Intermediate Trad Leading

From HVS - E3 / 5.8 - 5.11 / 18 - 23 - the difficult progression

In this section we'll be trying to give you hints and tips about building a rack for the more serious climberwho is looking to advance in their trad leading and to move into more difficult territory.

In a way this grade sequence is probably the most difficult to crack, routes begin to get steeper, scarier and with harder moves further from gear you really need to know what you're doing. Also as the rock steepens the quicker a placement can be sorted the quicker you can get moving.

Also to some degree once you're set at this level then your gear knowledge should take you through the next grades to make better choices as well.

Within this category we've selected people from the US, UK and Australia to give their verdicts on what constitutes the best choice for those areas. Over time this may even be reduced further for differing venues depending on what advice is given....

The first advice is based around the specific conditions in the UK and comes from - Richie Patterson - Former UK Sales Manager / Product Designer for Wild Country

"I started climbing in Northumberland in about 1982, on the short sandstone routes there (very similar in scale to gritstone) and bizarrely enough mainly ended up soloing rather than leading routes. This was because the routes there tended to be very poorly protected and leading often wasn’t very difficult to soloing.

So when I actually came to lead my first routes I had soloed routes much harder than I dared lead (I’d been soloing up to HVS and E1) and as soon as I got a rope on I didn’t know what to do with it, or the strange dangly bits of metal around my waist. Therefore for this reason I became a little obsessed with gear, how it worked, what it did and how was the best way to use it. Once I got my first couple of leads under my belt my physical ability meant that I leapt a few grades and moved onto leading HVS almost immediately.

And moving through this and the next grades, was for me, most aligned with learning how a rack worked, and how to put one together. This was also at the time gear had started to evolve rapidly but was a different world to the one we are in now. People were only just moving from flat sided nuts to curved ones, from Hexes to cams, and from double krabs to Quickdraws.

Therefore the rack I am selecting is mainly to reflect multi pitch climbing in the UK, from the volcanic rock of the Lakes, Wales and Scotland, to Yorkshire Limestone, Cornish Granite, Pembroke and Gogarth seacliffs – and hopefully lots of places in between."

 

Mid Grade UK - Richie Patterson's Ideal Rack

One thing I would say about the gear selection at this grade is that it will probably your heaviest rack. This is because it is the time that you are venturing into more difficult territory with less ‘guessable’ terrain and until you are clear about how all the bits of kit work, interact and complement each other it is difficult judge what to take and what to leave behind. As more experience at placing gear and skill at judging routes and rock types is gained ironically the less gear you’ll carry – however, you’ll still need a big pool of gear to select from so none of this will be wasted.

I have broken the advice down into bite size categories based around what I see as the 'natural' breaks in size of products and based on how I would categorize and rack up...so here we go:

 

Micro Nuts

For smaller or thinner and more awkward placements these are essential kit for moving up in these grades. As much as the size it can also be the width of these micro nuts that matters, as in thin seams it is often this dimension which stops a placement, or hooks up. All of these weigh very little so can even be doubled up or added to without too much problem. Just note the breaking strains of the smaller ones are not great so don’t just lob off onto them without thought.

Mini Rocks 0 – ¾ - All are below the size of a Rock and their rounded edges and straight sides are a great fit in thin seams. 4 Units.

Superlight Rocks 1 – 4 Although moving into Rock territory in terms of size these new nuts are much less wide and therefore fit into placements standard Rocks won’t. 4 Units.

I’d also recommend the original RPs if you can get hold of them as the best of the brass nuts out there. And some of the Offset Brass nuts produced by HB before they went bust…

 

Nuts – Standard

New Rocks 1 – 8 – I’d recommend two sets up to this size. This gives a lot of leeway and it’s amazing how many you can use on a long pitch, especially one that doesn’t suit cams e.g Left Wall. If you can, change to new anodised Rocks – the anodising takes a couple of goes to get used to but once sorted it makes spotting the right size on the rack and selecting from the bunch on the krab much quicker. They also have tapered sides now which I feel really aids ‘end-on’ placements and the larger sizes are lighter than they were. 16 Units.

