How to: Start Trad Climbing

Firstly, what is trad climbing and why do it?!

‘Trad ‘ is short for ‘traditional’ rock climbing, and basically involves placing your own protection as you climb. Put simply, that means fiddling climbing ‘gear’ such as nuts, hexes, cams and slings into cracks and features in the rock (confused still?!). You do this as you lead climb, as opposed to clipping bolts or quickdraws like on a sport climb or indoor gym route. 

In a nutshell, the first climber leads up the route while placing protection to clip their rope into as they go, the second climber follows, retrieving the gear as they climb, and then the pair repeat until they get to the top, either walking off or abseiling down at the end. 

It can seem like a weird thing to do and takes a while to learn, but playing Tetris with trad gear is strangely satisfying, and surprisingly addictive. 

Most of our rock routes in the UK evolved as trad simply because bolts and lower offs didn’t exist at the time, and early climbing pioneers had to be fully self-sufficient, finding their own way and making do with hemp ropes, body belays, a few pegs, and hobnail boots! 

Despite huge advances in equipment and technique, that same ethos has remained, with climbers embracing a feeling of adventure and enjoying the intense experiences that trad climbing provides. 

Many new climbers imagine trad climbing to be super sketchy and full of ground falls and whippers… no doubt influenced by that classic early climbing film ‘Hard Grit’, and dramatic videos we see circulating on social media. 

In truth however, most trad climbers are choosing routes within their limits, building up their experience slowly, and keeping risks relatively low... we’re a pretty analytical and cautious bunch really!  There’s something for every ability and it’s mainly about exploring new places, climbing great quality routes, and an excuse to have a picnic with a view, whether that’s by the sea, up in the mountains, or on a chilled single pitch crag in the sunshine. 

How to get started

There isn’t a prescriptive way to get started in trad climbing, and it varies for everyone. 

Some people pay to get formal instruction via courses or workshops, and despite the cost, this really is a great way to fast track your development, gain solid safety skills, and build your confidence for when you go out with others. 

Even if you can only manage one or two days of instruction, it will give you a boost and help you know where you’re at and how to progress. Other people learn informally through friends or clubs. This can work well, but only if the person teaching you is patient, builds up your skills slowly, and has solid safety skills themselves. 

Top tips for choosing courses or finding an instructor

• Look for instructors with an RCDI (Rock Climbing Development Instructor) or MCI (Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor) qualification as a minimum. These are the recognised qualifications in the UK for teaching trad leading. 

• You can either book 1:1 or 1:2 private tuition with an instructor on dates of your choice, or you can join a scheduled group course or workshop. These will vary in length, cost, group size and location, which means that with a little bit of research, you should be able to find something that suits you. 

• The British Mountaineering Council, Association of Mountaineering Instructors, and Mountain Training are all handy badges to look for, as they will often be linked with courses, events, and tuition that’s at a high standard. 

• It’s always nice to get recommendations! Ask around your local wall or community group and you will quickly get some recommendations of good instructors and providers. 

  
  

WCS coaches that provide trad instruction

Esther Foster - Lake District

Katherine Schirrmacher - Peak District 

Sam Leary (Leading Edge) - North Wales and Pembroke 

Tori Taylor-Roberts (West Country Adventures) - South West

Holly Peristiani - London and Peak District

Learning from friends and community groups 

• There are so many community groups and clubs out there now, and many that provide outdoor trad climbing too. Sometimes clubs will need people to already be fully or semi-competent as they don’t have the capacity to teach everyone, but groups are often a really good way of having a go and getting started. 

• Ask at your local wall, or do some online searches, and you might find a group which is just right for you!

• It can be hard learning from friends sometimes if you feel like you are fully dependent on them or worry about holding them back. We’ve all been there though so don’t do yourself down. You could contribute in other ways such as driving or providing the snacks, and often people enjoy teaching their mates and just want to have a nice time outside with you!

  
  

Online and written resources 

• There is a wealth of information online now, which is great but sometimes overwhelming in equal measures. YouTube videos can be a great resource for giving you a headstart or refreshing skills, but don’t underestimate how different it feels being out there doing it for real!

• DMM and BMC have some great YouTube videos on trad climbing and will really help you get a good grounding before you head outside. 

• ‘Rock Climbing’ by Libby Peters should be your go-to book for all things rock climbing in the UK. It’s a super handy resource and covers sport climbing and bouldering too. 

  
  

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Events, festivals and help with costs

There are lots of events and festivals out there now, with some that manage to subsidise costs. Here’s a few organisations, groups and events to look out for: 

BMC festivals such as ‘ClimbOut’

Mountain Training skills and training fund 

WCS events!

PYB SheClimbs 

Arcteryx Lakeland Festival 

Womens Alpine Adventure Club 

Wanderers of Colour 

Kit and equipment

Equipment can feel like a major expense to begin with, and it can be hard to know where to start and what to buy. I’d recommend going to a reputable shop first rather than buying online, as you will get much better advice and fitting services. The good thing is, climbing equipment should last you for a long time. 

You might be able to borrow or hire equipment at first, before working out what you need or want to buy. Rock shoes, rucksacks, clothing etc can often be bought second hand, but it’s highly recommended to buy any key safety equipment new so that you know it’s history. 

To get started trad climbing, you will need:

• Harness

• Belay device

• Helmet

• Rock shoes

• Chalk bag

  
  

To get stuck in to second climbing, it’s ideal to also have:

• A nut key

• A prussick cord

• A few spare carabiners

• A 120cm sling 

  
  

After that…it’s into full trad rack territory (the nuts, hexes, cams and friends that we talked about at the start) but we will leave that for now...

Full trad rack territory!