If you're thinking of moving from your indoor climbing wall to real crags in the great outdoors, good for you. Climbing outdoors is extremely rewarding.
This article assumes that you're reasonably proficient with lead climbing on indoor sport routes and that you're comfortable clipping into quick draws, but haven't yet placed any protection (wires, nuts, cams, hexentrics etc).
Here's a few pointers to get you started as safely as possible:
1. Find a climbing partner with outdoor climbing experience
You'll find that the first time you climb outdoors, there's a lot of extra things to think about, and it's really easy to miss something. An experienced outdoor climber will be able to point out any mistakes you make, keeping you safe. If there's no-one available you might want to consider investing in an outdoor lead climbing course.
2. Practice placing gear
Get your climbing partner to show you how to select and place gear. It is absolutely imperative you know how to do this properly - your safety depends on it! Practice placing gear into cracks in the rock, while you're stood on the ground, keep this up until you are proficient (it'll be harder when you're under pressure on a climb).
3. Start with something very easy
You might be able to comfortably climb a 5c sport route indoors, but please don't attempt anything like that on your first outdoor expedition. Start with adjective grade Diff or V Diff (these are both below 4a), preferably with some nice ledges to stand on for placing your gear and clipping in. You're likely to find that you end up climbing a good 3 grades below your indoor lead grade. I consistently lead around 5b on indoor sport routes, but I only confidently lead around HS (4c) outdoors.
4. Make sure you have good technique
Mother nature will throw challenges you will rarely face at an indoor climbing wall. Lay backs, finger jamming and bridging will all come in very useful. Learning to mantle shelf will be very useful as almost every outdoor climb will involve climbing over the top (rather than the lowing off that you're used to). This can feel quite scary the first time you do it, and you may end up performing a move more akin to a baby seal (from one who knows).
If you're careful and keep your risks to a minimum, outdoor climbing is no more dangerous than climbing indoors. It is hugely rewarding and places you in some very beautiful environments.
Best of luck. I hope you enjoy climbing outdoors as much as I do.
This article assumes that you're reasonably proficient with lead climbing on indoor sport routes and that you're comfortable clipping into quick draws, but haven't yet placed any protection (wires, nuts, cams, hexentrics etc).
Here's a few pointers to get you started as safely as possible:
1. Find a climbing partner with outdoor climbing experience
You'll find that the first time you climb outdoors, there's a lot of extra things to think about, and it's really easy to miss something. An experienced outdoor climber will be able to point out any mistakes you make, keeping you safe. If there's no-one available you might want to consider investing in an outdoor lead climbing course.
2. Practice placing gear
Get your climbing partner to show you how to select and place gear. It is absolutely imperative you know how to do this properly - your safety depends on it! Practice placing gear into cracks in the rock, while you're stood on the ground, keep this up until you are proficient (it'll be harder when you're under pressure on a climb).
3. Start with something very easy
You might be able to comfortably climb a 5c sport route indoors, but please don't attempt anything like that on your first outdoor expedition. Start with adjective grade Diff or V Diff (these are both below 4a), preferably with some nice ledges to stand on for placing your gear and clipping in. You're likely to find that you end up climbing a good 3 grades below your indoor lead grade. I consistently lead around 5b on indoor sport routes, but I only confidently lead around HS (4c) outdoors.
4. Make sure you have good technique
Mother nature will throw challenges you will rarely face at an indoor climbing wall. Lay backs, finger jamming and bridging will all come in very useful. Learning to mantle shelf will be very useful as almost every outdoor climb will involve climbing over the top (rather than the lowing off that you're used to). This can feel quite scary the first time you do it, and you may end up performing a move more akin to a baby seal (from one who knows).
If you're careful and keep your risks to a minimum, outdoor climbing is no more dangerous than climbing indoors. It is hugely rewarding and places you in some very beautiful environments.
Best of luck. I hope you enjoy climbing outdoors as much as I do.
About the Author:
For more rock climbing information, get over to Gareth's blog where you will find crags, routes, techniques and equipment reviews.
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