Far Out Son of Lung...

Lead Test: Passed

So I passed my lead test last night despite being completely worn out from a long round of Medicine Ball Soccer between climbs. Proton, the daughter of a friend from work, went with us to climb last night. She's 12, full of unlimited energy and made it all very fun. Watching her use slopers and crimpers like bomber jugs was fascinating, especially because she could find purchase on the smallest, most oddly shaped holds that I hate!

Lead
So I took my lead test at Summit at the end of the evening, using my old faithful 5.9 lime green taped route. Even with the added challenge (mental & physical) of purely leading the route without a top rope, I was able to make my moves confidently and get all my clips (fairly) cleanly. I still need to practice clipping quite a bit in my spare time and have so much to learn about technique, but I'm one step closer. Once I get more comfortable with reading routes for optimum clipping, get used to falling and making cleaner moves with the techniques I do know; there's still more to learn about new techniques and awareness of the route.

Cleaning Trad
We're headed to Enchanted Rock this weekend to climb some cracks and do some trad climbing. Rock Gal has all the gear necessary and I won't be trying to do anything but learn how to set anchors and clean routes. It seems pretty straight forward but I know it will be challenging and rewarding. I have never climbed in this fashion so the biggest hurdle is just understanding how it all works (which seems pretty simple) and how the placements are chosen (not so simple) and removed (sounds simple).

Essentially, as Rock Gal climbs upward she'll place protection (nuts & hexes) into the crack. Should she fall these placements will act as my fulcrum for belaying. Once she has either reached the first belay station or the top of the wall, I'll follow her up and clean the route by pulling the gear from the crack and reslinging it on my harness.

The odd part here is that to get the pieces loose from the rock you have to be pretty violent. Yank, jab and stab the placement free from the rock without scoring or damaging the rock (that's important).

Reward
I'm rewarding myself for passing my lead test by getting my own set of quickdraws. I don't want to depend on Betty for the gear, especially if we end up climbing on different evenings. Since CenTex passed his lead class as well we'll both be able to lead and belay more climbs at the gym. There's no point in being able to practice if I don't have the equipment to do it, so getting my own set makes sense anyway.

I've been researching the prospect all morning (its a slow day at work) and found several solutions. I can buy a prefab set of draws, or I can buy carabiners and slings seperately to create my own. The things can get a little pricey and most of that comes from saving weight. Much like cycling, a few grams can be worth a lot of money. So can, of course, a brand name that does not necessarily imply more value. Or does it?

Having just spoken with Rock Gal, it looks like my best bet is to spend the extra money on quality gear. Quickdraws are a bit like leathers, one thing you do not want to skimp on when getting gear. It makes sense, too. The draw and your rope are the last line of defense when it comes to climbing. Should you fall, you need all the protection you can get. Having a set of carabiners that break, fracture or get recalled is certainly not a desirable position to be in when taking a screamer, and would not do much to inspire future confidence.

Quality
What the brand names offer is lots of expensive testing, research and confidence. These elements alone can certainly lead to better climbing and, most importantly, ensure a safer experience with a greater margin of safety. I should have known this already, of course, but I related it to the wrong hobby.

posted by GreSam @ 09:50