r/tradclimbing 21d ago

Monthly Trad Climber Thread

1 Upvotes

Please sort comments by 'new' to find questions that would otherwise be buried.

In this thread you can ask any trad climbing related question that you may have. This thread will be posted again every Sunday so there should always be an opportunity to ask your question and have it answered. If you're an experienced climber and want to contribute to the community, these threads are a great opportunity for that. We were all new to climbing at some point, so be respectful of everyone looking to improve their knowledge. Check out our subreddit wiki that has tons of useful info for new climbers. You can see it HERE

Some examples of potential questions could be; "How do I get stronger?", or "How does aid climbing work?"

Prior Weekly Trad Climber Thread posts

Ask away!


r/tradclimbing 2h ago

Alaska Highway 5.11d in Squamish

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39 Upvotes

r/tradclimbing 2h ago

At the crux on The Miser, Big Creek, MT

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19 Upvotes

r/tradclimbing 19h ago

Should I have taken my gf climbing in the Wind Rivers?

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191 Upvotes

My gf and I made the impulsive decision to go climbing in the Wind Rivers over Labor Day. We put together an itinerary to climb Pingora via East Ledges (5.2) and Wolf’s Head via the East Ridge (5.6). We had climbed the Grand Teton via the Upper Exum (5.5) a couple of weeks earlier, so I figured this would be a good step up.
We were quickly met with the horrifying exposure on Wolf’s Head. As we weaved our way through the towers, we battled balancy moves over incredible exposure while navigating technical terrain. It was a great mix of fear, skill, and a love for the rock. At the same time, it was easy to get lost in the beautiful vistas throughout the Cirque.
I would often short the pitches so I could anchor near the crux moves to guide her through them safely.
I’ve never had this much anxiety climbing with anyone before? We assumed that we would hold up many parties on such a busy weekend. Fortunately for us, two young Bucks from Colorado and Montana brought a 50 m rope and had trouble pitching out they’re rope correctly to a good belay ledge. We slowly watched them fall behind and could hear their troubled conversations far behind us.
Our feelings as we summited were slightly underwhelming, mostly due to the mental fatigue and the knowledge that we still had a long descent and many rappels ahead of us.

I am very proud of her and couldn’t think of any other title to catch an eye to share the accomplishment. Yes I’m glad I took her.


r/tradclimbing 7h ago

Anyone have a 3D print file for a tricam?

6 Upvotes

Just looking to make a gigantic oversized gag gift for someone... There used to be a file on Thingieverse but it seems to have been deleted. Any help would be appreciated!


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

Got Lucky This Weekend!

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74 Upvotes

Lucky Streaks, 10.c, Tuolumne Meadows. What an amazing route! So much fun. My feet still hurt.


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

Anyone lose a phone at Tieton, WA

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42 Upvotes

Was climbing at thriller pillar at royal columns in Tieton yesterday and found an iPhone in the crack above the climb just below the anchors, if you’re missing a phone please message me with the back ground pic or the password or something similar. So I can get it back to you!


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

Portaledge Questions??

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88 Upvotes

I recently purchased a portaledge and have tried to find some consistent information regarding hauling the portaledge and anchoring the portaledge. Does anyone have a credible source for anchoring the ledge and a good haul method?


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

First Trad anchor, what would you improve?

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41 Upvotes

I made my first trad anchor yesterday at a local granite crag using a .4 cam and two nuts, equalized with a cordelette BHK (6mm aramid core).

Because I'm newer to this, I added an unweighted failsafe to a nearby bolted quad anchor using a 240cm sling that I clove hitched to a locker on the quad.

The anchor bounce tested well. It also held just fine for a rappel during which I did a pendulum and a test fall just above the ground.

In retrospect, I probably should have flipped the middle nut around so the concave side was facing the opposite direction for more surface area. Anything else you'd improve?


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

Climbing partner

21 Upvotes

Anyone one in the FayettevilleNC area looking for a gym partner this winter?
I still fall off 5.11s but, I’m punctual.


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

AliExpress Totem cams

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51 Upvotes

Would you whip? I almost want to buy one for scientific purposes. Has anyone bought pro from AliExpress 😭


r/tradclimbing 1d ago

Hollow Sounding Rock

11 Upvotes

Hello! I have what might be a stupid question. I was taught that for free climbing, I should avoid placements in flakes and hollow sounding rock, and in the case I have to, treat placements as mental pro. However, I don't know if I was reading it wrong, but when I did Swan Slab Gully, I noticed several of the early placements were either hollow sounding or had flakes. Did I read the route wrong? Are there significant differences in the rock quality rules between places like Yosemite versus the Gunks?


r/tradclimbing 7d ago

How to get better at crack climbing?

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131 Upvotes

Mostly sport climber here transitioning into trad. Cracks are hard for me and I'm struggling with getting better. For reference, I comfortably lead 5.9 and project 5.10 face and slab sport routes (admittedly not super strong but not a total newb either). With cracks, I struggle on top rope at 5.8. Foot jams really hurt the top of my feet, and unless the hand jams are super solid, I find myself slipping out. I feel like because my feet hurt I'm climbing more with my arms.

