Traditional Lead Climbing

Learn the basics of rock climbing and how to lead with gear from an experienced rock-climbing instructor. It is one of the world’s most exhilarating sports, and this book can help get you going! Traditional Lead Climbing teaches you the rock-climbing basics, and it’s the first and only guidebook intended to teach you how to lead with gear! Written by Heidi Pesterfield, a rock-climbing instructor for more than 17 years, the book is filled with step-by-step directions that you can trust. Unlike other types of climbing, such as sport and direct-aid climbing, “trad” climbing relies on placing your own gear as you climb from the ground. It’s also one of the more dangerous climbing activities, where expert guidance is a must. Heidi’s invaluable book provides essential details about everything from equipment to rope management to climbing techniques. This guide helps you learn how to safely tie in to the “sharp end” of the rope and lead both single and multipitch trad routes. Dozens of close-up photos, along with fun yet informative drawings, show situations that climbers might encounter and how to deal with them. Plus, in addition to covering the basics, Traditional Lead Climbing offers sidebars that showcase the experience, wisdom, and advice of a number of world-class climbers. Regardless of your climbing background—bouldering, sport climbing, top-roping, or mountaineering—you will learn how to Transition from the gym to the great outdoors Place protection on lead Build multidirectional anchors Navigate routes and climb cracks Explore the multipitch adventure Employ basic self-rescue techniques “If you want the knowledge and nerve to take the sharp end of the rope—buy this book. When your jams meltdown and you yell out ‘falling!’—Heidi’s beta will help you live to tell the tale.” —Timmy O’Neill, world-renowned climber and host of the award-winning film Return2Sender

This completely revised and updated edition with all new color photos brings together in a single volume the anchoring systems most popular among climbers. Most climbers today learn their craft on artificial climbing walls and on sport routes with fixed protection. Their first efforts to lead on trad routes often come as a rude shock--they find that they haven't the skills and training to safeguard the climb or to set up solid belays. This new edition of Climbing Anchors is the climber's complete and authoritative source of information on protection, from fundamental knots to sophisticated rigging and equalizing skills.

This e-book will teach you how to: - Place cams, nuts and other trad climbing gear - Build trad anchors - Use different belay methods (including guide mode) - Equalize and extend gear effectively - Understand forces on climbing gear - Abseil safely (including using a prusik knot) - Climb with half ropes - Test rock quality - Prepare for your first trad lead Plus much more.

This handy, pocket-size manual provides easy-to-understand, step-by-step guidance to climbers transitioning to the advanced level of trad rock climbing.

Seminal book updated by author of the acclaimed Advanced Rock Climbing Easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions 400 new color photos demonstrate techniques For this new edition of Rock Climbing Anchors, climber and writer Topher Donahue carefully reviewed each technique and lesson, making them even easier to understand and learn. Key updates include: Improved content hierarchy, reading efficiency, and technique emphasis Pros vs. Cons comparison lists Technological advances and changes in gear and standards Graphic illustrations of forces, movement, "right" vs. "wrong" technique, and more New section on anchor considerations for the climbing gym New distinction between "anchor" and "placement" or "piece"

Traditional, or simply, trad climbing, is a do-it-yourself adventure requiring the climbing team to negotiate the climb and to carry, hand-place and remove most if not all components of the roped safety system. In The Trad Climber’s Bible, two of the most revered and respected trad climbers in the world, John Long and Peter Croft, offer hard-won knowledge to aspiring trad climbers in a narrative format that is as informative as it is entertaining. With photos by iconic climbing photographer Greg Epperson and AMGA Certified Rock Instructor Bob Gaines, this full color book will appeal to climbers of all stripes.

Sport climbers often project a route that tests their physical limits in hopes of an eventual completion, regardless of the number of attempts. Succeeding requires a solid understanding of belaying and other climbing techniques that are used in various climbing disciplines, but are detailed here specifically for sport climbing. Targeting varying abilities, Sport Climbing teaches climbers how to rehearse moves and train for routes, how to get through the pump, how to fight until the end of a pitch, how to stay composed when tired, and how to best use their bodies to climb efficiently and expertly. Whether inspiring new climbers to learn the nuances of scaling vertical terrain, or delving into a deeper, more conceptual understanding of how to go about projecting a route, Andrew Bisharat brings confidence and a level of practicality to the sport. He demonstrates how skills specific to redpointing transfer over to traditional climbing, making this a must-have book for any climber. Featuring tips from famous climbers such as Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold, the author brings a modern voice to a fun and exciting sport.

THE CLIFFS AND MOUNTAINS WE LOVE CAN BE UNFORGIVING. READ ACCIDENTS IN NORTH AMERICAN CLIMBING TO LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS, SO YOU CAN CLIMB AGAIN TOMORROW. Published annually by the American Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Climbing reports on each year’s most significant and educational climbing accidents. In each case, rangers, rescuers, and other experts analyze what went wrong, helping climbers prevent or survive similar situations in the future. In-depth articles cover more topics, including safety tips for 4th-class climbing, first aid for avalanche victims and lower leg injuries, and much more.