Lead climbing is used when a top rope can not be established and the rock face is too high for bouldering. With this method of climbing, two or more climbers ascend the rock face. The first climber places protection on the rock and then belays the parter from above as the partner removes the protection.
I have been climbing on the guest pass of a friend at Salt Pump for a while. We have a routine, we climb a few top rope routes, get pumped out and call it a day. I’m lead certified at evo Rock + Fitness but had never bothered to get lead certified elsewhere. Until today, when we decided it was time to take my lead test.
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You may not have noticed but I haven’t been on a lead route in more than a year. I’ve also never captured a clean climb on a lead route, ever! The sadness ends today with this 5.8 route at evo Rock + Fitness in Portland, aptly named ‘Rub the Belly.’
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This is the same route from below climbed a while ago but this time around I’m climbing for a lead test.
The first time I got on this route, I nailed it. Fast forward a few days and you would think with some rest and a GoPro I would be aces. Not so fast Arthur.
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Got a hot tip on a new outdoor place from a friend so we decided to check it out today. This place had no name, a single bolted route rated a 5.9+ and a whole bunch of top rope-able stuff.
The only downside is that neither of us can climb beyond the first bolt on an outside 5.9 and we arrived too late to set up anchors. We ended up messing around a bit before giving up for another day.
Its twenty minutes north of Portland and a 15 minute flat walk approach. Great to know this ledge is nearby.
Brandon Udelhofen takes this 5.8 on lead at Brooklyn Boulders in Boston, MA set to Reflecktor by Arcade Fire.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 4:24 — 83.3MB)