How to set up a toprope?

I've been climbing for about 4 years. I haven't done much outdoor climbing and I want to start now. I've climbed outside, but I haven't set up a rope. I was just wondering what are the basic steps and what gear do I need to set up a toprope. What about sport climbing? Thanks

Hey Logan, I would reccomend starting with Rock Climbing: Mastering the Basics to give you a basic level of education and then seeking out some hands on training. This could be in the form of a professional guiding service, a local climbing group/college club or a friend who is a climber and you trust with your safety. I was in the same situation a little over a year ago and found a class at my local rec center that taught me how to sport lead and the instructor was kind enough to take us outside on his own time and teach us how to rig a top rope. (thanks Cushman)

I'm sympathetic to the fact that it sounds much easier to go read a book/website and go apply it in real life, but the consequences of doing something wrong in rock climbing are so high I think you will find most people advise hands on learning with a pro.

An addendum, I've found there's two books on anchors, John Long's and Craig Luebben's. I bought Long's first but having read Craig's Rock climbing book I found I preferred his style. I would say Long's is more of a casual, anecdotal style whereas Craig's is more of a scientific, egineering style (as he was a mechanical engineer).

The books will reinforce this, but the single most important skillset you need to develop is that you always always always have a redundant/backup system. With most sport routes, this is simple: 2 bolts for anchors, not one. One bolt will hold the load, so the 2nd one is there primarily for backup (other aspects like equalization come into play, but that is not relevant here). if you are using ropes and slings off of trees and rocks, you always run off of 2 (minimum) different supports. Even if you have a 80' tall healthy pine with a 12" trunk (the rope would break before it pulls out), you still get a redundant system in. This has to become absolutely 2nd nature, something you'll do instinctively and every time, it is the number one safety rule we all have been taught and it quite likely will save your ass someday.

A couple other points: with the rings or whatever at the top of sport routes, DO NOT run a top rope straight through! Use slings and locking biners. The grit in the rope wears them out, someone has to replace them eventually. They are for lowering/rapping only. Admonish anyone else you see doing this (gently). This is a self-policing policy most of us here engage in and it has reduced the wear and tear on anchors we see.
Also, after you have set the rope up (with gear and slings), have the biggest dude there grab it and do some violent monkey swings and bounces on it from the ground to test it.
Last, while you are stumbling around at the top of the crag, be aware that you are in a dangerous situation not only for you but those on the ground and take triple precautions.

hey logan.in my own opinion.dont read a book,find a friend or someone that can set up a toprope with you watching.i tried reading mongoose told you about,which is a awsome book.But best way to learn it is to go out and do it with someone that can.Once you learn it you wont forget it.Its super fun and easy in my opinion.

After building anchors with 1" tubular webbing for a long time I switched over to using an 80 foot chunk of static rope (which you can buy by the foot at REI) and I will never go back.

It's durable and versatile, especially when I use a short tail of it to rap closer to the edge to work on the anchor safely (assuming there are trees or cracks set back from the top).

I've been chewed out on this site before for telling people to seek a knowledgeable person to show them these type of things, so I'm not going to do that. In fact I'll do the opposite. If you've been climbing for 4 years, you probably have at least a general understanding of your safety and limitations.

I learned a huge amount about anchor building from Craig Luebben's book and my gold standard top-rope anchor is exactly what he diagrams; works wonderfully. I simply never had the luxury of having a mentor/partner to show me these things.

It seems to me that the majority of accidents that happen top-roping occur due to complacency (doesn't matter how experienced you are). I would suggest working out a system that you can keep straight and that is fairly easy to double check visually for safety.

And sometimes it's the little things that introduce danger into your system, like forgetting to lock your 'biners and making sure that the rope hangs clean away from a sharp edge.

As a final note, like Mike Lane said, you can certainly practice these things without putting your safety at risk. It's not too hard to just build an anchor, hang a rope, then go to the bottom and bounce on the rope. Even better, if you have a friend with you, leave him up top to monitor how well the legs of your anchor are equalized when weighted.

Sorry for the dissertation on TR'ing, Get out there and have fun!

you need to watch 'Take it to the Limit' for REAL toprope hints.

If you are climbing in a gym for 4 years chances are you know someone who knows how to set anchors outdoors. Talk to people in your gym, i`m sure someone will show you the way.

Thank you for asking this Logan. I have been only climbing two weeks now, and I wanted to know the same thing. I will be checking the Lehi Library to see if I can find these books.
Everyone is so nice and helpful here, I am going to find the Take It To The Limit movie as well. This is such a great resource.
J.F.S.

Books are great and I learned a lot from them. The problem is that before you trust yours and your partner's life to your very first TR setup, a book cannot look over it with a practiced eye and point out where you went wrong, what you forgot, what you should redo and how it could be better and safer. Books are great for helping you recognize really bad setups and dangerous situations. But there is really no substitute for that live review of your ropes. I was fortunate enough to start with a climber who was experienced, certified and a stickler for safety. And as much as I really, really wanted to go setup my own ropes (cause I had read a lot), I was willing to be patient and watch him, then setup a dozen or more different TRs under different conditions with his review before he was positive I could setup safely and bombproof on any crag. He was quite thorough. And since it's my wife and kids who are climbing my setups, I'm glad he was. A book cannot do that.

That being said, I have about a half dozen books on TR and anchors. They have been great for adding to my knowledge base. But book learning cannot compare to real world teaching.

Since you're located in Madison, check out Hoofer Mountaineering Club ( hoofermountaineering.org ). If you're not a student at the UW, you can still become a member by joining the Wisconsin Union. You can learn everything there, and meet people to go climbing with and teach you.

J.F. Sebastian wrote: I am going to find the Take It To The Limit movie as well.