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Why trad climbing?

Harumpfster Boondoggle · · Between yesterday and today. · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 148

Point being is that the men who invented traditional climbing set an amazing example of ability and minimalism that is to be emulated as best as we can on the great challenges.

Why Trad?

Because people showed us how high we might aspire.

Sam Sala · · Denver, CO · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 82
reboot wrote: Is one to infer trad is all about looking "cool" w/ a bunch of gear?

That's all I'm in it for. Jingle-jangles and clippy things. Think I'll start a thread about wearing it all to the gym.

Paul Ross · · Keswick, Cumbria · Joined Apr 2001 · Points: 22,236
Mike Lane wrote: The average trad chuffer is addicted to gear porn and usually not in good enough shape to be good at sport climbing                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       The average sport chuffer does not have the head for trad... its called the fear of falling.
don'tchuffonme · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 26

Yeah, because sport climbers never fall, right?  You have it exactly backward.

Paul Deger · · Colorado · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 36

My understanding was bolting came along for making safe ascent of walls that you could not protect with trad. Part of me still wishes that remained the case and we left the protectable rock as is.

Walter Edly · · Thomasville NC · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 10

Because non intrusive rely on your own skills is appealing to you not the masses.

John Clark · · Reno, NV · Joined Mar 2016 · Points: 1,398

Sport is scary. I have to run it out to the next bolt at the crux? You mean I can't slam in gear every foot till I'm back in slammer hands? Sport climbing seems sketchy to me

Melanie Shea · · Colorado Springs · Joined Oct 2015 · Points: 10

Showing up to sport crags and climbing bolted routes on gear to feel better about the fact that I'm weak

Paul Ross · · Keswick, Cumbria · Joined Apr 2001 · Points: 22,236
don'tchuffonme wrote: Yeah, because sport climbers never fall, right?  You have it exactly backward.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Falling on a sport climb is called working it. ..some would call it aid climbing        Sport climbers fall when they feel like it ... sport falling is a joke. full stop...   .. You may well stay anonymous!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
Russ Keane · · Salt Lake · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 392

Trad lines are better looking.   Also there's nothing like building a gear anchor.  

Rob warden The space lizard · · Now...where? · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 0
Sam Sala wrote: Take a rip up the Diamond and then try asking that question again.

I climb for adventure and engagement with wild surroundings, not to tick lists and progress grades. I see sport climbing as fun and as great training, but I couldn't ever make a lifelong pursuit of clipping bolts, regardless of how impressive the routes can be. It's similar to bouldering...great for strength, movement, etc, but not enjoyable to me personally, so I do it more as a chore than anything. To each, their own. Have fun, be safe, climb what you're psyched on.

I've climbed hard shit on the diamond. 

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

I mainly clip bolts these days, and not at a very impressive level. But I like cragging, as I can get as many pitches in as I can handle in the limited time I have. Having a kid makes that a pretty OK trade-off. Plus, I just can't handle places like Eldo anymore on a daily basis. You have to be on your game there all of the time.

But as the years go by, I don't much remember those sport routes. I remember which ones were worth doing, but not how I felt about them in a deep sense. You remember your alpine rock ascents, though. You remember every one of them. You remember the soul sucking hikes in, and the hail pelting you in the middle of a pitch. You remember the stuck ropes, the cursing, the wishing you had not decided to go climbing that day. You remember pulling off the leads despite your lack of confidence. You remember smiling at your partner in the sun and taking a quick nap on the summit because you got up too damned early to do the route.

