Rob Coppolillo and Marc Chauvin – Intro to Trad Climbing

The 8-week online course is offered by Climbing Magazine and will teach you the basics of climbing. Intro to Trad Climbing takes the guess work out of exploring traditionally protected climbs, from placing/relocating gear and proper belay techniques to how to make an anchor and manage a stuck rope. If you are a sport climber who wants to add a new element to your climbing, a gym climber who wants to explore all that your local area has to offer, or a seasoned climber who just wants to revisit the basics, this course is for you.

The guides have more than 75 years of experience in rock climbing, guiding, and teaching. The Mountain Guide Manual is also written by them. This course will teach you how to make catastrophe knots, belaying the leader and follower, manage risk, and place gear to protect yourself and your partner.

Syllabus:

• Passive (nuts, hexes, Tricams) and active (cams) protection
• Accessories (alpine draws, nut tools, trad harness, helmet, bullet pack, Prusiks, shoes, knife, cordelettes, quad-length slings)
• Belay devices (guide-style plaquettes, GiGi, Gri-Gri)

There is gear placement.

• Getting it right (strength, security, ease of removal; accuracy and efficiency)
• How to practice placing (quick, accurate placements); weighting placements
• Critical elements to consider (secondary pulls, direction of pull)

There is a lead protection system.

• Understanding the difference between Trad and Sport climbing
• Protection strategies (considering location of cruxes, strategic runouts, objective hazards like ledges below a fall)
• Protecting the pitch
• Rack management
• Looking at the whole pitch
• Protecting your second

4) Anchors

• NERDSS overview (Ne=No Extension, R=Redundant, D=Distributed, S=Strength, and S=Simplicity)
• Required materials: cordelette, quad-length slings, shorter slings
• Anchor strategies (high anchor, conserving pieces for leading/cruxes, single- and multi-point anchors)

Belaying is one of the ways to belaying.

• Lead-belaying fundamentals
• Top-belaying fundamentals
• Strategies to increase safety
• Special situations (disparity in weight, awkward stance, low anchor, out-of-sight leader)
• Giving a good belay

Rope management

• Establishing a safe belay area
• Mid-cliff belay stance (rope management, comfort and safety)
• Managing the rope
• Strategies (swapping leads or block leading, transition)

Rappelling

• Rappelling fundamentals (body position, gloves, progression downward, third-hand back-up)
• The rappel rig (extension, third hand, devices)
• Friction hitches (autoblock and Prusik)
• How to add friction for wet/skinny/frozen ropes
• Carabiner brake

There are special problems.

• Hauling a partner at a crux
• Lowering a partner with a guide-style plaquette
• Stuck rappel ropes (strategies, safety, releading a pitch with a free end)

Sale Page: https://www.aimadventureu.com/courses/intro-to-trad-climbing
Archive: https://archive.md/wip/iahR8

Delivery Method