Learn to Lead - Sport Climbing

This course is designed for climbers who are ready to step into the exciting world of outdoor lead climbing. It covers all the essential skills and knowledge needed to safely and confidently lead sport climbs, with a strong emphasis on safety, technique, and sound judgment. Participants will gain hands-on experience with lead climbing equipment, including quickdraws, ropes, harnesses, and belay devices such as ATCs and Grigris, while learning effective rope management techniques. The course also focuses on mastering belaying practices, including dynamic belaying for soft catches and proper communication between climber and belayer, as well as efficient and safe clipping of quickdraws, rope positioning, and minimizing rope drag to reduce fall potential.

Climbers will also practice controlled falls to build confidence and trust in both belayer and equipment, while learning proper falling techniques to minimize risk of injury. In addition, the course covers building and cleaning safe, redundant sport climbing anchors, including techniques for steep terrain, as well as safe and controlled abseiling methods. By the end of the course, participants will be able to identify and use appropriate lead climbing gear, belay a lead climber safely, clip quickdraws correctly, construct and clean sport climbing anchors, clean routes efficiently, perform controlled abseils, and understand the risks associated with lead climbing. This comprehensive program equips climbers with the skills, confidence, and judgment needed to progress safely in the sport.