There are many types of climbing out there. One of the most popular ones is known as trad or traditional climbing. This is where you climb with your gear and place it as you go up. Some prefer trad climbing over sports climbing or bouldering because of the sense of adventure. The thrill climbers get are from scaling up the side of a crag and the anxiousness of making the smallest of mistakes leading to catastrophe.
So is trad climbing dangerous? Many would consider trad climbing as more dangerous than other types of climbing because of the dangers associated with it. Others would say trad climbing is safer because of the equipment that will break any falls. Come learn about the risks associated with trad climbing and how to avoid or lessen these risks.
Key Takeaways
- There are dangers in trad climbing that are associated with gear, experience, route, rock knowledge, and communication.
- While trad climbing is risky, taking care of your gear and having a mentor who is willing to teach you reduces the dangers of trad climbing.
- Trad climbing might be dangerous, but other forms of climbing might be considered to be more dangerous.
Dangers in Trad Climbing
Trad climbing is all about placing the hooks and quickdraws as you climb up, which poses many dangers. Here are some of the dangers that are associated with gear, experience, and the route itself during a trad climb:
Gear failure
One of the greatest fear of any trad climber is their gear failing. There could be several reasons why this might happen. The hook placements might be loose or weren’t properly placed. The rope might suddenly snap as you are climbing or the belay device is not working properly. Trad climbing depends a lot on a climber’s trust in their gear. But if that gear fails them, then it could lead to very serious injuries or worse.
Straying from Routes
One of the common mistakes that could lead to a big risk is straying from the route. Climbers first assess the crag they are encountering from the bottom, looking up and seeing which path they must take to climb. They also mentally map out the places where they have to place their equipment. But the problem (and the risk) with this is the perspective of the climber. It might seem easy to assess from the bottom but once you are climbing you see that the path isn’t good.
This leads to climbers straying from the route and going through sections of the crag that might seem natural but is more dangerous. Trad climbing is an adventure so climbers often wander and stuck in risky situations as a result.
Long Runouts
From straying, the other risk that a climber might encounter is long runouts. This means that there is a great distance between two hooks in the route. This puts the lead climber at great risk because they have to climb without the safety net of a rope to break their fall. And like a domino effect, this will put the other climbers at risk as well. You might think it is easy to place the hooks in but often times the rock formation does not allow a good placement and that’s why long runouts occur in trad climbing.
Heavy Equipment
If you are a trad climber, you will know how heavy your bag gets carrying all the equipment around. This is especially the case for the lead climbers who will have to carry all the hooks and quickdraws with them that will weigh them down. Along with your own weight, you also carry the weight of your gear which could weigh as much as you. Being weighed down like this puts a trad climber at risk because of how tiring it is to carry all everything. And a tired person tends to lose focus and make small mistakes which could lead to accidents on a climb.
Availability of Gear
If that wasn’t enough, you might even forget a gear or two as you are climbing! You might deem an extra hook or two unnecessary when you are climbing but realize midway that you are lacking in hooks to fully send the climb. Not to mention that a climber may drop their equipment in a lapse of concentration and rue their mistake.
Hanging from your rope trying to figure out the best way to scale puts a climber at numerous risks that they could not foresee from the bottom. This late realization might prove costly for not just the lead climber, but also the other climbers behind them.
Quality of Gear
Trad climbers have to place a lot of faith in their gear. Without it, they are at the mercy of gravity with nothing protecting them. That is why if the quality of the gear is not at its highest, then the dangers that climbers will face will only increase. If the quality of the gear is poor, then a climber runs the risk of more gear failures while climbing. The bolts and hooks have to carry the weight of the climber so the quality must be at its best during the climb.
Miscommunication
When you are hanging off the side of a crag, you have to worry about the wind which can block out communication. And communication is key for climbers to know when to belay, climb up, or place equipment. Miscommunications between climbers lead to more injury than you could think of. It is quite difficult to communicate in a situation where your adrenaline is pumping and you don’t notice your climbing buddies saying something.
Knowledge of Rocks
When placing the hooks and bolts, it is important to know the rocks. Granite is the best type of rock for trad climbing because they are hard and have fewer pores in them. This makes them ideal for trad climbing. But if you encounter sandstone while climbing, your hooks might not be sturdy enough to stay in place. That is why it is important to know what type of rocks you are climbing, otherwise you risk falling because the gear is not secured properly.
Inexperience
A beginner is more likely to make mistakes than a more experienced veteran climber. Trad climbing is such an activity that small mistakes are punished more heavily than others. When climbing in a group, an inexperienced climber’s mistake could put the whole team in danger. There is little room for error which is what makes trad climbing even more dangerous than it already is.
