What is trad climbing vs rock climbing reddit. 11's in short order. Red Rock Sport Vs Trad Grades I asked on MP, but got no responses. This being said, it depends whats holding you back. 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. Build the anchor and tether yourself using the climbing rope with a clove hitch to the master point. 10b sport outside when I started getting into trad, then kinda had to start over when learning on gear. com Feb 25, 2021 · Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing, often referred to as “lead” climbing. I was leading up to about 5. Very overwhelmed on where to start. Climbing rocks is climbing rocks. I climb mostly in Utah in rock canyon and Ibex with the occasional moab trip. This made me think about mountaineering in general. 4M subscribers in the climbing community. What is trad climbing? Trad climbing is the form of rock climbing where the lead climber installs their own protective gear into the rock as they progress up the crag. Jul 10, 2024 · It all sounded rather exciting, so just what is trad climbing? I'm here to give you the lowdown. 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 have a feeling that improving all of these things could be very helpful in mountaineering, especially in higher mountains. Bouldering, sport, trad, etc. A subreddit for the indoor bouldering community. All brands fit differently as well so maybe offering to purchase one in your budget is a good idea. Two years ago, though, I got into trad and haven't looked back. And yes we are scared of falling. free climbing: using only your body and the rock's natural features to climb, while having ropes as backup in a fall. In short, trad climbing, more formally known as traditional climbing, is a form of rock climbing that requires placing your own gear for protection, rather than solely relying on pre-placed bolts. This comprehensive guide will demystify three of the most popular and distinct climbing disciplines: Bouldering, Sport Climbing, and Traditional (Trad) Climbing. The goal is to reach the summit or a specific point on the wall, depending on the type of climb. Hopefully most people try to minimize their impact when out climbing or developing areas. The main difference is 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. The line between what is a scramble and what is a climb. Been trad climbing for a while now, and have slowly built up a decent trad rack. 54 votes, 56 comments. At what point do you need to use rope? 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. He's the classic "trad dad", started climbing in the early 80s. Also surprisingly durable for a high performance shoe, lasted 8 months before I resoled them could have probably pushed it another month or 2. 10 trad climber. You give a soft catch in sport to stop violent swings into the wall, but in trad when it isn't usually as steep (unless you are nails), its better to just stop a falling climber asap, because theres usually a lumpy rock or ledge or something nasty you want to stop I've been using shoes widely considered a multi-pitch trad shoe for everything for years. In other words if you were to spend an hour climbing (sport lets say) or an hour driving a car, which one is more likely to kill you? I've a friend that finds the idea of rock climbing very dangerous but I suspect it might not be any more dangerous than driving to work. Assuming you are what I would consider an advanced boulder (v8+ on real rock?) you should be able to transition really easily to trad climbing and be busting out 5. Trad climbing is approached much like mountaineering, where it draws its roots. If a route has bolts but also requires 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. Rock fall, difficulty retreating in bad weather, getting benighted, route finding, dangerous run outs, scary descents, and marginal anchors are all issues I've faced trad climbing. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Nov 4, 2024 · What’s the difference between types of climbing like sport climbing, trad climbing, and free soloing? Sport climbing uses pre-placed anchors, while trad climbing requires placing your own protection. Hey man, Bouldering is climbing without a rope and you do not climb nearly as high. I think rock climbing helped me notice some lack of my balance, weak legs, or even foot placement. Jun 13, 2025 · Trad, sport, and aid climbing, while just climbing rocks, are vastly different from one another. From advice on which gym to visit to videos of world cup IFSC climbers, you can find it all here. Trad opens up more adventure-style climbing, tackling big walls and being out there on the wall for hours. 1. I would argue there are more unknowns in trad, especially when you consider additional objective dangers typically associated with trad climbing like rock fall and unpredictable alpine weather. The best shoe is the one that fits your foot and meets your needs. There is also trad climbing where you do not use anchors, but put your own gear into the wall. See full list on climbinghouse. It is about a ground up, meet the rock at its own terms attitude, whereas sport climbing is about doing whatever it takes to send the route. Counter to this, the primary objective of trad climbing is adventurous - exploring the rock, flirting with risk, finding the summit. Trad climbing isn't really about clean climbing though. 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. Learn the key differences between sport rock climbing and trad climbing—from gear to safety, difficulty, and risk. They do soften a lot over time though, but you can always buy a new pair. Rope climbing is long, steady climbing at a much "lower" V grade equivalent that take insane amounts of endurance and strategy to get through in one shot. Sport or Lead climbing is when you attach your rope, using quick draws, to fixed anchors in the wall as you go up. Most situations it’s just a catch, don’t overthink it. As skiiers like to say, run what you brung. I've been trying to figure out what the differences actually are between competition and traditional style. A better breakdown would be: Snow climbing Ice climbing Rock climbing Mixed climbing (two or more of the above three on the same route) The term ‘alpine-style’ was introduced in contrast to ‘expedition-style’ to describe fast ascents of mountains without relying heavily on fixed ropes or seige tactics, and generally not using oxygen. