when rock climbing how do climbers get their hook/anchor above them to climb up?

Question

Does the first climber do it bit by bit until those behind have a decent distance to climb? In my head they’re climbing using a rope that’s anchored 20 feet above them. If so, how does it get there?

In: 272

Answer 1

at the gym you’d be top roping where the rope is anchored at the top of the wall. outdoors you can do the same if you rappel down a cliff and climb back up.

lead climbing is where you bring the rope with you. as you climb, you set protection, and your belayer will feed rope but catch you if you fall. on a lead fall, you will first fall past your protection before you can be caught. if you’re 3 feet above your last protection you will fall 6 feet before the belayer can arrest your fall.

in easier sections your protection may be 5-10ft apart, resulting in max fall of 10-20ft. but it’s easier, well within your abilities, and you are unlikely to fall except accidentally. in difficult sections where you might actually fall, the protection must be set closer because it’s sketchier.

some protection on well established routes are metal plates called bolt hangers that are bolted to the rock using expansion bolts to create an eye for your carabiner to snap into. these are called “sport” routes. a quickdraw consists of two carabiners connected by a sling. one carabiner clips into the protection, whether bolt, cam, or wired nut, and your rope is clipped to the other one.

some protection is placed in a crack as you climb, and is removed by your second climber. removable protection can be a chock or cam, or even a sling around a rock horn or flake. this type of climbing is called “trad” or traditional climbing.

in the old days, people would hammer pitons into cracks as semi-permanent protection, but this is frowned upon or simply not allowed in popular areas. If the route isn’t bolted, traditional removable protection must be used. when establishing new routes in difficult access areas like Denali etc, pitons may be used by the climbing parties, as they aren’t really regulated.

source: I am a trad climber but sometimes dabble in sport routes.