Ice Climbing Techniques - Leading
Leading is an important skill that a climber must learn when going Ice Climbing. As its name implies, Leading refers to the act of leading a climb. It is the act of ascending while placing or attaching protection. This climbing technique is done in Lead climbing and entails a leader and a follower.
Lead climbing is done in sections. The leader puts protection as he ascends. Once he reaches the top, the second climber removes the protection as he climbs. When the follower reaches the top, both of them will then proceed to the second pitch.
If you have never tried leading, and you are going to lead your first route, then you will obviously be a bit anxious to start climbing without any pre-placed protection. In this section, take a look at some guidelines in Leading or Lead Climbing:
- Before leading, you should know exactly how to place your extenders correctly and how to clip the rope through each of them. This is outlined in our Back Clipping and Other Mistakes section. Aside from that, get familiar with the most common mistakes and make sure not to commit the same errors.
- Place protection as you ascend. Attach the rope to the protection using Carabiners.
- Always stay calm and focused. Your aim should be to place protection as soon as possible within intervals of 1-1.5 metres.
- If the climbing is getting too hard, remain calm and try to down climb.
- Avoid rope drag as much as possible by placing the protection smartly and/or using the right length of extenders.
Leading is potentially dangerous particularly to the leader since he will take the climb without any protection placed prior to the climb. It is important that both the leader and the follower know their task/s. Moreover, they should take the necessary preparations and safety measures before heading out.
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