Sport Clipping for Lead Climbing

A chapter-based introduction to clipping techniques for Lead Climbing as well as the hazards associated with clipping. See links below to skip ahead, if appropriate!

We'll present some basic clipping methods to get you started. For each hazard, we’ll cover what the problem is, how it happens, how to fix it, and how to avoid it.

This video is intended to accompany instruction and review for certification testing at Cornell Outdoor Education's Lindseth Climbing Center, and is not meant to be an exhaustive source of information.


0:00 Intro & Overview
2:28 Basic Clipping Techniques
6:26 Clipping Close-Up
7:59 Anchor Clipping
10:36 Hazard Overview
11:03 Back Clipping
17:23 Z-Clipping
20:42 High Clipping
24:30 Skipping Clips
26:18 Back Stepping
28:59 Summary

[stewstryker]

Excellent video with very clear explanations. Thanks very much for producing it.

[ezkur]

Wow, great video. This should have more views.

[LeftCoast_TomP]

My soap box comment that I have made elsewhere is to be nice to your belayer if you are high clipping and don't yank a big length of rope causing a belay device like a gri gri to lock up. Yes the belayer can defeat the gri gri routinely with their thumb to hips is easier for the belayer to keep their brake hand entirely on the rope and still give you enough slack to safely make the clip. Unless you are desperately pumped at a very tiring clipping stance there is no need to try to shave a split second off with a fast sudden pull of rope. The Lindseth Climbing Center looks like a very nice rock gym.

[drstrangelove]

Thanks for the video. Very well made. I'm very skeptical on the danger of backclipping. Do you know any recorded accident that happened because of backclipping? The head of innovation of Edelrid made the statement that there are 0 recorded accidents because of backclipping :D