What was your first lead? Please describe.

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gonamok

climber
dont make me come over there
Nov 1, 2011 - 09:36pm PT
I led "The Stairs" at Mission Gorge, and was terrified the whole way. I took about 2 hours and placed at least 10 pieces on an 80 ft tall route.

Rating - 5.3
gonamok

climber
dont make me come over there
Nov 1, 2011 - 09:50pm PT
August of 1954. Soloed the east face of Longs Peak, wandering up chimneys and cracks on the Mills Glacier Buttress, then Little Notch. I was 17 and didn't really know what I was doing. Wore J. C. Higgins work boots and carried along a 50 foot manilla rope about 3/8" diameter. Had to loop it over a knob above me and pull on it to get up a blank section of a dihedral. A priceless experience virtually unobtainable today.

John, you are amazing. Even your very first climb was beyond the realm of regular human type climbers.

After 35 years of climbing you still inspire me
cowpoke

climber
Nov 2, 2011 - 11:58am PT
Cowboy Boot Crack, Garden of the Gods.

Nothing too remarkable, except that I was pretty psyched to try out my rack: set of nuts and a #3 friend, freshly purchased and all shiny. And, I remember it made me nervous to have the tourists watching and asking questions. This was before they removed the road that went between north and south gateway, winding below the west face of north gateway.

Edit: I lied. I think cowboy boot crack might have been my second or third lead...I was on an easy multi-pitch climb in 11 mile when I led for the first time, I believe. hmm, wish I'd written it down or something.
big ears

Trad climber
?
Nov 2, 2011 - 12:12pm PT
First Normal Form, HCR Arkansas. I made the classic noob mistake of "I lead 5.11 in the gym, this 5.9 should be no problem. I wonder what this + sign after the grade means?". Thank god it was only a single pitch sport route, or I could have been in trouble. Took a nice 15 foot whipper. I hopped on it for nostalgiac purposes a few months ago, and it was as pumpy as I remembered. Definately not one I'd recommend to any first timer. First trad lead was Poison Ivy, sam's throne arkansas. 5.7. Still love that route.
rectorsquid

climber
Lake Tahoe
Nov 2, 2011 - 12:22pm PT
Spring Break (.8) on River Rock along the Truckee River near Verdi, CA. Sometime around the year 2001.

Some experienced guy talked me into leading it. It was easy climbing but leading for the first time made it quite a bit harder than it was on top rope.

Dave
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 6, 2011 - 01:46am PT
would love to hear some more strories.
johntp

Trad climber
socal
Nov 6, 2011 - 04:24am PT
This is a really good thread. My first lead was my first climb. Armed with the tomes of the time, I was prepared. Tied my swami; tied into the goldline with my friend Robin on hip belay. Nobody did helmets then. So I headed up, the crack sucked my hands in and there was no fear. Sixty feet up my friend was screaming for me to put something in. Number 4 hex went in and was locker. It was a trivial .6 climb. But it will always be with me.
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Nov 6, 2011 - 09:43am PT
Roaring Brook Falls, Keene Valley in the Adirondacks, 1984


Lowe hummingbird hammer in my left hand...


Lowe ice Snargs for gear


buckie

Trad climber
Oregon
Nov 6, 2011 - 10:31am PT
Super Slab at Smith in 1986. Rope got stuck, stuffed in 2 cams and hung out in the middle of the second lay back pitch while my belayer found a volunteer coming up the first pitch to un-stick it. Did'nt see that coming. I learned quickly that you don't just let the rope dangle.
TrundleBum

Trad climber
Las Vegas
Nov 6, 2011 - 11:37am PT
Mid 70's, Cathedral ledge N.H, 'Fun House' first pitch on hex's. I shud'a died !
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 6, 2011 - 11:38am PT
My first ice lead was in a little canyon by Rapid City where I had found this little smear that goes through a sandstone band. I was so anxious to do it that I used what ever gear I could get my hands on. I had tele boots, flat crampons, two mismatched axes, and no screws. I was able to put some rock gear and got to the top finding that it was a huge egg shell that had moved about a half a foot from the wall. It turns out this rarely forms and only lasts for a week when it does. Kind of a neat little flow though and is about 80ft which isn't bad when you consider that you can count the ice flows in the Black Hills on your fingers.
Roger Breedlove

climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Nov 6, 2011 - 11:55am PT
In 1965, at age 14/15, I was camping in Yosemite with an older friend, my high school art teacher, who was in his early twenties. We wandered into the Le Conte lodge (the old stone building under Sentinel) which had displays of the exploits of the early Yosemite explorers. We read about John Muir's ascent to the base of Yosemite Falls--and set out to climb the Sunny Side Bench route.

We found a rope in the car—3/8 inch and 1/2 inch hemp, spliced in three sections. We tied into it with our Boy Scout's knowledge of knots, and climbed the route, snaking the rope through tree branches for protection. I am not sure that we had any concept of belaying, not that it would have done any good. At one point, I untied my single wrap bowline and threaded the rope through an old ring piton and then re-tied.

On the way down, a party of "real" climbers rappelled past us--Goldline ropes, carabiners, hammers, piton, and orange helmets.

I was hooked.

I found Indian Rock in Berkeley, and five years later, at age 19, I was living in the Valley full time.
Modesto Mutant

Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
Nov 6, 2011 - 12:03pm PT
Church Bowl Chimney (5.7). Wore Galibier Mountain Guide boots. Freaked on the tyrolean style rappel, ended up down climbing the big tree next to the cliff. I was eager for more adventures after that ordeal.
telemon01

Trad climber
Montana
Nov 6, 2011 - 01:59pm PT

My first lead on rock was at Pok-O-Moonshine in the Adirondacks in the Spring of '84.



