A sport route has pre-placed bolts for protection. As you climb, clip a quickdraw through each bolt as you come to it and clip the rope to the quickdraw. A quickdraw has two carabiners attached to each other with sewn nylon or dyneema. The climber places the loose end of the quickdraw into the bolt and clips the rope through the rubber-stabilized end of the quickdraw.
It is a good idea to face the gate of the carabiner the rope is running through away from the intended direction of travel above the quickdraw. This is so that a fall would weight the rope along the spine of the carabiner instead of the gate.
Inspect the bolts as you go to make sure they are modern, solid, and ideally free of rust. Make sure you have enough quickdraws for all the bolts (including the anchor) and at least one to spare.
Clipping
When the lead climber clips correctly, the rope will be running up and out of the quickdraw towards the climber.
There are two ways to clip a quickdraw:
- To clip a gate on the same side as your hand, first stabilize the quickdraw with your thumb and middle finger then push the rope in with your index figure like so:
Here is each step.
- To clip a gate on the opposite side as your hand, put your middle finger through the carabiner to stabilize it then push the rope in with your index finger and thumb like so:
Here is each step.
There are two incorrect ways to clip a quickdraw:
- Back clipping
- Z clipping
Back clipping is when the rope is running through the quickdraw and into the wall. The danger of back clipping is that during a fall the rope has a small chance of unclipping spontaneously. To remedy it, re-clip the quickdraw so the rope comes out away from the wall.
Z-clipping is when a lower piece of protection is inadvertently clipped after previously clipping a higher piece of protection. The danger here is that there will be unmanageable rope drag as you continue to climb. To fix it, unclip the lower piece of protection. (This is usually only a potential mistake when the bolts are very closely spaced).
When to clip
The best time to clip a quickdraw is when it is located between your head and waist. If you clip a quickdraw that is above your head, you will have to bring up a big loop of slack to raise the rope high enough to clip. If you fall during this process, the slack will cause you to fall further.
Rope management
The climber should make sure to prevent the rope from running behind their legs (to reduce the risk of the rope flipping the climber over in a fall).
Risk management
The climber should be aware of their fall potential and any potential ground or ledge falls. Sometimes routes may be "runout" (large distances between protection) during easier sections. Take care to climb carefully in these sections or retreat from the route if it's beyond your comfort zone. Try to research the safety of the route beforehand by reading guidebooks and searching for information about the route online.
Falling
Relax and let yourself come off the wall. You do not need to push out unless you need to clear a ledge. Bend your knees and put your hands up ready to stabilize yourself against the wall. The rope will absorb most of the fall energy. Absorb the remaining energy with your feet.
Top of the climb
Once they reach the anchors, the climber should set up a sport anchor as appropriate.