Note: if you’re looking for a value way of doing this then two sets of Classic Rocks 1-10 would suffice but they are heavier, not colour co-ordinated, flat sided, not as big….and just not as good…

 

Bigger Nuts

Rocks 9 – 12 – Once you get into this size Friends become more useful and prevalent but I’d still recommend, especially when you’re in the HVS / E1 territory, to carry a few of these. They’re not heavy for their size but are very re-assuring when in. 4 Units

Seacliff Tip – At Pembroke or Gogarth I’d definitely recommend carrying at least 3 extra units around this size, probably Rockcentrics no’s 5, 6, 7 or an extra Rock 13 / 14 - racked with the big nuts. Both these crags suit big nuts better than cams and the Rockcentrics on Dyneema have their own extender built in. Carry a couple of spare single krabs for use with them stored on your 5th gear loop.

 

Nuts Tips – Racking

  1. Try to rack your gear evenly on a number of krabs. Micros on one. Nuts 1 – 4 on another, 5 – 8 on another, then 9, 10, 11, 12. This makes them quicker and easier to select and also to replace on the rack. Also if you drop a set you haven’t lost all your nuts…and yes it does happen.
  2. Racking karabiners – don’t worry about an extra krab here or there as if you’ve chosen light ones the weight won’t kill you – and one day as you crawl onto a belay after having used everything on your rack you’ll be glad you had a couple extra to utilize.

 

Cams - Small

New Longstem Zeros 3 – 6 - These are expensive but their usefulness and their relative lack of weight, flexibility and useability make them a brilliant addition to the rack. These sizes cover down to about Rock 3 and up to Rock 7 and the same sizes as Technical Friends 00 to 0.5....obviously the Tech Friends will cover these sizes and do a very good job at a better price but if we are putting together the ultimate rack then Zeros are my choice...

Technical Friends 1 and 1.5 – The Zeros cover the bottom end very well but these two cams are essential for wide fingerish cracks to thin hand size cracks.

 

Cams Medium / Big

Technical Friends 2, 2.5, 3 – This final choice depends on the route selected and to go bigger than a three when there is no obvious indication that you’ll get it in is really a call between weight and paranoia…I’d tend to think that this number of cams overall gives a good coverage on an average UK pitch, and these three final units should cover up to around handjam size.

 

Friends Tips – Racking

Zero / Friend racking - There are differing opinions on this but I would carry each unit on a separate krab as I feel it is easier to select them. Also if they don’t need extending you can move on quicker.

 

Quickdraws + Krabs

This is a tricky area as what one person likes another may not; some prefer wiregates, some solid gates, each has their pros and cons. Personally I prefer wire gates and my suggestion would be along the lines of around 13 Quickdraws consisting of:
5 x Helium QD - 1 x 10cm, 5 x 15cm, 1 x 20 - the ultimate wiregate, light very very strong, and a no-hook nose for easy unclipping. Expensive.

8 x Xenon QD - 2 x 10cm, 4 x 15 cm, 2 x 20cm - a great all-rounder, thin, light and easy to clip with a hooded nose and at a great price.

I would also carry 3 spare Xenon biners on my fifth gear loop as back up biners.

A value option here would be to use Wild Wires – very good all rounders but heavier and with no ‘nose-protection’ - but at a great price. You will get one less QD for the same weight though.

If you prefer solidgates then a combination of ‘no-hook’ nose Oxygen QDs are really strong and safe and the new Blaze QD is a great value all rounder.

 

Slings

Under normal circumstances I would carry:
1 x 120cm sling 10mm Dyneema – ideal for belaying + 1 screwgate biner.
1 x 60 cm sling 10mm dyneema + 1 x screwgate biner.
1 x 60cm 10mm dyneema + a wiregate biner.

Value for money option - you could switch to 12mm Dyneema and not gain a lot of weight but save a few pennies.

Seacliff Tips – For seacliff climbing I’d carry at least one extra 60cm sling with a wiregate on especially for Pembroke where there are loads of threads. I’d also take of my 15cm QDs, strip it and make a QD with another 60cm sling doubled. You’re probably getting the idea that seacliffs and longer extenders go together well…

 

Screwgates

A year ago I’d have gone for Titan screwgates allround – they have a great shape and are easy to clip. However, now at only an extra 4 grams I’d certainly use Oxygen screws. I think the ‘no-hook’ nose is so much easier to use when setting belays and unclipping. So I’d carry those on my slings.

 

Belay Device

An important choice. Especially if you are going to be doing the sort of all round routes at this grade where many end or start in abseils, sometimes free. Also when you're pushing the grade and falls are very likely to be involved you need to be certain. And finally to save the embarrassment as you lock the device up just as your mate shouts 'SLACK'....