So, every summer I still get like to attempt some sort of alpine rock route. 

don'tchuffonme · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 26
This post violated Guideline #1 and has been removed.
Thomas Stryker · · Chatham, NH · Joined Aug 2014 · Points: 250
don'tchuffonme wrote:

Having trouble with the simple quote function?  Here, I'll try to make it make sense to you, since you are a USBRIT- wtfever that is.  In Britain, there isn't much sport climbing.  So it's almost all trad, gritstone, sea cliffs and the like.  And that's great.  And over there, those guys go hard all the time on scary shit with a lot of groundfall potential, and they have miles of fortitude because of that.  However, I challenge you to go to any single pitch area here, in the US that has a wealth of gear and bolted lines, (I'm assuming that's what your name means, that you're actually here and not there) and count the people climbing sport and people climbing trad.  See what they're on.  What grades, how hard they're trying, etc. etc.  I guarantee you the sport climbers are going for it more, and on harder grades, which means they're falling more.  Now, this might be because trad is scarier and has a higher learning curve, and that's true.  But the majority of people I see "climbing trad" do so below their limit because... wait for it...  they're scared of falling.  You call falling on bolts "aid".  That's the dumbest goddamned thing I've ever heard.  So if you fall on a piece, it's not aid, but if you fall on a bolt, it is?  Explain this archaic, holier than thou mentality to me please.  You may well stay anonymous too.  "USBRIT Ross" just tells everyone your last name is Ross.  That's pretty anonymous as well considering the number of people with the last name Ross.  But you go ahead and keep trying to assert the fallacy that me being anonymous invalidates my point.  People that don't have solid arguments often resort to logical fallacies.  Nothing new there.

The irony of you explaining British climbing to USBrit is priceless, ditto this side of the Pond. Google Paul Ross Climber and save yourself further embarrassment.

don'tchuffonme · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 26
This post violated Guideline #1 and has been removed.
Franck Vee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 260

Interesting how for some people, trad is about safely climbing cracks & mountains, while for others it's about more risks & commitment than sport's (relative) safety.

I like the synergy between sport & trad climbing: I do think that practicing both makes me a more versatile, complete climber than if I were to just do one, or mostly do one.

David Gibbs · · Ottawa, ON · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 2

I first started trad climbing because there were 6 sport lines in the range I could climb in my local area, but closer to a hundred gear lines.

I continue to trad climb for a number of reasons:
 -- I like the problem-solving aspect of establish my protection system as I climb
 -- it still gives me access to more climbing choices, especially approachable by a sub-5.10 leader multi-pitch climbs
 -- I can do ground-up FAs on gear -- I can't do that on sport
 -- I like the gear, aka as ooo... shinies
 -- I get to hear my second curse as they try to remove the Tricams I've placed. :)

Sky Cripp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2018 · Points: 0

I love trad for a few reasons:
1. It seems to be the standard for "purity." No defacing the rock or bolting or leaving permanent gear behind (unless you like to overcam a lot).
2. It's so much more thoughtful. Sport climbing is clip draw > clip rope > climb above. Trad is asking yourself a series of questions: Rock quality > placement size > flared/not flared > walking? > extend or don't extend > does it need to be backed up > will this rock quality sustain a fall from what I think I see as my next opportunity for placement > etc.
3. Trad routes are just a shit ton of fun and IMO the best routes aren't bolted. If you limit yourself to sport, you'll never get the lead on Castleton Tower, Zeus Tower, The Nose, etc. 

Franck Vee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 260
Sky Cripp wrote:2. It's so much more thoughtful. Sport climbing is clip draw > clip rope > climb above. Trad is asking yourself a series of questions: Rock quality > placement size > flared/not flared > walking? > extend or don't extend > does it need to be backed up > will this rock quality sustain a fall from what I think I see as my next opportunity for placement > etc.

I hear ya, as someone who do both but started out sport climbing. I think you're minimizing the amount of reflection one has to put into climbing sport route at your limit though - a lot of the thinking that doesn't go into placing gear goes instead to precise awareness of body positioning and finding clever beta to overcome whatever prevents you from sending your project.

That being said, I do agree with your assessment on climbs that are below on-sight level in sport, whereas trad climbing always keeps you thinking, pretty much regardless of difficulty level.....
Aleks Zebastian · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 175

climbing friend,

the climbing "trad" it allows you to be fat, old, physically inferior, and still "have fun" and impress the others

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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