stitching is loose (lots of reports of people losing their rack of cams on climbs), and hanging comfort is no better or even worse than Petzl's entry-level harness, the Corax. 8/5. My trad RP is actually higher than my sport (13a vs 12d). There was this really iconic 12c/7b+ which I wanted to do. 9, and boulder at V3 with the occasional V4. I've done a good amount of sport climbing that is essentially 80% awesome V0-2, then some cruxes. As a result, sport climbing makes it easier to focus on pushing physical limits. As has been said they are very different disciplines and few people seem to devote themselves to each equally. 14. 10 trad climber. If I can do 10-15 ft of V6 theoretically I should be able to link multiple sections of V3-4. Planning to retire my old Mammut Infinity in the next few months and looking to buy something to replace it. I am considering switching those that I have onto my trad rack though as I don’t do as much sport climbing anymore and am not worried much about the weight for sport climbing. Counter to this, the primary objective of trad climbing is adventurous - exploring the rock, flirting with risk, finding the summit. In theory, a trad route of a given grade should be similar in physical difficulty to a sport route of the same grade, but will feel harder because of carrying a cumbersome rack, the knowledge and skill needed place gear effectively - and/or the mental control required when opportunities to place gear aren't as frequent as you might like. Curious what folks use and are happy with. Max onsight are both 12b. With a Grigri I would have had to have either brought along a second device or used one of the non-standard descent methods (munter, lower, simul-rappel, etc. IMO, use alpine draws for trad climbing. The rope and helmet were outside. Long answer: In terms of features, yes. I climb 5. 10b sport outside when I started getting into trad, then kinda had to start over when learning on gear. Trying a 5. ), but I would like to plan an American road trip and I Draws made from slings and biners (aka alpine draws) are nice for trad climbing when you're climbing multiple pitches below your limit. 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. . They allow two different options for extension, ~20cm or 60cm. g. I've rappelled off mid route on a few occasions. Being honest about why you're doing this and how much risk you're willing to take is important. In the UK however, most people start with trad. It's fine though because I kept it simple and did not highlighted some counter arguments like what setters have to keep in mind while setting competition routes like difficulty, safety for joints and maybe a little entertainment for climbers and audience. Safety-wise, the big danger comes from miscommunication. 'Traditional' vs 'sport' climbing are the labels we use for using your own protection (trad) or using pre placed bolts (sport). As you make the climbing less adventurous (below altitude, sport climbing, indoor, etc) it becomes safer, but rock climbing is a dangerous sport. The only time I do the single carabiner sling is on alpine climbs and I'll put the sling trad draw style using the racking carabiner directly on the cam. I top rope at 5. Can anyone weigh in on what would be better? Trad and sport harnesses are the exact same. As well as keylock noses for cleaning the draw off of steep routes. Find out how they vary in safety, difficulty, mental skills and more. Stretching for a clip on a sport climb. Likely hanging some TR as well and harder multipitch. According to the charts I have seen this all lines up (the trad downgrade being a purely fear thing which I’m working on). Now I’m comfy to around 5. Also not being able to afford the trad gear is very real but honestly so much of big wall climbing is going to be learning to aid efficiently unless you’re in a pretty small club of incredible free climbers. I'm assuming limited rack so one sling per cam. Getting more and more into trad, and I've been doing so with a pair of La Sportiva Solutions, which admittedly, I adore climbing in, but hate having on for multiple pitches or entire days. Something between 9. Just whatever you prefer to clip. The obvious example is speed climbing, but between bouldering and sport climbing (lead and top) the gap has increased the last years due to the modern style of setting. 7, but it took so long to get here that it feels like I’ll never be a 5. I am doing sport and alpine multipitch and so far I had a single rope for sport (light, belay with grigri, easy handling rope management) and half ropes for alpine (for long abseils, extra safesty e. On the flipside, most people that I know that began sport climbing end up never really making it past this I think rappelling is funner and a more satisfying end to my climbing. ). Sport climbing is approached like one might approach tennis. It’s really lightweight and feels that way but it’s super durable. 3 and 5. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. For me, after years of only trad climbing and plateauing in the 10's, getting serious about bouldering was key to progressing. 10+/5. For most of trad climbing bailing is easier than sport! You just aid through the hard moves. The beginner climber can really stand in to get more quality this way. 2 extra trad draws for nuts. ) and I'm guessing that has something to do with why it was never We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. 5-9. I’ve been climbing about 8 years, leading trad consistently for maybe 3. 