Are you into placing your own cams and nuts for protection as you climb? Or do you prefer to simply clip in to the pre-placed bolts an keep climbing? Many people who are new to climbing wonder about the differences between sport climbing and trad climbing.
On this page we’ll cover their differences, equipment and gear used, and things you should consider before you climb either style. So if you’re ready to see which style is best for you, let’s get going…
Sport Climbing
Years ago sport climbing came out of trad climbing, when there were more and more climbers who were looking to climb more challenging and difficult routes without having to place their own protection and having the added safety of permanent bolts.
While that’s the case most of the time, newer climbers should keep in mind that while permanent bolts are more safe when in good condition, there are many old bolts out there that simply aren’t safe to clip into. It’s important to always look over bolts carefully before you trust them with your life. A professionally placed piece of trad protection is far safer than any of those old worn out bolts.
Yes, as I said most of the bolts out there are safe. But it’s important for those who may be new to climbing to understand not only that trad climbing protection can be safe – but also not to instantly trust every bolt without at least checking them over first. Those who are trying to decide between trad climbing and sport climbing should especially realize this.
Sport climbing also arose as climbing technology got more advanced over the years. The combination of that and the increased interest in climbing, as the sport became more popular, caused the beginning of sport climbing in the 1980’s.
Climbers started to climb much more difficult and challenging routes while using newer and better gear, which made them able to climb higher and higher. Not only that, but thanks to the new technology they were also able to climb both safer and quicker than ever before.
There was however one main technological jump in climbing that fueled the (at the time) new style of sport climbing: the bolt. Climbers could now place bolts at different spots in the rock that offered no cracks or holes for traditional protection.
The bolt allowed climbers to now be able to climb straight blank rock faces that were otherwise inaccessible before.
These days, there are bolted routes to climb on pretty much every type of rock you can think of. There’s no shortage of sport climbing routes for all skill levels, from beginner to pro alike.
For the most part sport climbing is far safer than trad climbing. As mentioned above, as long as you’re checking each bolt for safety before you clip into them, sport climbing routes are more safe than their traditional counterparts.
Trad climbing has much more of a learning curve, as instead of just clipping into pre-placed protection, you’ve got to place the protection yourself. Not only does that require quite a bit of training and practicing in itself – you’ll have to also deal with rope drag and stuck pieces of protection, among other things. Oh, and you’ll be doing all of this while you’re carrying a heavier trad climbing rack at the same time.
I’m not trying to discourage you from trad climbing, it’s just important that those who are interested in trad climbing realize this up front. OK, rant over, back to sport climbing:
For sport climbing you’ll need a lot less gear than you would for trad climbing. Other than your harness, helmet and rope, you’ll only really need a good set of quickdraws and some miscellaneous slings, webbing and such.
Sport climbing is also fairly easy to learn, and you can do so on both indoor and outdoor climbs. If you’re completely new to climbing, you should look into any indoor climbing spaces in your area.
These can be great for learning the basics of climbing, before you start outdoor climbs. You don’t have to commit to a full year’s membership either, just go for as long as it takes for you to feel comfortable climbing and get the basics down. They’re also great places to meet climbing partners as well.
A Typical Sport Climb
On a typical sport climb you can usually expect to find bolts placed at around every ten to fifteen feet along the climb. Once you finally reach the top of the route, you’ll usually find an anchor made up of two to three bolts with which you can construct your anchor.
If you’re new to lead climbing (being the first climber up the rock), you should go with an experienced lead climber for at least your first few climbs. You can then follow them up the climb, not surprisingly referred to and seconding the climb.
You could also start with a top rope sport climb that gives you access to the top of the climb by foot beforehand. This will allow you to set up your anchor and then return to the bottom of the climb and climb it by top roping.
In fact, you’re probably best off starting your first few outdoor climbs as top rope climbs. And again, it’s important that you only climb with an experienced climber, especially if you’re new to climbing.
What Gear Do I Need for Sport Climbing?
For your typical sport climb you’ll need all the usual climbing gear: harness, helmet, rope, climbing shoes, chalk and chalk bag, belay and belay gloves and your backpack (if you use one).
You’ll also need plenty of quickdraws. For most sport climbs you should have at least a dozen quickdraws, while on longer routes you’ll probably need 16 to 20 quickdraws. It’s actually a good idea to get a hold of more quickdraws as soon as you can and bring them on every climb – you never know when you might need them.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking to get started in sport climbing you should start by at least doing a few indoor climbs at an indoor club if you can. When you’re ready for your first outdoor sport climbs, you should only go with an experienced climber.
Start with a few outdoor practice climbs until you feel you’ve got in down enough to second. Then, have your partner lead the route until you’re comfortable enough to lead your first climb.
