Preparing for traditional Lead climbing | Milton | Toronto | Ontario
Traditional Lead Climbing
Course Itinerary:
9:00am: Meet the instructor at the Lower Parking Lot. (You may ask the park attendant for directions when you pay the $9.50 entrance fee at the gate.)
• Formal introductions, sign waivers, safety discussion and equipment check.
• Lesson 1 Environment: Leave no trace; climbing access (code of ethics).
• Lesson 2 Safety: Objective and subjective hazards.
• Lesson 3 Introduction to trad leading concept, procedure and process.
• Lesson 4 Placing and removing trad protections (nuts, hexes, tri-cams and cams) with the Integrity Approach (quality of rock, quality of placement, direction of pull).
• Lesson 5 Use of natural protection: trees, boulders, horns, chockstone and holes in rock.
• Lesson 6 Use of fixed protection: inspection, safe clipping, backup, screamer.
• Lesson 7 Building belay stations: Using the EARNEST (Equal tension, Angles appropriate, Redundant, Non-Extending, Strong, Timely) approach to build 2-point and 3-point, pre-equalized and self-equalizing, anchor stations.
• Lesson 8 Climbing physics: fall factors, choice of belay devices, passive vs. active protections, strengths of carabiners, slings and cordellettes, strength of belay station for single-pitch routes.
• Lesson 9 Trad belaying: belay station setup, choice of its location, belaying methods, rope management.
• Lesson 10 Lead climbing strategies: Gear racking and reading the route.
• Lesson 11 Demonstrating lead climbing and communication protocol.
• Lesson 12 Preventing the zipper effect.
• Lesson 13 Climbing traverse routes: protecting the seconder, managing multi-directional pull of the belaying anchor for a route that ends with a traverse.
• Lesson 14 Seconding and racking the gear.
• Lesson 15 Leading with top rope backup. Leader's tying-in at the top of the cliff.
• Lesson 16 Position of top belay station: setting up belay station, extending anchor to see the seconder, belaying, managing rope.
• Lesson 17 Safe lowering of the seconder with grigri
• Lesson 18 Self-assisted raising of the seconder with grigri (optional). 3-to-1 pull of the seconder with grigri (optional).
• Lesson 19 Safe exits for both leader and seconder: topping out or rappelling down.
• Lesson 20 Falling on trad gear (optional).
• Lesson 21 Setting up a top belay station using the climbing rope (optional).
• Lesson 22 4- or more- point belay station setup (optional).
• Lesson 23 Strategy to retreat (optional).
• Lesson 24 Concept of leading with double rope or twin rope (optional).
• Lesson 25 Multi-pitch climbing and belaying basic techniques (optional).
• Lesson 26 Multi-pitch rappelling basic techniques (optional).
• Lesson 27 Life lessons discussion (optional).
The above lessons will be cross-taught and reviewed throughout the course. Depending on participants' climbing experience, the instructor will decide how to divide these lessons into 2 days.
The instructor will teach the optional lessons only after clients have demonstrated competence in learning and practising other lessons. It is better that clients know how to do the basic operations well to help keep them safe than learning advanced lessons without having had a solid grasp on the basic risk management techniques.
5:00pm: Meeting at the Upper Parking Lot to return equipment and say goodbye to each other.
Rattlesnake Point Facility Information:
There is a water tap and an outhouse near the Upper Parking Lot. The hike from the parking lot to the cliff is about 10 minutes. The cliff is 70 to 90 feet high.
Equipment:
Please bring your gear to the course, so you can practice with them and become comfortable and confident to use them. If you don't have the following equipment, please let us know after you receive confirmation of your registration from us. We will bring them for you to use free of charge.
- rock shoes
- harness
- helmet
- belay device
- locking biners
- climbing rope
- quick draws
- chalk bag
- stoppers and/or cams
Personal Preparation:
Weather Kit - Sun lotion, mosquito repellent, sun glasses, rain jacket in case it rains.
Clothing - loose fitting clothing made of synthetic materials for easy movement and quick dry; hiking/walking shoes or boots for walking on uneven ground. Put your jewelry and artificial finger/toe nails away. Pull your long hair back to avoid potential interference with rappelling and climbing.
Food & Water - Pack your lunch and water in your daypack.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):
Q: Is your company insured?
A: Yes.
Q: Is the instructor certified?
A: Yes. Your lead instructor is certified by American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), or Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) or, by Zen Climb through its vigorous certification process that includes practice teaching with real clients in addition to a series of training courses based on the standard practice of AMGA or ACMG.
Q: Will you recommend what gear I will need to trad lead on my own?
A: Yes. Throughout the course, we will help you identify what gear you will need to complete your gear set.