12a max, sport lead 5. With all that said it would be a little weird to buy quickdraws specifically for trad climbing since most people start out sport climbing and have them already That being said, if you’ve got rope to spare for anchor building you certainly gain a lot of ease in connecting pieces (don’t have to fiddle with making static arms and other weird configurations). My favorite sling for multipitch trad anchors is the rope I am climbing on. So long as you don't decide that because you're a 6b sport climber you should find trad E2 ok 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. 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. 10 pitch is stress-free when you understand that it goes at 5. Yosemite has a heavy bias or 'ethic' toward trad and only those walls where you absolutely cannot get a piece of gear into the wall for a long distance get bolted. The gear loops are tiny compared to my dead bird harness. If your local trad climbing is gear-protected face climbing, sport climbing is really god training. Reply 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… What happens when you challenge pro sport climbers and IFSC athletes to go Trad climbing? Let's just say they are a little out of their comfort zoneSport Feels like it’s not there when you’re climbing. Of course "clean climbing" is often not 100% clean (flakes are pulled off, rap stations are sometimes bolted, cams can scar the rock, etc. One reason I use 2 ropes even on short climbs is that if you take a bit of slack to clip in gear and fall then that slack to your last gear makes a potential landing, but if you have 2 ropes the slack doesn't matter as your last gear was (usually) clipped into the other rope which is still tight. trad climbing), there is no permanently affixed protection. Short answer: No, in terms of functionality, you can use any draws for sport climbing or trad climbing. 9+ trad routes after only 2 years of leading trad. GriGri for sport and gym. I was leading up to about 5. 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. Sport draws tend to be burlier, heavier, and have thicker, and often times shorter, dogbones. I don't think it matters strength wise. Here is how I learned trad climbing after sports climbing for years: When I first started, I had been sports climbing at a 5. you can supplement with bigger or smaller gear if you need to. I myself started out only bouldering up to V11/8A before I got more interested in sport climbing. Of course it's much more complicated than that but you get the idea. It sits really nicely on my hips and is easy to adjust. 11 level for a few years. Instead, the climber must carry up their own trad gear to place inside cracks, pockets, and other features in the wall. com Feb 25, 2021 · What is trad climbing then? Before sport climbing rose to fame in the 1980s, most rock climbing was done using traditional methods. Even then, I prefer a draw that's flexible. Trad climbing is a lot broader than sport. You can also use them on natural features like trees, threads, and chickenheads. In traditional climbing (aka. The rope and helmet needs to be outside the pack. 4, they were super easy, I think I’ve got my bearing for difficulty. Whatever I have on hand for outside TR or single pitch trad. Some have adjustable legs and some don’t. I realize it is hard to compare, particularly since they have destinctive styles (for example, a typical super high first bolt at Smith might make the route more mentally than physically challenging, plus trad vs. Bouldering is how I get stronger and develop technique for harder sport and trad climbing. Right now I have been sport climbing and now how to lead and clean routes, and soon will get into 2-3 pitch of sport only climbing. If it's all cracks, you gotta climb cracks. My first day climbing in it was in a chimney crawl climb haha 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. 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. Hey mate don't be hard on yourself, actually it is really common for former boulderers who switch to sport climbing that they're underperforming a lot. 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. So get this straight with your partner before climbing. I am now projecting 5. Sport climbing relies solely on bolts or other permanent hardware. 6 or so alpine draws a few of your sport quickdraws, some 7mm cord to build anchors and some lockers. every area is different but that one fits a large majority of climbs. Would you guys say the grades of sport and trad routes at RR are pretty on par, or should I drop down a couple grades for trad? Edit: did a 5. I know that everyone thinks it's super dangerous driving a car, but the reality is there are very few deaths per driver when compared to many of the other activities we do. Which I do see myself headed into. set of nuts. Sport climbing is just outdoor gym climbing, I love the gym, I love a good sport crag but I cannot understand how some people just stop there so I guess I have no clue why they're disgusted So, yes, I think the term "clean climbing" could've/should've replaced the term "trad climbing" since most modern trad climbing is clean. That said, the Vapors seem to be a bit more narrow than the Instincts, but they are still great for my feet. If that is not an option for whatever reason then I use whatever slings I have available on my harness. If the belayer is thinking 'rappel' and the climber is thinking 'lower', this is where a lot of climbing falls come from. Their meant for aid and sitting all day. Alpine Up to belay the leader on multipitch trad. mhwpf eiyywij kslll cghm qegedc xci nooucm yyy srmqv mayaavc