Having used the prototype I’d go for a VC Pro – which hits all these buttons really well. Good slick paying out, great braking and solid abseiling down to 8mm ropes. A real winner. Either with a Synergy or to save a few grams I’d use a Titan/ Oxygen Locker.

Abseiling tip - If you're nervous or simply want even more control then if you add a second krab between your ropes and the belay device this will make the braking very certain and controllable. Ideal on free abs or very thin ropes.

 

Harnesses

My choice would be the simple but very effective Helix Mens. Light, but solid with elasticated legs for a bit of extra clothing or weight gain. Also one other advantage is the Ziplock buckle, which is not only very safe and secure, but is much easier to tighten fully even when the harness is loaded....Great for the lazy climber who doesn't strip his rack each time.....A really good buy. Read Review

If I was choosing an adjustable I’d go for a Matrix. Very flexible and ‘wrap-around’ without too much bulk and i designed it...read review.

Harnesses Tip – Choosing the right one - This can be a tricky decision – it’s difficult to justify having lots of different harnesses so many people at the moment are opting for an adjustable leg loop one to cover all eventualities. However, if you’re not winter climbing I would still opt for a non-adjustable, they’re simpler and lighter. Importantly, all Wild Country harness have five gear loops (except the XS womens) which is the best option for trad climbing – as you can use the back loop to store belay plate, Ropeman + spare biners in an out of the way spot…

 

Rope Choice

The decisions I would make would depend on the type of climber, their experience and what they are looking to do in the future with their climbing. I would break this down into three categories of climbers and recommend ropes from this:

Experienced Climber - climbing HVS / E1 not really wanting to push their grade, climbing a couple of times a month – mainly in good conditions and not on sea cliffs much – a non dry 9mm 50m would be perfect. So I’d recommend the Infinity Enduro 9mm 50m – great value long lasting all rounder.

Less experienced Climber - climbing HVS / E1 and really wanting to push their grade, climbing as often as they can in all conditions and on a variety of cliffs – a dry 9mm 50m would be perfect. So I’d recommend the Infinity Super Enduro 9mm 50m – even more hardwearing due to the duble dry coating.

Experienced Climber – climbing E2/3, pushing the boat out a bit and climbing a reasonable amount in all conditions and on a variety of cliffs – dry 8.4mm 60m should be ideal. So the Infinity Sprint 8.4mm is ideal. A bit lighter and a bit slicker for the more aware climber.

Infinity Ropes – Although these are not strictly a Wild Country product they have been designed by Martin Atkinson to complement the Wild Country range and ethos by making sure they are ideal for the UK trad climbing scene; great value, hardwearing and very very useable….

 

Rock Shoes Choice

Once again this choice depends very much on experience and exactly where and what you're doing but there should definitely be a shoe to fit from the Red Chili range.

Personally, I think the Impact Zone models either Lace or Velcro make great shoes for longer days where their foam filled heels will cope with any walking down. Either of these will certainly perform to a high enough standard for most things in this grade, maybe the Velcro being a bit sharper.

If you're really pushing through the grades and want a more streamlined boot to take you further then the new super sharp Corona would be a great bet for the extra precision it brings.
Shoe Tip - Remember the longer the routes you're doing the longer you'll be in the shoes so avoid buying them too tight or you may find your performance going down rather than improving....

 

Rock Type

Finally below are some ideas of variations I'd bear in mind for your rack when moving between rock types. Each rock is different with variations on how crack accept nuts or friends and other small things which need to be observed when choosing gear....

Gritstone Amendments - On gritsone or sandstone it’s much easier to get a better idea of what the route’s going to entail so you can probably tailor your rack a lot better from the ground. Millstone finger cracks – more nuts less Friends – Stanage wide overhanging cracks more Friends less nuts. In general I’d probably carry less QDs, say 8 or 9 and probably a few less wires and more Friends. And remember generally you can always walk down to get stuff for the belay if you haven’t taken enough.

Limestone Amendments - Vertical limestone cracks are generally better for nuts than cams, they are never very flat sided and so more big Rocks + Rockcentrics are great and much more satisfying to stonk in. Horizontals take cams better, but just make sure the crack doesn’t open up inside so the cam falls open.

Sea Cliff Additions - For some reason sea cliffs generally require more gear. Whether it’s because it’s more gripping I’m not sure, but there always seems to be a space for more big nuts and lots of slings. So take them. Better to be a bit over equipped on a big cliff than under. Especially if it’s new to you.

Getting off – I’d also always recommend carrying at least one Ropeman Mk 1 or 2 and a prussik and knowing how to use it.