First Trad Lead Suggestions (Washington)

Hi everyone, first post on here.

Looking for suggestions for a first trad lead.
Ideal - 5.6 or 5.7, able to set a Top Rope to practice first without leading to learn the route first before leading.
Open to suggestions, I can lead 5.10a/b sport pretty cleanly / comfortably.

Also wondering what gear would be needed on the route, I'd be starting to build the rack for my first couple climbs.

Any other tips or suggestions are welcome. I've been working towards trad for the last few months following friends and have practiced placing gear with them, looking forward to dipping my toes into some cracks

use the search feature to search trad routes at mt erie in anacortes. you can top rope almost anything and there are a lot of easy climbs.

Index!! Hag crack can be TR'ed and then senior citizens,
  mountainproject.com/route/1…

Leavenworth.

There is a  5.6 and a 5.8 at Barney's in Icicle Creek Canyon Leavenworth (both can be top roped).  Also, There is a 5.5 and a 5.6 I think at Mountaineers dome which are great first leads, also in Leavenworth.   At exit 32 (little si) there are 3, 5.6ish routes that can be top roped and would be a great first trad lead.  They are just to the right of Blackstone, not sure of the name.  

All of these routes can be led with any variation of a single rack.   (nuts, and .5-3 BD cams). Since many are very short you likely wont use all this gear, but since you are learning many routes will allow you to place as much gear as needed. 

Have fun, be safe. 

The summit wall at Mt Erie will have 3-4 options that are perfect for what you're doing.

Mountaineer's dome, clamshell, barney's rubble, or playground point.

Go to the smoke bluffs in Squamish. Tons of beginner climbs, many of which are top-ropeable, that would make great starting trad leads. Look for some of the 3-4 star routes on this website and start there. Laughing Crack and Cat Crack are two that come to mind, but there are tons of other good ones too.

I know it's not Washington, but assuming you live in the greater Seattle area it's honestly not that much further than some of the other locations and the climbing is some of the best out here.

Agreed on Squamish.  What makes a good first lead climb is a crack with frequent good stances and rest options, and a variety of placement options mostly in the .75-3 range.  

The reason to carry extra gear on your early leads is not because you need to lace up the crack but because you might not see all of the options to place a variety of gear at each stance so having a variety of gear to fit the limited options that are seen is very helpful.  This leads to seemingly large racks for short pitches but helps build confidence which is important in early leads.  

My first trad lead was Dusty Eyes (5.4) in Squamish quickly followed by a bunch of 5.8s also in the Smoke Bluffs.

Yeah, the TR access makes it a little harder but like stated beforehand you should look into Vantage. It has sport routes you could lead to access the anchors to whatever trad line you're eyeing.
Zigzag has easy sport lines in your grade that are close to some easy trad lines (little chossy too).
Depends on want kind of trad you want though. Like Briggs said, you probably want plenty of face hold on the route so Vantage is right up your alley.

What part of Washington? Pretty big area. You could be several hours drive from most of the suggestions. More info would lead to better suggestions.

Hey all, thanks for all the suggestions! Going to take me a bit to get things sorted, then I’ll probably be asking specific rack questions.

I am in the greater Seattle area and usually climb within a 4 or so hour driving range on any given weekend, so Squamish is within striking distance, as are vantage and Mt. Erie.

For gear choices, what exactly constitutes a rack? Is it one piece per size up to a max, or is it common to have doubles of certain sizes which are most common?

Thanks again everyone. I’m currently doing family stuff so can’t respond to everything right away. Some you who have a messaged me I’ll try and respond after the weekend 

I'll second the squamish crew. Klahanie crack is money but you would need a leader to set the top rope first. A rack is a very general term. Having a broad range is important, from small nuts and cams to large hexes and at least up to a number 4 cam. It's definitely nice to have doubles  in the .5 to 3 range. However, what you need for each climb can vary pretty widely so it's nice to have options. I usually try to carry a bit more than I need for a route but don't usually have my full rack on the route with me. Some routes you may need triples or quadruples of one or two sizes. At Smith Rock, on the Tuff cracks are very inconsistent and flare inward so nuts, and offsets are nice to have. Occasionally even hexes. So build a good base, with doubles in the mid range and make some friends who have even more options for you. Have fun be safe!

