#tradclimb

[leadbelay]

Sunset FA of "hallway boogie" (5.12a). A wicked, crimpy traverse into a narrow chimney. There is a single bolt at the start of the traverse at the "closet" and good protection (two # 7 stoppers) at the "bedroom door" feature right before the first Crux before the start of the chimney.

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FA: @jackal24actual

📷: @gracerfly

[k1-alpinism-blog]

#klettern #bergliebe #draussenzuhause #bergsteigen #gipfel #gipfelsieg #wanderlust #alpinism #mountains #alpinism #climbing #summit #alps #tradclimb #climblife #mountaineering #outdoors #greatoutdoors #greatoutdoorsadventure #exploring #pricelessmoments #naturelovers #adventure #nature #bigmtndreams (hier: Massif Du Mont Blanc)

[leadbelay]

Did some canyon-y things yesterday. Paradise Forks in northern Arizona.

[leadbelay]

Teaching a new generation in the sport crags of northern Arizona.

[leadbelay]

Rope solo!

Ok, first and foremost, SOLO CLIMBING IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IN ANY FORM! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SOLO CLIMB FOR THE FIRST TIME JUST BECAUSE YOU SAW SOME LUNATIC ON THE INTERNET DO IT!!!

I use a Wren Soloist and back it up (when top rope soloing) with a Petzl MicroTraxion. The Soloist does a great job catching falls, although it's far more mentally taxing to fall on a soloist than with a belayer.

The full set up for top rope soloing is as follows:

The rope is tied with a master knot in the center at the anchor (figure 8 on a bight)

The soloist is then connected to the first rope in the manufacturer recommend method

A MicroTraxion on a locking draw is connected to the second rope (back up).

The draw gives the Trax enough space that in the event of a fall, the soloist captures the rope first and the Trax is only weighted if the soloist fails.

[leadbelay]

Here's hoping for safe adventures soon! .

Photo from @lead.belay.az_tsp and @jackal24actual's run of "Motorboating" (5.9) in Sedona, AZ. .

[leadbelay]

Backing up a rope solo rig with a @petzl_official Micro Traxion. .

First and foremost, solo climbing and rigging is EXTREMELY dangerous. Never try soloing of any type for your first time without first learning from an expert. .

For this example, we are using a hypothetical top-rope solo rig. In both pictures, the Wren Soloist and Petzl GriGri can be replaced with a rope capture device of your choosing (including another Micro Trax, if you've got it). As you can see, the primary device is attached to your harness AND a chest rig to keep it properly oriented. For the GriGri and other devices that are not tailor-made for rope solo climbing, use something that can break away from the chest harness in the event of a big fall. .

Now, what you're here for: the Micro Traxion backup. In this case, there is only one rope. A solo rope, if you will. So, using a locking draw, you can attach the Micro Trax directly to your belay loop and that in turn holds the dead end of the rope below your primary device. In these examples, the draw is a bit longer than you might want; the Micro Trax, if weighted, will pull up to the Soloist or GriGri, making it difficult to free if you are on overhung terrain. .

[leadbelay]

This is an appreciation post for all, and I mean ALL, the adventure photographers out there. The Leadbelay team loves climbing. It's our art and we love documenting our art. Often going the extra mile to get a cool shot of one of our new climbers crushing a lead for the first time or taking their first whipper.

Here, team member Taylor has gone out on a ledge (pun intended) to photograph our new climbers on top of Sun Tower in the Pit.