Lead climbing

Common card · No. 486704

Lead climbing (or leading) is a technique in rock climbing where two climbers work together to ascend a climbing route. The lead climber clips their rope into pieces of protection as they ascend the route. The 'second' stands at the base of the route controlling the other end of the rope, which is called belaying (e.g. if the lead climber falls, the second locks the rope). The term distinguishes between the two roles and the greater effort and increased risk of the role of the lead climber. Leading a route contrasts with the alternative climbing technique of top roping, where even though there is still a second belaying the rope, the lead climber faces no risk in the event of a fall and does not need to clip into any protection as the rope is already anchored to the top of the route (e.g. if they fall they will just hang from the static rope). Leading a climbing route is a core activity in rock climbing, and first ascents (FA) and first free ascents (FFA) of new routes, in the absence of...

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