Climbing Crash Course Session 3 – Lead Climbing (Seconding)

OVERVIEW

Welcome to the climbing crash course series, a sequence of workshops designed to equip you with the information and skills you need to start practicing that next set of climbing techniques you’ve been dying to learn. As we all know, the smartest place to practice any new life-bearing technique is on the ground, so let this serve as the catalyst to start your ground practice. (See below for the list of topics in the series. Specific workshops/topics available upon request.)
Session 0: Useful Knots (and How to Tie Them)
Session 1: Climbing Basics and Top Roping
Session 2: Sport Climbing Part 1 – Leading
Session 3: Sport Climbing Part 2 – Seconding
Session 4: All About Anchors
Session 5: Rigging Rappels
Session 6: Baby’s First Multi-Pitch
Session 7: Trad Gear Placements
Session 8: Self-Rescue Techniques
Session 9: Aid Climbing
Session 10: A Brief Introduction to Advanced Climbing Techniques
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BEFORE signing up for this session, you should be fairly comfortable with lead climbing techniques and watch-outs (ex. backsteps, backclips, quickdraw direction, etc.).
In this session (Sport Climbing Part 2: Seconding), we will talk about the less glamorous half of lead climbing including the monumental tasks of lead belaying and cleaning the anchor. The safety-related “whys” are baked into each topic. Topics include:
– New gear and knots
– Lead belaying (belay position, slack, hard catches vs soft catches, etc.)
– Cleaning the anchor (lowering off of small anchors, lowering off of large anchors, rappelling, etc.)
– Risks
The session will be workshop style with intermixed talking and doing. About half of the time will be a presentation with the other half of the time dedicated to questions and hands-on practice interspersed throughout the lecture segments. Note that we will not be climbing and all skills will be practiced on the ground. This session alone is not enough to make you a fully competent lead belayer, but it will give you a place to start as you observe good lead belayers. It will also equip you with the knowledge you need to start practicing cleaning anchors on the ground.

Things you should bring:
– Harness
– Locking biner and belay device
– Spare locking biners (if you have any)
– PAS (if you have one)
– Anchor materials (cordelette, etc. if you have any)
– Spare rope/practice rope (even an old shoelace would be good)

I will bring climbing ropes, quickdraws, and anchor materials to practice with.

Location: New Cabell Hall room 038