Climbing Safety Skill Practice

- 13 mins read

For me, climbing movement has come more intuitively than climbing safety systems. But, both are required for a fun AND safe time on rock. 12 years in, and the safety systems knowledge I’ve gained has started to snowball: it seems like I’m learning safety system skills a little faster now, with a lot less overwhelm than in the beginning.

This post is about the climbing safety systems. And more specifically, practicing them. I’ve been practicing safety systems since the very beginning, but ramping up in technical complexity as I ventured from bouldering to sport to multipitch to multipitch trad. And, I’ve learned many ways:

  • a new knot from a video online and using it during a trip
  • how to place gear and build anchors at Enchanted Rock
  • how to pass a knot during rappel in Luke’s backyard and then practicing for a few more days in my own yard

Everyone will learn in their own way, but it may be from reading, watching, practicing, and ultimately getting real-world climbing experience.

For years, I’ve been tracking skills to practice in AnyList that I mentioned in Climbing Packing List so we could easily open a video to watch during a training session and cross it off when we’ve practiced it.

But now, I have more friends who want to keep learning about climbing skills, so I’m moving all of the climbing safety skill content here for easier sharing.

Overwhelm

Learning can be overwhelming. For me, I know that I can only learn and practice a few new rope skills per day before my brain starts glazing over like a delicious donut – the clear sign that I’ve hit my limit. Of course not everyone is the same, and some folks may be able to learn faster.

Either way, no stress. Better safe than sorry. Take it slow, practice, practice, practice.

If it’s overwhelming now, it will probably get easier to learn as time goes on.

How to practice

Get somewhere with a mentor, guide, friend, etc and practice on the ground as much as you can. A tree can help you practice rappelling and ascending. And of course, getting out and climbing as you and your partners feel confident enough in your skills.

Gear

While practicing, you’ll probably discover more gear you want to buy. You can see what I use in Climbing Packing List.

A progression

When reflecting on my own learning progression in How I’m Learning Trad Climbing, I wished I had learned more skills before getting into trad and multipitch climbing. So, here’s my high-level take on a gym-to-multipitch-trad progression:

Be interested

:) You don’t have to climb anything you don’t want!

Find a mentor or guide

See How I’m Learning Trad

Be communicative, vulnerable and receptive to feedback

Be direct with your concerns, fears, skills, goals, etc. Ask questions. Good partners will explain things to you - either because they judge now is a good time, or when you ask. Good partners will also tell you when you’re not ready for something yet.

Lead belay

While you can have 3+ person team multipitch experiences without lead belaying, it’s ideal to know how to before you multipitch. And, to lead belay with the device(s) you’ll use in multipitch - I prefer using a GigaJul on multipitch even though I use a Neox or GriGri for single pitch. Learn how to be a GOOD belayer, too. Ask for feedback from people on the ground, and from your lead climber.

It’s a good idea to learn how to belay with an unassisted belay device like a Petzl Reverso or BD ATC Guide. I’ve noticed climbers that learn in a gym are more likely to feel scared of belaying with these devices. But, you may need to use it someday, so it’s good to feel comfortable with them before you need them.

If you’re going to lead belay two ropes, you’ll need a two-channel belay device like the Edelrid GigaJul, Petzl Reverso or BD ATC Guide - the GriGri won’t work.

Lead sport climb

Practicing sport leading with ready made permanent anchors is a low stakes way to get experience reading rock, placing draws, not backclipping, etc – all of which will come into play leading trad.

Cleaning a top rope anchor

While not strictly required for all trad, knowing how to clean top rope anchors gives you a little practice with anchor craft in a safe situation and will unlock sport climbing outside. Austin’s Greenbelt and Reimer’s Ranch are unique sport climbing areas where folks are suggested to clip the lead rope directly into the sport clips / mussy hooks at the anchor. But most other places have a local ethic of building your own anchor on the top bolts for your rope - so get ready for those places like Inks Ranch and Enchanted Rock in Texas - both of which offer great trad routes and sport routes, with 2 bolt anchors.

Rappelling

Before doing multipitch, you should know how to rappel so you don’t have to learn during your first descent! You can practice this from the ground by walking back to tension the rope, or rappel a few feet down a tree with a crash pad below you. I think it’s important to know how to rappel off with your device on your belay loop as the basic approach AND extended from your belay loop (which makes self-rescue easier).

Belay and rappel without a device

Someday, you’ll drop your belay/rappel device. It may be on your first multipitch. Some people carry two. I still don’t feel comfortable with skill today, so it’s one that I want to practice.

Ascending ropes

I didn’t learn this until after having a near epic on Epinephrine with ropes getting stuck on rappel. But, I think it’s smart to learn this before you need to rappel since it can help you get higher up on the rope in a tough section, to get higher up on the rope after you fell off a traverse, or to get to a rap station you went past and other self-rescue scenarios. I think it’s best to learn with prusik cords first since it’s more broadly applicable versus ascending devices.

