Scaling a sheer cliff face with only a rope, chalk bag and climbing shoes is an incredible rush. You get to push yourself mentally and physically beyond what you thought was possible. You get to know yourself in new ways, finding things inside yourself that you never knew existed.

I have also written an article about the top 5 biggest dangers of lead climbing. If you want to learn how to avoid these dangers you should check it out. You can find my article here.

In this article, I will investigate what it takes to lead climb and how to learn this really cool skillset.

Required Skills

In order to lead climb safely and successfully, there are some basic skills that you should have mastered first. These include being proficient and comfortable in placing trad gear, clipping quickdraws, lead belaying and building and cleaning anchors.

Main Principles You Must Remember

In top rope climbing, the rope connecting the climber to the belayer snakes through many clips and an anchor on the way. In lead climbing, the climber and belayer are connected directly. Here, the climber clips into bolts or trad gear along the way. Bolts are permanently installed in the rock face on sports climbing routes, while trad (traditional climbing) routes have no bolts – you have to anchor trad gear into crevices in the rock face as you go along.

Lead climbing falls are much greater than top rope falls. In top rope climbing, you only fall as far as the slack in the rope allows you, while with lead climbing, you fall past the last place you clipped in. Scary.

Lead Climbing Training 

Before you can lead climb, you need to be able to climb with a top rope. Basic climbing skills learnt in the gym and with a top rope are essential to successfully topping out a lead route.

You also need to understand and be proficient in belaying a lead climber. Understanding things from your belayer’s point of view will enable you to clearly communicate and know what you can reasonably expect. Misunderstandings while you’re getting pumped on the rock face and trying to ask for slack while your belayer is taking the rope is definitely a wet blanket on your trip.

Next, you need to understand and be proficient in using the gear you need: harness, shoes, quickdraws, carabiners, trad gear and whatever else you end up using. Practicing with these and building confidence before you head out to an exposed cliff face is vital.

Mental readiness

Lead climbing is as much a mental game as it is physical. Climbing a 20-meter wall in the gym is safe and enclosed. There’s no exposure and very little risk, since there are so many safety precautions in the gym.

Outside, it’s a whole different ball game. A 20-meter section of cliff may be right above a 60 meter drop down a ravine. This messes with your mind, leaving you exposed and getting your knees shaking. Reaching around a corner to a hold that should be there but that you can’t see, required major mental grit in this situation.

Crazy Positions

In top rope climbing, you’re simply following the rope from one bolt to the next. Yes, it can be tough and can mess with your mind, especially in the beginning. Lead climbing requires a whole new bag of tricks, though: manage the rope, clip gear and stay calm while you’re in crazy positions above the last clip.

If you’re not comfortable using the gear or if you’re still freaking out while on top rope, take some more time to train before you take on a lead climb. There’s no shame in admitting it – just ask anyone who jumped into a lead climb unprepared. If you attempt lead climbing when your head isn’t ready yet, you could put yourself off climbing for good, especially if you did a very exposed route and had a big fall.

Do a Mock Lead

Mock leading involves having a top rope and a lead rope attached to you. It sounds like overkill, but here’s the logic: you get the safety of a top rope, so if anything goes wrong, you don’t fall far and you still feel safe. You also get to take a lead rope with you and practice placing gear, clipping in and managing the lead rope.

It’s a bit of a mission, because you will need two ropes and two belayers, but it’s definitely worth it. You get to build confidence in using the gear, equipping you mentally and physically for when you’re taking on an actual lead climb.

Start Easy By Doing This

This one is obvious, but still needs to be mentioned. Start lead climbing in an easy route, preferably one you’re done a million times where you feel completely safe and stable. This way, you don’t have to focus that much on the technical climbing and your mind won’t be under so much pressure. You get to focus on the gear and mechanics of lead climbing without figuring out the actual route as well.

There’s no shame in taking on a route that’s actually meant for beginners when you start out with lead climbing. Build up your confidence before taking on harder, more technical and more exposed routes.