I'm a beginner, and I have found a bunch of great easy trad leads at Erie. Hit me up if you are up this way and need someone to decode Erie trail maps or need recommendations.

Typically a rack is a single set of stoppers, a single set of cams, and a few other odds and ends like tricams, hexes, or ballnuts per personal preference.  If a "double rack" is mentioned that usually means doubling up on cams and usually comes with a size range.  My personal rack is double cams (BD X4s, C4s, and Ultralights) from 0.1 to 4 and a single 5 and 6, a full set of DMM Wall nuts (1-11) and DMM offset nuts in the bigger sized (6-11?).  Every once in a while my wife will sneak a couple of tricams into the rack and maybe a big hex if she feels like I haven't been training enough lately.   

I find as I get better at gear placements I feel comfortable stepping off the ground with less gear.  If the route is straightforward and easy to read then it's even better.  There were a few climbs that I got on last weekend that I felt comfortable with taking 4 cams and some small nuts and could tell from the ground where they would go but that's not usually the norm.

All of that said, I'd recommend climbing on your partner's/mentor's rack and getting some experience with it before buying your own gear.  A full rack is a big investment and it's a lot easier to get the right gear for you if you already have some experience on someone else's gear.  Just be considerate of it.  I let new leaders climb on my rack all the time and just ask that they don't bounce test my cams carelessly and that they replace any gear that they get stuck beyond recovery.  I haven't had anyone lose any gear yet but there was a close call with a nut last summer.

Mike B wrote: Hey all, thanks for all the suggestions! Going to take me a bit to get things sorted, then I’ll probably be asking specific rack questions.

I am in the greater Seattle area and usually climb within a 4 or so hour driving range on any given weekend, so Squamish is within striking distance, as are vantage and Mt. Erie.

For gear choices, what exactly constitutes a rack? Is it one piece per size up to a max, or is it common to have doubles of certain sizes which are most common?

Thanks again everyone. I’m currently doing family stuff so can’t respond to everything right away. Some you who have a messaged me I’ll try and respond after the weekend 

If you happen to be able to purchase the book for the areas, they say what a "standard _____ rack" is at the beginning of the book. I didn't realize until later struggling on a routes that the "standard rack" of the place was a double rack to 2", not just a single rack with nuts.

Jumping in here late. Squamish's Sugarloaf in Murrin Park is perfect for a budding leader. There's three 5.4s and one 5.6, all lower angle and relatively short (40-50 feet). I've taught a few people to lead there.

Routes on MP often include the recommended rack under the protection section for the route. A standard rack is typically cams in sizes 0.5 - 3 with doubles in sizes that are used more frequently. Many people just carry doubles of 0.5 - 3 once you own them. You'd then add a set of nuts for smaller placements and larger cams as needed for specific routes.

Chromosome cracks, Roto wall, BBDD, and mountaineers dome in the icicle are all roadside, easily toproped, take good gear,  and offer 5.2 to 5.9 . they're also pretty short so you wouldn't need much gear to lead. 

Smily kylee is a longer single pitch at Index has easy to access anchors, and goes at 5.8- (with a dozen other moderates in the same area)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the suggestions, anyone trying to get outside this week/weekend?

-Mike

Mike B wrote: Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the suggestions, anyone trying to get outside this week/weekend?

-Mike

Where you going?

F loyd wrote:

Where you going?

Nowhere in particular, right now I’m free to head out somewhere tomorrow and maybe this weekend. Basically running a bunch of errands around Seattle. But if someone is trying to climb I can meet up. 

Unfortunately the schedule is filling up. But shoot me an email if you’re interested or have times / locations in mind and I’ll let you know if I can make it. Basically anywhere in the cascades or up to the Columbia is fair game driving wise