Friday, January 25, 2013

Stick Clipping

The other night I heard some climbers talk about doing their first leads outdoors. And the importance of bringing a crash pad if the first bolts are high. If you're concerned about your safety, a better thing to do is to get a stick clip. This video shows how to use two high tech stick clips. And here's a low tech homemade one.

(There's a lot of discussion here and here about the ethics of stick clipping. I know some areas recommend you stick clip to do some routes simply because of the danger the leader falling on top of the belayer before the first bolt is clipped. If you're really concerned about getting an onsight and think clipping the first bolt isn't pure, then use a crash pad. If you're more concerned about breaking  an ankle, use a stick clip.)


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