This course teaches all the required skills for leading bolted sport climbing routes, including belaying and leading techniques, cleaning a route, equipment use and choice, stick clipping, falling, and 3 common setups at the top anchors for lead climbers to descent the route. Rappelling down is an option a lead climber sometimes need to choose to abide by some local custom or to voluntarily reduce wearing on top anchors. In this course, you will learn how the rappelling technique has evolved in past decades and the most current technique recommended by American Mountain Guides Association and the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. It is absolutely doable to learn to lead outdoor without indoor leading experience. Many of our clients took this approach and, after completing this course, passed the indoor lead test in their local climbing gyms.
Sports Lead Climbing
Zen Climb
3A Marilyn Ave.Toronto, ON M1S 1B9
Pre-requisites: Able to climb top rope at 5.10 level indoor or 5.8 level outdoor. Having indoor leading experience is a bonus -- you'll receive 15% discount. Required Equipment: You need to bring a climbing rope for you (or your) group to lead, a set of minimum 6 quickdraws, two 60cm (24") slings (runners) with two non-locking carabiners, a belay device such as a grigri. Pre-course Prep: We will send you a prep-document with links to a series of video clips to help you prepare for this course. This prep-document will help you choose the above required equipment to purchase. You are encouraged to follow the video clips to practice the skills and techniques as much as you can before comimng to the course. This helps you speed up your learning curve on the cliff. (Near the end of the course, while under-prepared participants may feel a bit information overload since a brain can only work so hard for so many hours, adequately prepared participants may still have the mental capacity to add the learning of foundamental multipitch leading and rappelling techniques.)
Duration: 4.5-10 hours (influenced by indoor lead experience & class size) in 1 day. Post-course Review: You will have access to a series video clips to review key lessons of the course for a limited time period. This helps you consolidate your learning, so you can feel even more confident to return to the cliff to lead a sport route with your climbing partner and rappel on your own.
