All of a sudden i’ve got stacks to say!! Sorry about this. Just following on from this little trad theme malarky, the two best bits of advice i was ever given for onsighting (trad/sport it don’t matter) was:
1. ALWAYS chalk up your footholds before you commit to a tough move/sequence – it’s a hell of a lot easier to reverse something if you know where your feet are going – that bastard is gospel!!
2. Never underestimate momentum – it’ll carry you through if you use it right.
Shalom.
Alright George – I was Mr Annonamous on the last post…
I started doing the chalking up thing this year. Strangely, I got my inspiration from winter climbing, as you often scrape the rime off to find foot and hand holds.
Unsurprisingly it works well in summer too – does it blow other peoples onsight though?
As for the second point – do you mean actual, physical momentum, or in more of an abstract sense?
I use momentum a lot more in bouldering and sport climbing and am a bit more static with trad.
On the other hand, sometimes, once I’ve committed to a section of climbing, I may “keep up the momentum” by not stopping before a rest, or a piece of gear.
Ally.
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