Leading Trad &
Crack Climbing Course
Smith Rock State Park, OR
April 30 - May 2, 2021
3 days
$525
Looking to up your game and start leading trad, or thinking about climbing beyond the crag and into the mountains? Whether you’re interested in Indian Creek splitters, Yosemite big walls or just building a foundation to expand your skills, this is your chance.
No matter if you climb 5.1 or 5.11 or if you’ve never placed a nut in your life, come for the long weekend at Smith Rock and leave a trad leader. We’ll spend three days plugging hands, feet and gear into Central Oregon’s finest and cover everything you need to know for climbing and protecting traditional routes.
We’ll start by dialing in your climbing skills, working on jamming techniques for cracks of every size, then move on to the fundamentals of trad protection. We’ll go from gear selection and racking to proper placement for everything from nuts to cams and more, and to building solid anchors for top-ropes and multi-pitch climbs. Finally we’ll put it all together and get you out front on your first trad leads in a safe, approachable environment with personalized coaching to help you feel confident in going out on your own. While everyone knows Smith is a world-class sport climbing destination, with a wide range routes on two different types of rock, it’s also the perfect place to learn trad too.
Day 1 – Movement and Crack Technique Workshop
We’ll spend the first day working on crack climbing skills, with the idea that the majority of the world's trad climbs involve cracks, and that feeling comfortable climbing them is key to leading and protecting them well. We'll cover common techniques for hands and feet, and try our best to take the fear out of crack climbing.
Day 2 – Gear, Protection & Lead Technique Clinic
On our second day we’ll start on the ground and spend the day working on the technical aspects of trad climbing. We'll cover the basics of building a solid rack and selecting the right gear, and we'll practice gear placements for lead protection and anchors. We'll also talk about how to put those into action on leads, and we'll practice building anchors for top-rope and multi-pitch climbing using a variety of gear and equalization methods.
Day 3 – Lead Climbing Workshop
On our third day, we'll put all of those skills into motion and go climbing with you in the lead. We'll start with leading on top-rope so that you can receive personalized coaching and feedback on your placements, and we'll build up to getting you out front on your first real trad leads.
Skills we’ll cover include:
Crack climbing technique to accommodate a wide range of climbing skills from 5.easy to 5.hard
Gear selection including slings, cams, nuts and other equipment from belay devices to bolts.
Proper gear placement technique and considerations
Lead climbing and belay techniques
Anchors for single and multi-pitch climbs
This course is limited to five people in order to give you the care and attention you need.
This course will be instructed by long-time Smith local and climbing obsessive Chris Wright. Chris has climbed walls from Yosemite to Alaska and all over the world, has been an AMGA Certified Rock Guide for more than ten years, and is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and instructor for the American Mountain Guides Association. All of that to say you’ll be receiving the highest quality instruction on the most up-to-date equipment and techniques. Come join me in our beautiful backyard and let’s climb!
