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General Climbing Discussion

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leading confidently on trad 3-Feb-2012 At 4:07:37 PM ado_m

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1. retiring gear? if it's clearly absolutely f*cked ie the lobes of the cam have been sheered off, then think about throwing it away. otherwise, you're bad placements are more likely to kill you than gear failing i bet

2. confidence in gear? know how good the rock quality is, try placing gear on the ground and then trying to pull it out at different angles with simulated rope falls/pulls. practice practice practice. do an aiding weekend with the VCCC, that should get you thinking about how good your gear is.

Falls on anything which isn't vertical or overhanging is in my mind a pretty scary prospect, and I'd want at least two bomber pieces between me and anything I'm likely to hit if there is any real chance of slipping or falling.

Sugges you climb well below your limits - at least until you're really sure and confident of what you're doing, and can accurately assess the risks of what you are doing. I suggest you tick off at least 20 routes at a particular grade before progressing to the next grade....(I made the mistake of jumping grades too quickly and that contributed to a trip to hospital...)