Trad climbing
Long before there was such a thing as sport climbing, trad climbing was the only option. Trad (short for traditional) climbing is when the only protection used is that which you’ve placed yourself.
Climbers use cams, nuts and sometimes hexes to protect themselves in case of a fall. More dangerous than sport climbing, trad climbing requires far more time, training and experience to master.
It’s very important that any climber who’s new to trad climbing has completed several sport climbs, practiced placing protection and been well trained by an experienced trad climber.
A Typical Trad Climb
On a typical trad climb, the leading climber will start climbing, placing pieces of protection every five to fifteen feet on the rock. Exactly where they’ll place the gear will depend on the rock itself. Where there are appropriate cracks and crevasses the lead climber will place their chosen type of protection.
Once the lead climber has reached the top of the pitch, the second climber will follow, retrieving any cams and nuts that the lead climber placed on their way up the rock. This not only retrieves the gear for the lead climber, but also leaves the area the way it was before the climb.
When at the top of a climb, trad climbers sometimes have to build an anchor using their trad protection, relying on whatever natural spots are available for placing protection.
There are sometimes pre-installed bolts (just like the permanent bolts used in sport climbing) with which climbers can setup for a belay. Whether or not climbers will have to use trad gear to set up for a belay will vary from climb to climb.
What Gear Do I Need for Trad Climbing?
On a trad climb you’ll need all of the usual gear that you would need on a sport climb: harness, helmet, rope, climbing shoes, chalk and chalk bag, belay and belay gloves, backpack and quickdraws. It’s a good idea to bring more quickdraws than you plan to use on a trad climb – you never know if you’ll need more until you get up there.
Of course you’ll need plenty of trad gear for protection, you’ll want many different shapes and sizes of cams and nuts. If you’re looking to put together your first trad rack, this set of trad cams and these trad climbing nuts are both great choices for putting together your first trad climbing rack.
Extending Protection on Trad Climbs
Another thing to keep in mind when you’re trad climbing is to extend your protection when needed. There are situations where your rope won’t be running straight up a climb as it should. Roofs, traverses and ledges can cause the rope to bend and wind on it’s way up the rock.
Extending your protection will help prevent both rope drag and protection coming loose. Your rope should always fall straight down the rock as you climb, as when the rope is pulled at different angles it can cause trad gear to move or sometimes come off the rock altogether. Obviously, this is something you really want to avoid!
There are three main methods of extending your protection to prevent that. You can extend your protection using either a couple of quickdraws clipped together (now do you see why it’s a good idea to always bring a few more quickdraws than you think you’ll need).
If you do this, just remember to only ever clip one quickdraw into the webbing of the other – don’t clip them together metal on metal.
You can also extend trad protection using either single or double length slings, which can be adjusted for how far you need to extend the rope.
When you need a very large extension, you can use a couple of long nylon slings, but most climbers will rarely need to use this method.
Anatomy of a Trad Climb
Because trad climbing is a bit more involved than sport climbing, we’ve broken down the many steps of a typical trad climb. The following is a quick run down of what you can expect on your first trad climb:
1 – Both climbers will ready up, putting on their harnesses and checking both their ropes and all of their gear before the climb.
2 – The leader will first tie a figure eight knot into the rope, while the second climber ties into the opposite end of the rope.
3 – The second climber will belay the lead climber as he makes his way up the rock.
4 – The lead climber climbs up until he finds the first available spot at an appropriate height to place a piece of protection. He will then clip a quickdraw onto the protection and extend it if necessary.
5 – The lead climber will continue of the climb, placing protection every five, ten or fifteen feet – wherever there are natural cracks and crevices available.
6 – Once the lead climber’s reached the top of the route, he will either make an anchor by placing three pieces of trad protection or using permanent bolts (if available).
7 – One an anchor is established, the lead climber will pull up the remaining rope and belay the second climber.
8 – The second climber will begin his climb, recovering the lead climbers trad protection as he makes his way up the route.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking to get started in trad climbing, you should be at the level that you’re at least able to comfortably lead climb sport routes. From there you should find an experienced trad climber and do a couple of things to get you ready to lead a trad climb:
1 – Act as the second climber on several trad climbs. This will not only give you some experience trad climbing, but you’ll also see how an experienced trad climber places protection.
2 – Climb some sport climbs using the permanent bolts as your actual protection, while placing trad protection for practice on your way up.
Plenty of practice in both of the above will go a long way to training yourself to be a better trad climber.
Whether sport or trad climbing, it’s important to keep in mind that safety is priority number one. Regardless of if you’re leading a climb or seconding the climb, your partner’s safety is in your hands. Pay close attention while they’re climbing and make sure that you and your partner have good, clear communication throughout the entire climb.
I hope that this has helped you to figure out if sport or trad climbing is right for you, you may even want to try both of them out. Be careful out there and have fun climbing!