Manage Risk

Lead climbing poses a far greater risk than top rope climbing. You can have really big falls, some of which will just give you a fright, with others that could have serious consequences, like rope burn, broken bones and even death. Managing these risks is incredibly important to ensure not only your safety, but also the safety of the team with you. Here are some steps to take in mitigating the risk:

Training

In training, you get taught proper technique, safety procedures and communication. You also get trained in how to handle some common (and uncommon) things that could go wrong for both the climber and belayer. This is essential, since handling unforeseen circumstances properly could mean the difference between telling a funny story about that time a thing went slightly wonky and not living to tell the tale.

The Belayer’s Attention

The belayer’s full attention should be on the lead climber for the entire climb, both during ascent and descent. If the entire rock face is in sight of the belayer, this means having his or her eyes glued to the climber at all times. When the climber is out of sight, this means listening carefully for any shouted instructions and paying close attention to cues from the rope.

If your belayer is having a conversation with another person while you’re on the rock face, he or she will not see when you need more slack, when they have to take and when you’re about to fall. This is unacceptable. Knowing your belayer well and trusting each other implicitly adds so much in terms of physical safety and mental strength.

A good belayer who has a great relationship with the lead climber could make or break a route. If your belayer knows you well, he or she would be able to tell when you’re getting tired or if you’re flaking out mentally, prepare for the fall that will probably follow and also talk you through whatever needs to be handled.

Consequences

This one should again be obvious, but it’s worth stating: consider the consequences of a fall at every stage of the route. Watch for ledges, trees and other obstructions that the climber could hit or that the rope could get caught on in a fall.

Also consider whether the climber is close enough to hit the ground on a fall. On overhangs, poor rope management could lead to helicoptering, where the climber’s foot or shoulder hits the rope, sending them spinning. This could get the climber’s head bashed into the rock, causing death or at least a serious concussion.

When climbing overhangs or any route where the climber is likely to hit their head on the rock face, always wear a helmet.

Gear preparation

Always make sure that your gear is in top condition. Your rope should be clean, well kept and correctly looped and your harness should be in good condition and worn correctly. Quickdraws, clips and other equipment that you’re taking with should be clipped onto your harness correctly, ensuring that you can reach it easily and with the correct hand – this means you need to plan the route before you attempt it.

Before clipping into bolts or trad gear, check that they are installed correctly and are secure. You definitely don’t want to trust your life on faulty equipment.

Know Your Limits

As I already mentioned, it’s important to start with easy routes to get used to lead climbing. That said, once you get comfortable with the technique of lead climbing, it’s easy to challenge yourself with a route that’s way out of your depth. Know your strengths and weaknesses and don’t take on a route you’re not ready for yet.

Learning to Fall

Falling is part and parcel of any form of climbing. The more complex the route, the higher the likelihood of falling. Managing the fall is important.

Some people say that taking controlled falls in safe places teaches you to handle the fall better and not being afraid of falling. This works for some people, but not for everyone.

There are lots of people who freak out at the very thought of falling, getting some seriously jittery Elvis leg (where your leg starts shaking uncontrollably, so it looks like you’re pulling Elvis Presley moves on the rock) and clamping onto a hold so tightly that they get too pumped to hold on and thus falling in any case. Both are perfectly normal and there’s no shame in being afraid to fall.

You have to learn to manage your falls, though and figure out a way for your mind to cope with falling. This would differ from person to person. Some people talk themselves through it, others hum, others just knuckle down and get on with it. Whatever works for you.

The (non) Necessary Gear

For any form of climbing, you will need a harness, shoes, chalk bag and helmet, while your belayer needs a harness and belay device, like a grigri or ATC.

For lead climbing, you would need some additional gear: quickdraws (enough for the number of bolts on the route) and gear to build an anchor, if you’re doing sports climbing.

For trad climbing, you still need the quickdraws and gear to build an anchor, along with some removable gear (cams, nuts, etc).

The gear you use to build an anchor would depend on the type of anchor you want to build. Always practice with your gear on the ground, preferably at home, before attempting a route. You don’t want to figure out your gear and make mistakes or realize that you forgot a critical piece while you’re 15 meters off the ground.

Conclusion

Lead climbing is one of the most exhilarating and rewarding components of climbing. In order to do it successfully, you have to build confidence, learn proper technique and practice, practice, practice. Always make safety a priority and above all, go enjoy the journey.