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Rock Climbing



Fri 3 6:00pm - Sun 5 Oct 2014 9:00pm

Posted by Aaron L on Thu, 25 Sep 2014
Leaders: Aaron L
Standard: app/trips.standards.Single pitch trad climber (incl. lead).
Meeting: Tue, 30 Sep 2014, 11:52 am


Requirements: You can climb single-pitch trad climbs, and have had a fairly significant amount of exposure to trad gear. Attendance at the Learn To Lead 2 course is satisfactory, as long as you were able to demonstrate competence at that course. If you didn't attend that course but know how to climb single-pitch trad climbs, then discuss with me next tuesday night.

Anyone who has gotten the "climbing bug" and wants to learn to lead climb outdoors this year, this is the last module in a 3 part course designed to teach you everything you need to know about leading on trad gear.  The reason it is in 3 modules is to give you time to get enough experience in each module to learn the next.  Remember also that the focus of these courses is on safety - not your climbing ability.

A description of all three-point-five modules to the course are as follows (more in-depth descriptions can be found by looking at the module itself):

In past years this was run as 3.5 modules - the first 0.5 "mini" module was teaching top-rope indoor climbers how to lead climb indoors. That mini-module was no longer run in 2014 - this year the first pre-requisite to come on the LTL1 course was to already have a lead-pass from an indoor climbing gym, or to demonstrate your ability to lead climb and lead-belay safely indoors. All of the Gyms in Melbourne have lead courses available if you don't already have a lead pass.

A description of all three modules to the course are as follows (more in-depth descriptions can be found by looking at the module itself):

Learn To Lead 1 - Sport Climbing Outdoors
You've already done this one - See the (past) trip description of what you need to have learned if you missed it. Catching up is possible - if you're committed you will find a way!

Learn To Lead 2 - Trad Climbing
You've already done this one - See the (past) trip description of what you need to have learned if you missed it.

Learn To Lead 3 - Multi-Pitch
Pre-requisites: Must have been climbing outdoors with the club at least twice, one of which involved you and a similar-level partner trad climbing, including placing gear and building an anchor.  You can demonstrate mastery of single-pitch trad-climbing safety concerns and the techniques to manage them.
Course content:  We will now take what you have learned and apply it to rock faces much higher than 30m.  Advanced techniques involving belaying from a hanging anchor, swapping leads and route finding will be covered.  Doing this in practice is time consuming, so to save time we will not be covering the trad climbing basics from the last module (if you have missed that course you will need to catch up on your own).

These skills (once you have practiced them and gained exposure to a much wider range of experience than this course can hope to cover) will enable you and a partner to travel truly anywhere in the world, approach any climbing destination and have fun while staying safe.  It is important at this stage to know your limitations - trad climbing is much more dangerous than sport climbing, and multi-pitch trad climbing is inherently more dangerous than both.  You should be aware enough to seek out continuous opportunities to learn and develop your safety techniques.  Be aware also that you have not been taught self rescue techniques in these courses.  If you or your climbing partner get in trouble on a multi-pitch climb, the consequences can be fatal.  You will now be aware enough of the risks and concerns that the climbing game involves - and you are committed to learning to mitigate them.

Homework: There is none! You are now encouraged to attend as many club trips as you can to practice and explore the rock.  Be aware that you haven't learned self-rescue techniques, so you must stay within sight/earshot of other more advanced climbers while you are on the rock (this is easy at Arapiles!).  Once you are ready, you are asked to kindly lead one or more beginners climbing trips of your own - give something back to the MUMC!

The leader to beginner ratio for this trip is 1:3.

 


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