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Nov 7, 2023 · While all forms share the fundamental goal of ascending rock, the methods and mindsets employed can differ dramatically. You should try on shoes that are intended for multipitch trad climbing. The sport is usually divided into several categories, including sport climbing, trad climbing, and alpine climbing. You “lead” both sport and trad climbs – but not in the same way. Now I’m comfy to around 5. Mar 21, 2022 · Trad climbing, or traditional climbing, and sport climbing are both types of free climbing. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. As to trad climbers leaving gear, it is very rare unless you are puting up new lines or adventure climbing. You now have added a dynamic component to the anchor and this can greatly mitigate the risk of high shock loads on the anchor. Trad climbing standards and practices change over time. I've also climbed outside a few times. I’ve been climbing about 8 years, leading trad consistently for maybe 3. That is basically trad Vs. I'm sure having more shoes can be nice, but definitely not required. Established routes will usually have some sort of walk off or rap stations, even remote and low traffic climbs. I use them bouldering, top-roping, sport lead, trad, indoor, outdoor, every kind of rock, every temperature. Apr 10, 2022 · Bouldering and rock climbing are sometimes used interchangeably but climbers can mean different things. 60 votes, 14 comments. Been trad climbing with some buddies for a while now and ready to commit and buy my own rack. It Reddit's rock climbing training community. Trad belaying usually requires "hard" catches rather than soft sport catches. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Unless you’re a hard man attempting an overhanging route in a cave (then your name is probably Ondra) soft vs hard catches don’t really apply to trad climbing so much. For climbing I use the north face route rocket 18 and it’s amazing. This past weekend -- for the first time in 2 years -- I went on a short sport climbing trip to a classic area, and was -- frankly -- bored. So a trad climb (hand-placed protection only) in the UK might be graded E1 4c, meaning that it's too serious for beginners (the E1 bit) but the hardest move isn't too hard (the 4c bit) - hence the seriousness comes from the lack of protection or exposure. Kinda curious about what everyone else has in mind for their own dream rack. A fair chunk of trad climbing in the UK is face climbing. Trad climbing 101 Learn everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trad climbing including the skills, gear, and popular destinations. 3 and 5. Traditional climbing: use at your own risk. Route climbing demands you to move efficiently through the easy bits with efficient technique to allow as much energy as possible for the crux sections. Anything related to indoor (and outdoor) goes. Sport climbing isn’t it? 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. So although you'd probably be better at super technical individual moves, bouldering doesn't make you better at flowing through easy bits without losing much stamina. I see some intersections between rock climbing and mountaineering. Comparing them is like trying to compare BMX biking and touring the country on a road bike. Commiting to a crux 5m above poor wires with solid groundfall potential if they rip feels very different to a crux above some 12mm I got into climbing this year and have spent a lot of indoor climbing, both top roping and bouldering. The home of Climbing on reddit. Does anyone know of the data to compute such an answer? I'd also be curious to compare different types of climbing Hopefully most people try to minimize their impact when out climbing or developing areas. Trad climbing IS more than just placing gear in the sense that it is also: understanding the micro and macro structure of the rock, reading for good rests and spots where it is comfortable to place, gear management, very often anchor building, very often crack climbing (jam it up!), and a whole bunch of knowledge about different knots and some other gear. . He and his friends would pile into a van and drive thousands of miles from the east coast to climb big routes out west. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. 4, they were super easy, I think I’ve got my bearing for difficulty. 20K subscribers in the tradclimbing community. The solution is still my favorite sport climbing shoe that I have tried, precise and makes me feel confident on even the smallest feet. I have friends who say that they have been climbing for a decade but refuse to learn new things and change their systems. Was wondering what my ideal trad rack would be if money wasn't an issue. One of the reasons I like mythos for crack climbing is the thick, stiff toebox. The commitment level and objective dangers are higher with multi pitch trad (and I include aid climbing here). 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 Different shoe types for rock and indoor climbing? I'm still kinda new to climbing, started about a year ago with bouldering, since 4 months im really into climbing and recently i started wit outdoor climbing. Discover the differences, and maybe you’ll learn what type of climber you want to be. Lead climbing involves clipping a rope into protection while ascending a route from the ground up. 3K votes, 260 comments. it's dangerous. free soloing: same as free climbing minus any and all protection. 7, but it took so long to get here that it feels like I’ll never be a 5. Feb 26, 2025 · What Is Rock Climbing? Rock climbing is a sport that involves ascending natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. are all just different styles of climbing with differing skill sets required for each. Bouldering is short, intense climbing. I think trad has ruined sport climbing for me I've been climbing 10 + years, 5 quite seriously, and have clipped bolts all over North America. 26 votes, 114 comments. It has a lot of attachment points, zippers that open half way and internally so you don’t drop stuff, and can be hauled with the straps tucked in. Should I get comfortable lead climbing indoors and outdoors first before hopping onto trad, or can I go Trad and sport harnesses can be different with the padding and gear loop layouts. rokqdco yxla hmtkj jnw hdavh wpkjnap vdg uyahrqq fawqpj erv