Smith Rock – Traditional Lead Climbing

This course will be held at either Mount Erie, Index,  Tieton, or Frenchman Coulee in Washington, or Broughton Bluff and Smith Rock State Park in Oregon. Minnesota programs will be held at Taylors Falls or North Shore.

This single-day, eight-hour course incorporates skills from Outdoor Sport Leading and Traditional Climbing Fundamentals. Please reference those courses to assess your own skills when choosing a course. The course is meant to grow your knowledge base of traditional climbing techniques, allowing you to be more knowledgeable and confident when venturing out in traditional climbing terrain “on the sharp end.”

Your course will begin at 9am. You and your Kaf instructor will spend the morning working with a variety of tools and techniques designed to expand your traditional climbing tool kit as well as hone some of the skills introduced in the Traditional Climbing Fundamentals course.

You will have ample opportunities to experiment with some refined technique designed to make you a more confident trad leader. Guides will cover a variety of topics including tips for placing gear efficiently, belaying from above, and more complex anchor situations, among others.

Your lunch will be on-the-go in order to maximize learning opportunities during this course.

The afternoon will consist of real-world applications. At your instructor’s discretion, you will perform some mock or real leads, after which your instructor will assess your gear placements and provide feedback. Guides will maximize your time on the rock, giving you as much time as possible to apply the day’s lessons in ways that will make you a more confident leader in a traditional climbing setting.

You can expect to be back at your car by 5pm.

• This is an advanced rock climbing course. You should take Outdoor Sport Lead and Traditional Climbing Fundamentals or possess equivalent experience before registering for Trad Lead Climbing.

• Refine gear placement skills
  • Efficient identification of features’ ability to take gear
  • Equalizing multiple pieces in a non-anchor scenario
  • Rope line management; minimizing leader’s rope drag
  • Slotting gear
• Complex anchor situations
  • Anchors involving more than 3 pieces
  • Sling craft for complex anchors involving a combination of gear and natural features
• Cleaning routes and descents
  • Proper techniques for cleaning anchors safely in a single pitch environment
  • Rappelling in a single pitch environment
  • Personal anchor strategies
• Climbing technique
  • Crack climbing skills
  • Principles of efficient movement in a traditional climbing context
• Field skills development
  • Mock or real lead of traditional routes (at instructor’s discretion)
  • Belaying from above
  • Tips and tricks for removing stuck gear

• Eight hours of expert instruction
  
• Kaf resources
  
• Static rope
  
• Climbing rope
  
• Anchor materials
  
• Trad gear
• Mock-leading practice

• Transportation
  
• Lunch
  
• Personal clothing
  
• Climbing shoes
  
• Harness
  
• Helmet
• Parking

• Kaf will provide what is listed above.
• Please bring your own personal climbing gear, and trad rack if you have one. This course will give you invaluable time to practice with your own gear.
• You are responsible for clothes that will be comfortable while climbing in all conditions for 8 hours.
• Please bring your own climbing shoes.

Transportation and times will be coordinated by email when the pre-trip announcement is sent to all registrants. The course is scheduled to run from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Once you’ve learned to lead trad routes, take the next step in your rock climbing journey and join Kaf for our Multi-Pitch Climbing course. Or learn how to rescue injured partners on our Rock Rescue Course at Smith Rock. You can also take it into an alpine environment with a guided climb of Mt Shuksan, Forbidden Peak, or the more technical approach to the summit of Mt Hood.

Also, take a look at our International Adventures. Join us on a climbing holiday to Mexico or China — opportunities you won’t want to miss out on!