Weather Changes
The bane of any climber is sudden weather changes. Rain could make your hooks loose or make the surface too slippery to climb. High winds could cause ropes to get tangled and make climbers move way more than they would like to. Sunny weather may be a welcome change for some, but the heat from it might make a climber tired very quickly. And let’s not even talk about snow, which could be the most devastating thing for a trad climber if they don’t have the equipment to tackle snowy surfaces.
Reducing the Risk of Trad Climbing
With all the dangers and risks of trad climbing, there are still ways to help reduce the risks associated with it. With this knowledge and a bit of foresight, a trad climber can easily avoid the dangers of trad climbing.
Practicing with Gear
As they say, ‘practice makes perfect’, it goes for trad climbing too. What makes trad climbing different from other climbing is placing the gear as you send a climb. So it is vital that you practice placing your gear.
At the base of your climb, you could place a bolt and a carabiner and hang from it to assess the weight you will be carrying around. Also, it is important to study the rock formation to see if there are any loose rocks and how they will react to being bolted and hooked. It is also important that your harness is safely secured on your body and that there are no loose or moving parts to it that might put you in danger. Walk around with it and understand how it moves as you move.
A great way to practice with gear is first top roping make sure that you have enough practice with your gear and examine the route you will need to take. Trad climbing is all about risk assessments and the more you practice with your gear the less likely you are to the dangers associated with it.
Mentored by Experienced Climbers
Nothing beats having experience on your side while climbing. That is why for beginners and someone that is just starting, it is important to follow a mentor that is willing to teach. It is also vital that you gain this experience on less difficult routes. That way, you can both gain experience from your mentor and gain confidence in your climbing ability. The more confident you are, the better you will at climbing.
Regular Gear Checkups and Maintenance
After each climb, make sure to always check up on your gear. Check your ropes for fraying or breaking along their length. Check whether your belay device is working properly or not. Make sure that your bolts, hooks, carabiners, and slings are in optimal condition. These are things that will be your lifeline during a climb so it is important to care for them accordingly.
And after each climb, you will have to maintain your gear as well. Wash your ropes according to the instruction. Wipe away any dirt and chalk from your gear as well. Regular checkups and maintenance go a long way to reducing the dangers of trad climbing. Your gear should be everything.
Effective Communication
In a group, communication is key to trad climbing. Have walkie-talkies equipped with each other and mobile phones in case someone gets lost. The more effective your communication is, the smoother your climbs will be. Create signals and key phrases with your group so that you can understand what to do. The more you climb as a group, the more effective your communication will become and the safer the climb will be.
Packing Emergency Equipment
Yes, your equipment will be heavy when climbing. But having emergency equipment such as ration, raincoats, DIY first aid supplies, torches, etc., are all important for climbers to have in their bags. You never know when an emergency might occur during a climb. Being prepared helps to lower that risk and it also might end up saving your and your buddies’ life during the state of emergency.
Trad vs Other Climbing Danger Comparison
Unlike trad climbing, sports climbing is considered to be a much safer form of climbing. This is because the hooks and bolts are already set up that the person has to climb through and attack their quickdraws. Yes, there are still dangers with sports climbing like trad climbing, where the gear might pop out or the rope might snap or you injure yourself. But because the gear is pre-placed, some of the risk factors are considerably less than trad climbing.
Bouldering, on the other hand, is quite dangerous compared to both sports and trad climbing. It is a rope-free form of climbing where you scale using just your strength and endurance. There are safety measures, for example placing a mat above where you are climbing. But there are still dangers to missing the mat while falling or hitting a rock as you are falling and changing direction away from the mats mid-fall.
That is why outdoor bouldering is considered a lot more dangerous than trad climbing in terms of the injuries you might face doing so.
FAQs
Can you fall on trad gear?
When it is safely placed and secured properly, then yes you can fall on your trad gear and the rope will break your fall.
Can you solo trad climb?
Yes, you can solo trad climb! It is known as soloing. However, it is best to have people around you in cases of emergency. Only solo trad climb if you are very experienced at it.
What is the safest form of climbing?
Top roping is generally seen as the safest form of climbing as you are protected by people up top and down below.
Final Thoughts
Whatever type of climbing there is, it is still an extreme sport that could lead to injuries and possible fatalities. Trad and sports climbing have added benefit of ropes and gear protecting your fall. There are many possible ways that could make trad climbing dangerous. However, if you are careful and take care of your gear properly, then you reduce the dangers associated with climbing by a large amount. As long as you are having fun and ensuring the safety of everyone involved, then trad climbing will not be dangerous.
