For a complete guide to local areas including photographs, routes, and descriptions pick-up a copy of the Washington and Lee Outing Club Guidebook, available at Blue Ridge Mountain Sports and Blue Ridge Outdoors. If you would like us to ship you a copy, contact:
W&L Outing Club
Lexington, VA 24450
540-462-4066
outing@wlu.edu
Dangers
Grading System
Equipment
Climb On!
Local Climbs
Climbing Guidebooks
Dangers
This is a technical rock climbing guidebook. It
should never be considered as a learning to-climb manual, or a substitute
for instruction in the art of rock climbing. Good common sense which
is developed with experience and instruction is the key to safe climbing.
Rock climbing has inherent risk. Many experienced climbers have been
seriously injured or died through no fault of their own and many other
climbers have been hurt or perished because of a lack of concentration
and attention to detail. Learn to climb under guidance of a knowledgeable
peer or at an established climbing school!
Grading Systems
There are two grading systems we use to rate the difficulty
of the climbs you'll see on this page. The first is the Yosemite
Decimal Sysyem (YSD) which is used in the U.S. for all tradional
climbing, top ropping, and sport climbing. The second is the Sherman
V-Scale System which is used for bouldering.
The YSD is the most common grading system seen in the United States for rating climbs. It was devised by the German alpinist Willo Welzenback. This grading system rates the terrain by the phsical and technical ability required. Here's the break down:
Class 1 Walking,
an easy stroll
Class 2 Hiking
over rugged terrain, may need use of the hands
Class 3 Scrambling,
using hands for balance, may want a rope
Class 4 Climbing
with sufficient exposure. You may want to be tied in or belayed
as a beginner, a fall could result in serious injury or death
Class 5 Free
Climbing: belaying and technical climbing gear are necessary for safety.
Class 6 Artificial
Climbing: Using tools such as hooks, pitons and other technical gear
as direct assistance for climbing
5th class climbing which encompasses most of the climbing you'll find in this guidebook breaks down into a decimal system. Originally set to range from 5.0 (easy) to 5.9 (difficult) the YSD has expanded to 5.14 because of advances made in climbing technological (mostly lead climbing pieces and shoes) during the 1960s. The expanded decimals begin at 5.10 and break down into a,b,c and d to give more information about the difficulty of a climb (5.10d being more difficult than 5.10a). You may also see a + or - with the decimal, which can give the climber additional information about the difficulty of a climb. Below is a very general breakdown of the YSD and how a climber might rate climbing ability to the decimal system.
5.0-5.7 Novice
climber
5.8-5.9 Most
weekend climbers are comfortable at this level
5.10
A dedicated weekend climber in good shape
5.11-5.14 A professional climber who
trains reguraly and has natural ability
The Sherman System is an open ended V-Scale which means
that as climbers contiue to push their abilities the V-Scale will grow
to accomidate new routes. Bouldering, because there are usually only
a few moves needed and because most bouldering problems are low to the
ground and don't require ropes, allow climbers to attempt extremely difficult
moves without fear of a serious fall. Safe bouldering is done with
a partner who can spot you and a crash pad for unexpected falls.
In bouldering one should always watch for a potential fall onto another
rock or other dangerous terrain to the climber. Below is how the
V-Scale compares to 5th class climbing.
Class 5
Bouldering
Yosemite
Sherman
Decimal
V-Scale
System
5.8
V0-
5.9
V0
5.10a/b
V0+
5.10c/d
V1
5.11a/b
V2
5.11c/d
V3
5.12-
V4
5.12
V5
5.12+
V6
5.13-
V7
5.13
V8
5.13+
V9
5.14-
V10
5.14
V11
5.14+
V12
V13
V14
V15
Equipment
Climbing like many outdoor sports, can be taxing on your
wallet if you buy everything you'll ever need at once. To enjoy climbing
however, you don't need much money as a few basic pieces of gear will go
a long way. To start off, a pair of climbing shoes or slippers is
a great tool (along with a little blood and sweat) to help you start developing
you climbing abilities. If you want to continue developing your equipment
arsernal you will probably want to purchase a helmet, harness and belay
device (none of which are expensive depending on the model you choose).
This will allow you to easily tag along with friends who may have
more gear and experience than you do (the best way to learn to climb) or
climb at an indoor gym without renting any equipment. If you are
ready to start setting up your own climbs (i.e. you know what you
are doing) you'll need to take the plunge and purchase a rope, several
pieces of webbing and some caribeaners. Leading trad and sport climbing
(for more experienced climbers) follow this same progression. Most
racks are built up over several years with purchases being made to compliment
whatever rock(s) you are climbing.
Climb On!
To increase safety during climbing, communication between
the climber and belayer must be solid. The following calls are commonly
heard between climber and belay. If a climbing area is crowded these
calls may require names before each call, or the volume of the call may
need to be turned up as it can be hard to hear you partner's call, espcially
when an overhang is involved.
Belaying Commands
Meaning
"Rope!"
Call before lowering a rope from above other climbers
"Clear"
Climbers below annoucing that the site is clear, lower the rope
"On Belay?"
Climber asking belayer if belay set-up is ready
"Belay on"
Belayer acknowledges that the belay is ready. This belay contract
doesn't end till climber says "Off Belay"
"Climbing"
Climber telling belay that they are ready to climb
"Climb On"
Belay is ready for climber to begin climbing. Belay is focused on
climber
"Falling!"
Call from climber just before or during fall off the rock face
"Rock!"
Call from either the belay or climber if any object is dislodged from the
rock face and falling. Said loudly!
"Tension"
Call from climber to pull the rope tight. Climber may have a difficult
move on the rock or is ready to be
lowered.
"That's Me"
Climber telling belayer that there is tension and the rope is tugging on
them
"Slack"
Climber asking for slack in the rope. Often rope is pinned or stuck
and slack is needed to free the rope or
rope is pulling climber off the route
"Up Rope"
Climber notices there is too much slack in the line and is asking for tension
"Ready to Lower"
Climber is ready to descend from climb and return to belay
"Lowering"
Belay telling the climber that they are being lowered
"Off Belay"
Climber terminating the belay contract
A Climbing Code
*Never Climb beyond your ability and knowledge
*Never let judgment be overruled by desire when
choosing the route or deciding whether to turn back.
*Carry the necessary clothing, food, and equipment at
all times
*Leave a trip itinerary with a responsible person
*Behave at all times in a manner that reflects favorable
upon mountaineering, with minimum impact to the environment
Local Climbs
Goshen
Iron
Gate
Raven's
Roost
Tunstall's
Tooth
Seneca
Rocks
New
River Gorge
The
Trestles
Climbing Guidebooks
Eric Horst, Rock Climbing Virginia, West Virginia
and Maryland. c2001
Steve Carter, New River Gorge Rock Climbers' Guidebook. c1995
Rob Robinson and Chris Watford, The Deep South Climber's Companion. c1993
Tony Barnes, Seneca: The Climber's Guide. Revised Edition. c1995
Don Graydon and Kurt Hanson, Mountaineering The Freedom of the Hills 6th Edition. c1997
Thomas Kelley, The Climber's Guide to North
Carolina. c1995
Jeff Watson, Virginia Climber's Guide. c1998