Rock Climbing: Lead Fall

Everybody falls. As your skills progress and you start pushing into the next grade, you'll come off the wall now and then. While it's always scary, if you practice and stay calm, eventually falling will become a natural part of climbing. This video is going to cover managing the rope, checking in with your belayer, and the right way to come off the wall. If you fall, you want the rope to run straight to the last piece of protection without any part of your body in the way at all. It's super important to keep the rope between you and the rock. If it gets behind your leg or ankle and you take a fall, it will flip you upside down, you'll lose control, and bad things could happen. Sometimes, like when the rope is fully wrapped around your leg, it's pretty clear that you need to adjust it. But when you're traversing and the rope creeps over to the side, it's less obvious. Think about your trajectory if you were to fall, and make sure the rope is never in the way. If the rope does get behind your leg, take the time to reset or step around and get it in front of you. An easy way to tell if the rope is in a good position is to make sure it's running over the top of your toes. A few key phrases will help your partner anticipate your fall and could mean a shorter trip or a softer catch. When you're moving through a difficult section or you start feeling sketchy, tell your belayer, They'll keep a close eye on how much slack they pay out and will brace for your possible fall. If you do fall and you have the composure to call out, your belayer will lock off the rope and brace for impact. Screaming and cursing usually have a similar, if less dignified, effect. Now comes the fun part, taking the fall. You can break the fall into three parts, coming off the wall, falling, and landing. When you feel yourself peeling off the wall, yell falling and look down so you can see what's coming. Unless you see a ledge or other obstruction that you need to clear, don't be tempted to push off. If you do push off, you'll swing back in and smack the wall harder on the landing. Once you're in the air, breathe out to relax your body. Yelling counts too. Keep your legs bent and your arms at chest level with your elbows bent, ready to deal with the landing. Don't try to grab anything like a quick draw to catch your fall. You could seriously hurt yourself. Try to land soft against the wall. Let your legs act like shock absorbers to handle the impact. Falling happens, so get comfortable with it. Start with some falls on top rope, and when you feel ready, head to a steep or slightly overhanging crag for some lead fall practice. Climb up several bolts to make sure there's plenty of rope in the system, and with your knot at the bolt, take a few short falls. Then climb a couple feet above the bolt and fall again. Pretty soon, falling will lose its edge. To learn more, check out these videos. Or click here to find an REI class near you.