Trad Climbing Intro

Traditional climbing — placing and removing your own gear (cams, nuts, hexes) as protection — unlocks crack climbing and wilderness routes inaccessible without fixed bolts. Intro trad routes at 5.6-5.8 in places like Yosemite Valley, Eldorado Canyon, and the Shawangunks teach rack selection, gear placement assessment, and the leave-no-trace ethic. The mental shift from clipping bolts to building your own anchor changes everything about how you see rock.