Multipitch sport

If you have an opportunity to do some easy multipitch sport, you can work on your multipitch comfort - the height, the anchors, the rappelling, belaying, rope management, etc. Keeping the rope organized during belays is a skill we all need to learn - both for lead belays, and for follower belays. Communicate with your leader if big loops of rope are forming below you as you’re belaying, because if you let those get stuck below, you or the leader will probably need to lower/rappel to unstick the ropes and climb/ascend – which is time consuming and complicated.

Follow trad

I had 6 super fun enjoyable trips to Red Rock before I even really tried jamming cracks, so you may be able to follow a trustworthy friend, and definitely a guide, up trad routes to see how you like the style of climbing, the exposure, the adventure.

Multipitch efficiency

Multipitch days are often longer, we are climbing more pitches after all. So there are other topics which are important for followers to keep in mind

  • Keep the team moving forward - Or we may not get back when we expect. This includes:
    • Being on time to start the day
    • Hiking
    • Gearing up at the base of the route
    • Cleaning gear - Racking everything on a gear sling makes it easy to hand over at the top of the pitch
    • Transitioning at belays - At the top of the pitch, pass of the gear, get the leader on belay, and be ready to belay.
  • Communication can be harder - We may not be able to hear each other when we’re spread out by a pitch! So, lets work out how to say “I’m off belay” or “I’m ready to climb” before we climb.
  • Not dropping gear - Or we won’t have it for the rest of the day
  • Rope management - Keep the rope organized and in control so you can pay out slack. Don’t let the rope fall below the anchor and get caught, otherwise it’ll take time to get the rope unstuck.

Trad gear placement & anchor building

I led a trad route before ever following one – I assumed it’d make sense and just led a route. As I’ve said in other posts, I’m glad I didn’t fall on any of my gear placements. Ideally you spend a lot of time at the ground placing gear, making a few different kinds of anchors, and maybe even build up to practicing trad gear placements on top rope/rappel like Dave MacLeod suggests in How I learned to place trad gear I’d trust with my life.

A friend told me about a trad fall clinic they attended at a climbing festival. A bomber top rope secured them, and with slack in the top rope, they were able to take falls on trad gear they placed. What a great idea!

Jamming cracks

With the proper shoes, gloves, time, and determination, you may just learn to love crack climbing! While not required to follow or lead trad, it opens doors to more routes and enjoyment, in my opinion.

Checklist

Here’s a briefer list of skills to prepare for your trad multipitch trips if the follower is new. I didn’t know all of this before I went up into the mountains, but you’ll be more prepared if you do!

Scenarios

This is a list of scenarios I’d like to be prepared for. And I’ll keep adding to this list over time.

Drop belay/rappel device

  • Improvised rappel: Retreat by rappelling with one person using a Munter hitch or carabiner brake to rappel
  • If you choose to continue up to walkoff, belay with Munter hitch

Follower can’t climb a hard section

Leader/follower fell off

  • Ascend, clip belay loop into gear, get belayer to take in slack, resume

On rappel, rapped past the next belay station

  • Ascend

Top belaying 2 climbers on 2 different ropes. One needs 1 ft of slack.

  • Tie off the belay for the one who doesn’t need slack THEN
  • Wiggle carabiner in belay device to create small amounts of slack OR Tie a prusik to the load strand, attach to belay loop. Clip biner between prusik and belay device, clip a sling through that biner up to a high point on the anchor, and back to your belay loop. Lean back on redirected sling, and slowly release the prusik to lower them. https://youtube.com/shorts/g1lspII24QU?si=SKLjFLCrCX5w59MT

Leader fall, hurt but can assist, cannot lower.

  • Leader makes anchor. Rappel. Leader makes another anchor. Rappel. Leader gets to follower. Rappel. Repeat.

Leader fall, unconscious, cannot lower.

Multipitch, rope stuck below when leader is in a crux

After rappel, rope stuck after pulling.

  • If you have both ends, you can ascend, try a different anchor, and rappel/pull again OR
  • If you have most of the rope, lead up on the end you have, retrieve rope, down lead OR
  • If you enough rope to lead and you reach the stuck rope before you get to the anchor, lead up on the end you have, placing pro on the way, add prusik to stuck rope when you reach it, lead climb or prusik up. If stuck rope dislodges, you’ll fall to your lead pro OR
  • If the rope gets stuck at the start of the pull, and you don’t have both strands to ascend, and you don’t have enough rope to lead: Tie yourself to the rope you have with two clove hitches separated by space. Prusik up stuck rope, placing gear as you go. Adjust clove hitches as you go. Partner belays you. If rope comes free, you’ll fall to your top piece. OR
  • If you can’t ascend, and there’s no gear to protect a lead back up, you’ll need to cut the rope. Rappel with shorter rope. Can extend pull cord with slings. OR
  • Call for help

Skill references

Here’s my collection of useful skills that I want to keep so I can easily reference them when I want.

Getting down

Anchors

Multipitch

Knots

Ascending

Self-Rescue