Sold Out Learn to Trad Lead Clinic March 29-30

The Club is planning on holding two  “Learn to Trad Lead” clinics this year. The first clinic is planned for the weekend of March 29 – 30. The proposed format is  two days of supervised instruction from 8am – 4pm:
  • The first day, Saturday 29 Match is mandatory for all participants and instructors
  • The second day, Sunday 30 March is optional for those who can make it for further review/practice

The clinic will be held at Sugarloaf Mountain, MD and is intended for new or inexperienced trad followers and leaders. At a minimum participants should have outdoor climbing experience, belaying and preferably leading sport routes.

We have adopted this new format because of difficulties in previous years of finding dates where everyone could commit to more than one day. In the event of rain on Saturday, Sunday will become the instruction day.

Saturday will cover the core techniques for leading trad:

  • Important knots and hitches
  • Gear – types, placements, rock and pro assessment
  • Belay anchor rigging (using slings, cord and rope)
  • Learning how to belay from the top of pitch (and how to lower if using Guide Mode)
  • How to rappel
  • Mock lead (with a top rope belay)
Sunday for those who can make it will be participant driven with instructor supervision. You will get to practice those skills/techniques where you feel need the most practice/reinforcement.

The  number of participants will be determined by the number of instructors who are available Saturday as we are looking for a 2:1 or 3:1 climbers:instructor ratio. Required gear and additional info will be sent to clinic participants closer to the day.

To minimize parking issues at Sugarloaf, we will coordinate shared transport. The second clinic will be scheduled at a later date.

For additional information contact Marty Cominsky  – martycomiskey at yahoo.com

  • Trad Leading Clinic
     March 29, 2025 - March 30, 2025
     8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Registration

Sold Out

"Learn to Trad Lead Clinic March 29-30" is currently sold out.
Please check back again later, as spots may become available.

Venue:  

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Venue Website:

Address:
7901 Comus Road, Dickerson, Maryland, 20842, United States

Description:

Sugarloaf Mountain is a small 1,200ft monadnock  20 miles south of Frederick, MD.  Sugarloaf offers local climbers some of the closest traditional lead climbing to the Washington Metro Area. It is also notable for some excellent top-rope routes, as well as numerous boulder problems scattered throughout the forest.

The private Stronghold Foundation owns the land and welcomes many hikers and climbers each year.  Please bring $5 cash to donate at the entrance (encouraged but not required). Sugarloaf is also a trash free park, so pack it in pack it out. There are port-a-potties at the West parking lot.

The most popular climbing areas – Middle Earth and Boy Scout Ledges – are a short walk from the  West View Parking lot

To reach Sugarloaf, follow I270 to the Hyattstown exit, follow Route 109 to Comus, then right on Comus Road to the Sugarloaf Mountain entrance.