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2 thumbs = good; <2 thumbs = less good 30-Oct-2010 At 7:29:17 PM Vertigo

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Interested to read how your developing with the practice?

Just some thoughts of mine,as I employed tactics similar to yours when I wanted to be able to work (headpoint) harder trad routes that inspired me,but with falls garenteed due to physical difficulty (working a route as opposed to on-sighting)

-training as youve suggested will get you used to the concept of falling and as a result when you are looking at a fall onto gear (either unexpectedly or due to "working" the route) you will have the confidence of previous experience falling onto your placements.this will help YOU develop TRUST in YOUR placements,rather than another climbers opinion (though still valid).This in-turn helps your confidence to climb in control and smoothly above your placement when nedded.

-Ive used the shunting method (single or double rope fixed from above the route) and testing the placements with this setup gives you the oppertunity the get intimate with your gear and the way the gear actually works,in a safer setting than on lead.

-A good tactic on routes that are well within your physical limit is to "spy" your next placement from a rest stance/at the current placement and predict what piece will go in.when you reach the placement you get to test your prediction.iev found that i now pick more accurate placements,first pick,when trying to on-sight harder climbs.You CAN become efficient placing pro,this boosts your confidence mid-route and helps you move on,in control without the time consuming "fumbling" of guess work.

On 30/10/2010 rolsen1 wrote:
>If your fear is irrational, well I'm not an expert
>but I think you just have to suck it up - that's the game we're in.

-Thats one option.
Another is to realise that fear of falling is natural and in-built,but can be un-learnt (some have lots,others seem to have almost none!)
If the fear of falling,especially onto trad pro,is causing you to get distracted/lack focus when leading,i think developing trust (as outlined above) and therefore confidence,gives you the edge to control your fear when it creeps in,because your able to rationalise and understand your fear.

-Play with your gear LOTS! lay it out in the loungeroom,get it all racked the way YOU like.Try different setups.ive found understanding of how the piece works when loaded in a fall helps you feel comfortable when you do fall on it.

Just some thoughts,
Kind Regards Heath