If you’re just getting into rock climbing via the climbing gym, you’ve probably heard a lot of lingo you don’t quite understand. This article will explain the differences between the two main types of roped rock climbing – sport climbing vs trad climbing (traditional climbing).
Sport Climbing
Sport climbing is the type of lead climbing you see done at the climbing gym. The lead climber clips quickdraws to bolts in order to protect against falls. When climbing outdoors, these bolts have been permanently installed by a route developer using an expansion drill and hammer. The climber has to stick to the line of bolts. Sport climbing is often single-pitch, meaning that the climber returns to the ground immediately after finishing the route.
Trad Climbing
Trad climbing involves the use of removable protection, mainly spring-loaded camming devices (known as cams or “Friends“), and wedges of metal called “nuts”. This is the older, traditional style of rock climbing and it is more associated with longer routes, called “multi-pitch”.
IN a multi-pitch climb, the climbing team continues advancing up the mountain for several rope-lengths. To achieve this, the leader “belays from above,” and the follower recollects any cams or nuts used by the leader on the pitch. When both climbers have arrived at the belay, the rack is replenished, and the leader can climb the next pitch. This process is repeated for as many sections are required to climb the route.
Multipitch sport climbing
There are multi-pitch sport climbs, but considerably fewer of these exist than multi-pitch trad climbs. Most sport climbs today are established top-down, meaning the developer rappels in and places the bolts from above. This is considerably harder to do on a multi-pitch route; placing the bolts from the ground-up (the old school style) is also not particularly easy. Additionally, establishing a long bolted multi-pitch is expensive.
Characteristic of Trad Vs Sport Climbs
Bolts have been used in traditional climbing for a long time – to protect face climbing sections, to aid through difficult cruxes, and to enable rappel descents. So it’s not like trad climbers don’t use bolts. The difference is in the attitude and the frequency of the bolting, generally.
Modern sport climbs are quite tightly bolted, with the idea of preventing any possible injury. The attitude of sport climbers is to try very hard, physical courses where the focus can be on movement at the very edge of one’s ability. To progress in sport climbing, one needs to “project” a climb – laying siege to it in a number of sessions, figuring out the exact sequences of moves and building the muscle to execute that sequence from the ground to the chains, without falling. A clean, no falls lead burn is called a “redpoint”.
Trad climbing, meanwhile, places less of a focus on extreme physical difficulty, and more on adventure, setting, and length. Trad climbs tend to follow crack systems and more featured rock, since without any cracks, no protection can be placed.
Trad climbing involves more routefinding and attention from the leader, since there are no bolts to follow. It is quite easy to climb off-route on a trad climb. Doing so on a sport climb isn’t impossibe, but it is a lot harder – and generally less consequential.
How Do I Get Into Trad Climbing?
Most climbers these days follow this progression:
- Gym climbing
- Indoor lead climbing
- Outdoor sport climbing
- Trad climbing
Each step builds on the previous one. Sport climbing is very similar to indoor lead climbing, so its not a difficult transition for most. The jump to trad climbing is a little bigger, and we encourage seeking out qualified instruction – whether from a mentor, a guide, or books. However we don’t want to gatekeep, it’s important to understand that in the old days before sport climbing and corporate climbing gyms, people went straight into trad climbing. That’s still an option.
How Do I Get Into Sport Climbing?
Sport climbing is much easier to learn. A climbing gym can get you all set up with a learn-to-lead class. Once you know how to lead climb in the gym, you are basically set to go sport climb outside. Make sure you know how to clean anchors, because what you encounter outside might not look like what you’;re used to in the gym.
Overall
Sport climbing features short, gymnastic routes focused on individual difficulty and providing a safe experience for the lead climber. Trad climbing uses removable protection to leave no trace on the wall, and attack bigger, longer routes. Sport climbing usually comes first in a modern climber’s skill development, although it doesn’t have to come in that order.