l wanna learn how to lead climb.l am very proficient at top roping climbs up to 5.10.l know how to belay, set up top rope anchors on outdoor cliffs, and l have a very basic knowledge of the tools used with lead climbing.l have access to a climbing wall that is part of my schools fitness center.The wall has quick links placed on it for lead climbing, but there is no one here that knows how to lead climb.l am asking if it is possible (read not stupid) to be able for me and a few friends to teach ourselves how to lead climb.Does it matter what kind of rope we use, static or dynamic?Do we need any other equipment besides that which is needed for top roping?Is there any information l need to know before l jump on the wall, (GOOD internet sites, books, . . . )?

Books can teach u the bottom belay techniques u will need to lead climb. If all that is set r the anchor points, u will need some Quick-Draws & some slings. The actual belaying is pretty much the same as top-roping with a bottom belayer. All u r doing is just moving the anchor point up the wall as u go. In a gym or a rock that has a pre-placed sport route, this is a good place to learn the belay technique.

You can use static or dynamic rope.all depends on how much bounce u want when u fall. A lot of gyms r switching to static rope lately.

l strongly suggest that if u r planning to venture out of the gym get some real-life instruction before going Trad. l am still learning things about nuts, cams, hexs, tri-cams, etc. even after climbing for a number of years.

Have Fun! Stay Safe!

NONONONONO. dont use static, static rope is only for rappelling & rescue. ALWAYS climb with dynamic rope. Static rope will hurt sooooooo bad if u take a fall on it. Lead climbing is fairly simple if we're talking sport climbing & not traditional. Since it is an indoor wall l will assume sport. lead belaying is a lot different than top rope belaying. Are u use a gri gri or atc? as a leader u will need enough quickdraws in order to make sure u dont fall, a quick draw will basically become ur top rope anchor, untill u set another then so on & so on. sport climbing 101 with chris lindner is a good source. But l dont recommend using books, internet etc, without someone at least watching you. if there is a gym around go there & try to find someone, u will get hurt real easily. im sure there is someone around. rockclimbing.com is a good site, the forums there r real good check out some vids. but please find someone that knows what they're doing so u do not get hurt. Be careful

Well, it is not reccomended. But indoor sport climbig is not nearly as involved as trad climbing, or even outdoor sport climbing, so I'd say u can do it with the proper knowledge. You NEED to read up on the theories & techniques before u do it.

Here is the basics:
-only use dynamic rope!!!!! (unless u waqnt to break ur back!)
-stand below (and 2 feet aside of) the first bolt while belaying, if u stand too far back & the leader falls, u will go flying into the wall instead of up in the air
-do not backclip, there is only 2 ways u can do it & one is very wrong, & can result in the rope coming out of the biner when fallen on, which could mean a ground fall. READ!!!
-only clip a bolt that is at ur head level or below, reaching up above to clip a bolt may seem less scary, but really you're creating excess slack that puts u in more danger
-if u decide to second (top rope) what ur partner has lead, either use the anchors provided or leave 2 bolts clipped, NEVER rely on just one bolt! (this applies mostly for overhangs that cannot be top roped, the result is the seconder cannot complete the last moves because they must leave 2 bolts clipped, but at least they had a crack at that which they had not the courage or skill to lead.

Extra equipment needed: quick draws, & dynamic rope.

Have fun, & always fall trying (while sport climbing). Hang-dogging is lame!

l am putting my 2-cents' worth in addition to a couple of good above.

WHAT MORON WOULD USE A STATIC ROPE FOR CLIMBING?

Use only DYNAMIC rope. Static rope would only be appropriate for rappelling, but most climbers still use their dynamic rope for rappelling.

do not assume that because you can top rope a school is indoor gym is assumed 5.10 that you know what you're doing on a lead, or even on a top roped real wall for that matter. take a class dude. belaying a top rope and a lead are two different things and you have to know the equipment you're using and how to back it up if it fails. go to your local rock gym and get some advice from them, they should be able to teach you or at least point someone out who can.

lead climbing can be done without teacher but u need to practice on artificial wall & with the tools needed cause its more difficult climbing than top rope. much better u can find someone experience on lead climbing for safety reasons. outdoor climbing tools r expensive & need techniques on how to use them on natural cliffs. rope matter depends on how u use it. for lead climbing u use dynamic rope. for more details visit ur nearest rock climbing gym in ur area for ur safety.

dynamic rope only. Lead climbing is vastly different from anything else. Even on a totally bolted route its just plain scarier. You fall so much farther. The reason people get so freaked on lead is u simply arent used to falling well. On indoor walls u never fall far & u never get more than a scrape. On lead u have a high likelihood of pain with a real fall. You therefor tend to over grip over exert over stay & lose momentum. l would stick to 5.6 for a while & do a variety on that level until u have fallen a few times & gotten used to it. Then move up to routes that r more challenging.