In my life rock climbing has represented freedom. At a 5th grade birthday party climbing provided freedom from ground locked parents, in high school climbing meant freedom from suburban life and most recently climbing has provided me with the freedom to explore new places.
I am a frequent visitor to the local climbing gym who has dreams of more outdoor adventures. While a back to back viewing of Free Solo and The Dawn Wall on VHS is impressive it wasn’t a multi-pitch trad climb.
Climbing gyms offer the luxury of a clearly defined process to teach new climbers the fundamentals. The challenge with transitioning from the gym to climbing outdoors is there is no clearly defined process. After a coworker organized a climbing trip I was eager to learn how to safely climb outside. I have started my journey into outdoor climbing by experiencing an outdoor rock climb, learning the basic safety systems and applying them on the rock.
Please note I am just starting my journey into climbing. I am not an expert climber. I felt it would be helpful to share the steps I’ve taking to grow my experience in climbing outdoors.
1. Experience an Outdoor Climb
It’s tempting to start the journey to outdoor climbing at the counter of REI with a rack of gear. Before dropping my REI dividend on gear I spent a day of guided climbing with Mooney Mountain Guides in North Conway’s Cathedral Ledge and White Horse. Here I was able to gain exposure to the fundamental skills of setting up an anchor and lead climbing. Expect to pay ~$350 for a full day of climbing with a personal guide. Bringing friends along will lower the price.
2. Learn the Outdoor Systems
Next to prepare for my first outdoor lead climb. I attended a “Learn to Lead” class at my gym and practiced setting up anchors at home. These skills are the foundation of outdoor climbing.
I read the following books:
- Rock Climbing Anchors A Comprehensive Guide by Craig Luebben
- Climbing Anchors Field Guide by John Long and Bob Gaines
I watched the following video:
- How to Rig an Anchor from 2 Bolts by California Climbing School
- The Quad Anchor by Obsession Climbing
I used the following gear while practicing at home
- Black Diamond Positron Carabiner to simulate connected to bolts
- Petzl Attache 3D Screw-Lock Carabiner to simulate the carabiners on the masterpoint
- BlueWater Titan/Spectra Runner 48″ to practice the magic x and the overhand anchor
- Cordelette to practice the quad anchor.
3. Apply the Outdoor Systems
With an understanding of the fundamentals I was ready to test my climbing independence. I spent another day outdoors Mooney Mountain Guides where I lead multiple 5.5 climbs, set up and cleaned anchors.
After following these 3 steps I felt ready to reach out on Mountain Project – Partner Finder to plan a climbing trip with an experienced climber.
Do you remember who’s b-day that was and where?
I do
Was it Ryan G’s??