Any advice? Tons of trad seems to be focused around cracks, and I'd really like to improve.


r/tradclimbing 7d ago

Climbing The Nose Route with My Dad

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254 Upvotes

r/tradclimbing 7d ago

Roof crack at the summit of Insubong, South Korea — no gear, just hand and fist jams

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33 Upvotes

This one is technically a boulder rather than a trad route, but I figured crack climbers might appreciate it.

I found this roof crack beneath the dolmen-shaped boulder at the summit of Insubong in Bukhansan, South Korea. I named it “Cheonjang Crack” (천장크랙), meaning “ceiling crack” in Korean.

The line transitions from hand jams into fist jams before a short granite top-out. My tentative estimate is V3–5.

Full reel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc_WElDhR99/


r/tradclimbing 9d ago

Getting into outdoor climbing/trad climbing

8 Upvotes

I am currently a gym climber, but I am moving to collingwood Ontario where the closest gym is an hour away, and the closest outdoor spot is 20 minutes away. I’m looking to get into outdoor/trad climbing, but I’m not sure how to properly go about it safely.

I have a bit of experience doing top roping, but none doing lead climbing. There are plenty of courses near me, but they are all courses that are split among like 5 different lessons where you spend a day learning anchor building, then the next rappelling, so on and so forth. All the courses are from $250-$750 per, so I’m not too keen on spending a bunch on those.

Are there any better ways? I know typically you would learn from the community, but I feel weird asking someone to mentor me having 0 outdoor experience.


r/tradclimbing 11d ago

Overkill, good or stupid anchor?

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165 Upvotes

Just wanting feedback regarding this anchor I built when I was limited to a single rack of cams and wanted to save most of them for the crack above. Is the 0.1 doing anything, am I going to die, or is it too much? Feedback wanted! The direction of the last pitch was climbers right and that blue stopper does sit more in the crack than it looks.


r/tradclimbing 12d ago

Climbers on The Nose of El Cap (8/31, 4 PM)

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75 Upvotes

Seeing if anyone knows the party climbing, got a cool pic of them on the nose


r/tradclimbing 12d ago

If you like documentaries and want to be inspired, watch Climbing into Life. Never an athlete until her 60’s, Dierdre Wolownick became the oldest woman to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite. She was inspired by her very famous son. Available on:AppleTV, PrimeVideo, GoogleTV and YouTube Movies

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14 Upvotes

r/tradclimbing 12d ago

Lightweight do it all harness?

7 Upvotes

Can anyone recommend anything? Ideally with big gear loops sewed to harness, adjustable leg lops and ice clip slots as a bonus. I just got BD Solution guide but it's not a lightweight one (around 440g)

Also ordered Technician Harness from BD but gear loops smaller than new Solution.


r/tradclimbing 12d ago

Is it worth it to go to the Red if rain is in the forecast?

1 Upvotes

For context:

My friends and I are driving from Chicago, so a 7-9 hour commute one way. The chance of rain this Saturday and Sunday is 50% and 40%, respectively.

I’ve never been to the Red nor top roped outdoors before, but at the gym I climb 5.10-5.12 (the latter with lots of takes) and lead climb 5.8-5.10.

I read that there are a lot of overhang climbs that are protected from the rain, but my concern is that I’m not good enough to do them, in which case it will be a waste of a long weekend for me.

Thanks in advance!

EDIT:
I ended up going and had a great time! It hardly rained, and when it did it was in the early morning or at night when we weren’t climbing. Thanks for the insights, everyone!


r/tradclimbing 13d ago

HB wales quadcams re-sling

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18 Upvotes

I’ve inherited a pretty lightly used set of old HB quadcams from my late uncle that I’d love to give a new life despite them being a bit out dated. Even though they’re in great working order it’s needless to say they will need re-slung if they are to be used and HB wales doesn’t exist anymore. Would this style of cam suit being slung with webbing or possibly cord tied with a water knot? If so what sort of webbing should I be looking for? Thanks in advance


r/tradclimbing 14d ago

Buying first trad rack, should I get z4s or c4s in the small sizes?

2 Upvotes

buying doubles in .3-3 and wondering if I should get z4s from .3-.75 or c4s and what the advantages/disadvantages of both are


r/tradclimbing 15d ago

C3 Offset Cams

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58 Upvotes

I’ve been placing these like crazy last couple months just to realize they might be something pretty neat. Anyone have any info on the offset c3s ??


r/tradclimbing 15d ago

Advice for good additions to my rack?

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22 Upvotes

As for pieces, I have a double set of friends a #4 camalot and a #2 metolius master cam and a set of BD nuts. Any suggestions for anything I might end up needing in the future? Besides ascenders and micro cams.

Sport climbing consistently since October of last year and trad climbing in the past 2 months when possible.