Ironically, I led ice routes before I tied into the sharp end on the rock.
Didn't really have any epics as a new leader until I moved to Colorado later that summer. My first lead in Eldorado Canyon was on Bastille Crack. It was early AM, the climb was in the shade, and the temps were frigid. The sandstone felt really slippery that day!
TWP

Trad climber
Mancos, CO
Nov 6, 2011 - 05:21pm PT
First lead?

In 1972, my buddy Frank and I wanted to become "rock climbers." Acting on the impulse we went to an outdoor equipment store in Phoenix at 32nd Street and Camelback Road and asked, "Where is the rock climbing around here?" We were told "At Camelback Mountain" denoting the entire massif which is a Phoenix icon. The employees were reluctant to tell us anything too specific for fear we would get hurt. Knowing we were being snubbed yet full of impetuous desire and not to be denied, we proceeded to buy the bear essentials we thought we needed to become "rock climbers" and begin our adventures: 4 Eiger carabiners and a 150 foot "Goldline" rope. We thought any hiking boot with a vibram sole were perfectly suited to climb rock - and these we had. Frank's pocketbook exhausted (and mine having nothing to offer) we departed and drove about 1 mile to the base of an area now lost to climbing near the Bolus (long since closed off to access due to McMansion construction around 1980). We had no clue where any route may exist so chose a line on smoothish, basically unfeatured rock going upward into a bowl-like feature about 40 feet above the deck. I tied in and took the lead. Obviously, I placed no protection and somehow got back down. I don't even remember if my buddy followed me up on a top rope - or he lost heart seeing my fear and predicament upon reaching the bowl.

Pretty pathetic.

Other early leads: also pathetic. Developed uncontrollable sewing machine leg standing on small holds with mind roiling between the desire to live versus the desire to climb higher, so tied off the head of my Chouinard hammer to be lowered off a 5.4 short climb on "Carefree Wall," the main face at the Carefree Boulderpile - also now lost to climbers, enclosed within one of the ultra fancy golf courses surrounded by trophy homes. The wall is now someone's backyard scenery. Bet they don't appreciate it like us climbers did. Maybe they never even visit the home!

johntp

Trad climber
socal
Nov 6, 2011 - 05:40pm PT
First time on ice was the waterfall by the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. I was alone and had SMC rigids, peutereys, and two forrest tools. Bouldered around the base for a while. Found myself about 20 feet up; with visions of Jeff Lowe in my head I just kept going up.

Wish I were as fearless today as I was in my youth.
Bargainhunter

climber
Nov 6, 2011 - 06:22pm PT
Direct Exum, mid-1980s, as a teenager
mike m

Trad climber
black hills
Topic Author's Reply - Nov 15, 2011 - 12:06am PT
Gotta bump this up. Too many stories, but not enough have chimed in. Anyone take a whipper on their first lead? Would love to hear from Patrick Oliver, Golstone, Donini and other ST legends about their first lead. Or even better hear from others about someone else's first lead.
Zander

climber
Nov 15, 2011 - 11:26pm PT
I think I posted this a few years ago on another thread.
So my buddy Paul and I met playing pickup soccer. We had both been bouldering at Indian Rock in Berkeley, me for six months and he for a few years. Did I mention we were soccer Dads. I was 39 years old. We decided to climb the East Arete of Mt. Humphreys. Noticing the neither one of us had ever roped up before we decided we better figure it out. He hooked up with some of the Indian Rock crew and climbed Bookmark at the Leap. I hooked up with Robert Munios, a guide, and did one day at Pinnacles. You know one hundred feet is way off the ground! So Paul chose our first lead to be The Saw at The Pie Shop in South Tahoe. It was 5.5 and we were cranking left Watercourse and the Borson Pinch at Indian Rock. How hard could it be? The thing is that Indian Rock doesn't really have any cracks so neither one of us knew how to jamb, at all. It was the second day of roped climbing for both of us. So we roped up at the base and he tied himself to a root and put me on belay. The crux was supposed to be about forty feet up. There was a crack running through a bulge at the base. I tried this, I tried that, I didn't know how to jamb! We both started laughing. Here we were going off to Mt. Humphreys and I couldn't get off the ground! Finally I found a little ruggosity, which I put my foot on and then liebacked the crack. If you can't climb it, lieback it. I never did figure out where the crux was it was so trivial. Must have been a boulder problem. I built a belay under the little roof two thirds the way up the pitch. Paul came up and lead the rest. He didn't put in any gear! He couldn't find any placements. So his first lead was fifty feet of unprotected slab! We came back years later and climbed it again. The crack at the base was casual. There was pro everywhere all the way to the top. Ha ha! Actually, we climbed and lead Crepes Corner after The Saw. Paul's lead of the wide crack low on the climb was pretty cool and gutsy.

Climb on!

Zander
Gorgeous George

Trad climber
Los Angeles, California
Nov 16, 2011 - 07:27am PT
Bastille Crack, old school 5.6 with Lenny Coyne circa 1974. I was 19 and I think he might have been 17, but he had been showing me the ropes mostly in the Garden of the Gods. We drove up to Boulder and he handed me the rack, proclaiming me ready to lead. Did it on nuts and hexes, no falls, no crying, but I'll never forget the fear I felt on the first pitch. I remember reaching the belay like it was yesterday. Later, told my friends, Dave and Dave from Boulder, that I had led it first time They couldn't believe it. I felt chingon for weeks.

Oh ya, I forgot to mention the gold line hemp rope, wrapped around my waist three times and tied with a bowline. Did I mention the army surplus store knickers and knee socks? Oh, the memories.

Anybody know where Lenny is now? Last I heard he moved to New Zealand with a woman.
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