Q&A 

How dangerous is lead climbing?

Michael Wilson

How dangerous is lead climbing?

Lead falls are dangerous because the climber can fall twice the length of the rope between them and their last piece of protection. Thus, a climber who is 5 feet above their protection will fall 10 feet. Injuries from falling come in many forms. They range from mild skin abrasions to death.

What do you need to lead climb?

In addition to standard items like a rope, harness, shoes and a helmet, the lead climber needs to carry gear specific to either sport leading or trad leading. If you’re lead climbing at the gym, check with a gym employee to find out what gear is provided.

What gear do you need to climb?

This means your first climb will likely be on a top rope or seconding an experienced leader and you’ll need the same basic equipment as you would to climb indoors: a climbing harness, a belay device and suitable climbing shoes. In addition, you’ll need the following: A well-fitting climbing helmet.

What quickdraws should I buy?

Here are some suggestions:

  • Most sport routes can be led with 12 quickdraws, so this is a good start.
  • Longer sport routes (more than 30m long) require 16 to 18 quickdraws.
  • Exceptionally long routes require 24 or more quickdraws.
  • Routes requiring a 70m rope or longer require more than 12 quickdraws.

How do you belay properly?

Lowering a Climber

  1. Bring your guide hand under your brake hand.
  2. Keep both hands on the rope.
  3. Yell “Lowering!”
  4. Let the rope slowly feed through the belay device, lowering the climber.
  5. Maintain a steady pace, adjusting speed if the climber requests it.

How do you get above belay?

Insert a loop of rope into the ATC’s opening; keeping the climber’s end of the rope on top (this essentially pinches/locks the brake strand on the bottom in the case of a fall). Take another locking carabiner, and clip the rope loop and the belay device’s cable, and lock the gate shut.

How do Gri Gris work?

The GRIGRI works by pinching the rope when it is moving quickly (like in a fall), making it an assisted braking belay device.