How did you learn to trad climb?

Read  books,  bouldered a lot,  got out with  a co worker.  Practiced a lot.  It feels like today's climbers tend to over think  trad climbing.  It really is  no big deal.  It's  just  climbing.  Do it a bunch and you will get good at it.  If you buy a bunch of gear  and only  fondle it while you top rope and spurt climb you will never get it.

Fan Ywrote:

The next day we went to the Precipice. Our veteran leaders were timidly trying Connecticut Cracks and one after another bailed. I volunteered to give it a go and retrieve the bail gear. I remember placing small nuts and C3s for the first time, and standing on a perch before the crux section, watching one piece after another pop out and sliding down the rope to my belayer. I had never been a person to shy away from a good challenge (and was obviously too ignorant to know the danger I was in) thus I pressed on. I essentially soloed the route with a rope and got away unscathed. 

I'm amazed the mitoc safety police let this happen...

Went to Joshua Tree alone with a shiny new single rack, having followed a few routes in the valley and read a bunch of pdfs. 

The scariest part was asking people to let me climb with them. At least I was good at slab, so I wasn't entirely a useless partner. Anyway, 2+ years later my passion project is teaching this stuff to people who can't find mentors. Pay it forward if you can, even if it's just for one day. 

Big Redwrote:

I'm amazed the mitoc safety police let this happen...

That was my reaction as well. I can't imagine that story happening on a mitoc trip. 

My climbing partner and I learned to trad climb by reading some anchor books, getting a guide to teach us placements and test our anchor building skills, buying gear, doing a few mock leads and then just going for it way below our limit. We spent several outings just cruising Devils Lake moderates. Went pretty smoothly overall. 

I went top roping a few times then bought a set of nuts and a set of hexes - loaded up and went to Seneca Rocks.  Found a partner in the parking lot - we climbing Old Mans (soloed to the last pitch - he led that).  Went over to do Greenwall (it was rated easier back in 83) - I led - finished my first lead and met a guy at the top of the route - he said nice lead on Tomato - I said no Greenwall - he pointed over to the obvious green wall.  My first ever lead - Tomato on nuts and hexes.  That's how I learned.  I also learned to read a guidebook better real quick.

Chris Ricewrote:

I also learned to read a guidebook better real quick.

Regarding today's photo-detailed routes on MP: many old guides mainly contained text descriptions of routes - a black art for the unfamiliar to decipher.

First I read some books, bought a second-hand rack from a friend, and got someone to go with me a few times to J Tree. At this point I was an idiot and thought I knew what I was doing.

Then I connected with an experienced climber who mentored me at Tahquitz through about 10 multipitch climbs. That was awesome. After that experience, I was an idiot and thought I knew what I was doing.

Then I kept on climbing with various people. I don't know if I'm still an idiot in 2022, since the definition of being an idiot is you don't know you're an idiot.

Since I live in So Cal, what would have been a lot smarter would have been to take the SCMA class before I did anything else.

Built top rope anchors at Devils Lake for a couple years then climbed Devils Tower with hex’s and nuts.  

When I was traveling to Suesca, Colombia, I hired a local guide. I paid him about $250 to take me out privately for 5 days. First 2 days I placed gear on the ground and followed him up a bunch of routes, then I started leading and taking whippers. My first lead was an aid climb.

the first time i went "trad climbing" my partner lead the first two pitches, i think they were 8'ish or 9'ish.  the third pitch was a 6 and he asked if i wanted to lead it. and there you have it, still sketching after all these years...

I'm still learning 

“I’ll lead one. Then you lead one.”

got put on a sport climb that had some runout sections so my partnwr loaded me up with his single rack, turned out it was actually a trad route that had 2 bolts, bought my own rack the next week.

We learned from the books Basic Rockcraft and Advanced Rockcraft by Royal Robbins in 1974.  We would read the book and do what it said.  Slow but effective.

We climbed here: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/112299431/moscow-mountain

and here: https://www.mountainproject.com/area/105834465/granite-point

Used hexes and stoppers. Pitons were unethical.  Bolts were just being invented and were still 1/4 inch placed up to 1-1/2 inches deep in granite. We used Vibram soled hiking boots and wore swami belts of 1-inch tubular webbing instead of harnesses. Hip belay like it says in the book.  The Stich plate was invented but we didn't get one until later.  Still have a bunch of that gear.  It belongs in a museum.

I learned from a very experienced mentor who I get to climb with often. Bought a bunch of gear, practiced placements on the ground, and taking falls on gear backed up (on TR). From there, just climbing as much as possible and continuing to learn through experience. Have found some videos to be helpful, as well as a few days out with a guide to validate what I've learned so far.

In lieu of a mentor, I'd say videos (this channel has high quality videos- https://www.youtube.com/c/VIDEORACLES) books, and getting out with a guide are good places to start.

Pandemic struck, sport climbing areas shut down. Partner (now wife) and I wanted to climb anyways. Learned from books and easy climbs that protected well. I've fallen on my gear so I guess we just figured it out. It all comes down to having a good head on your shoulders, being able to think about why a placement is good, not falling when it would be bad. Number 1 rule is place good gear at the anchor

The short answer to the question is probably 'badly'.

Looking back it was 'mainly' great fun, and left me with some good stories(*). However it was just down to dumb luck that nobody got more seriously hurt than they did.

Early 90's I went to University in North Wales got into hill walking and scrambling, so second year thought I'd join the climbing club as it seemed the logical next step. The university climbing club had the wonderful name BUMS, Bangor University Mountaineering Society.

I'm sure BUMS are a very sensible lot these days   but back then it was a bit more wild west, I'd don't remember anything formal about it. Just a minibus and guys to climb with. I also got hooked on slate, mainly due to the number 77 bus going near the quarries. Back then slate was even more dodgy than it is now, it had passed its super cool 80's phase and not many would climb on it, sketchy trad and the odd sparse suspect bolt. Seemed to be an idea that if the crux couldn't be protected and falling would result in a ground fall then a bolt could be added, but after the crux as a reward!

The people I mainly climbed with were as cluless as I was, hitting the ground was not unheard of. However I learnt from my mistakes, such as falling the whole length of a 12m route which taught me not to say 'safe' until I actually was. Or that if blood is leaving your lower lower leg in very bright red spurts clamping down on the back of knee helps. All useful stuff. I think its no coincidence that on the way back to Bangor the 77 bus route stopped at the hospital A&E (ER).

Eventually found it was worth the effort of getting into the Llanberis Pass, or up into the Carneddau or Glyder mountains and never looked back.

Edit: * One invloves a high bridge, a pair of old ropes, a lot of freefall, a future pro climber and too much beer before hand.

Early on I wisely invested in that most valuable of gear.

Rope guns.

Best, Helen

Firmly in my learning/I'm gonna die phase but so far
* Plenty of reading on placing/critiquing pro, anchors, self-rescue.
* Playing with pro in my backyard/bottom of the crag
* Supplementing sport routes
* Leading on easier grades
* Leading after top rope rehearsal
* Intentional falls with and without bolts below gear
Eight clean leads. Two unintentional falls. Three downclimbs/backed off. Haven't yet had the opportunity to climb with an experienced trad leader but I'm open to it

Marine Corps Assault Climber and Summer Mountain Leader courses