Learn to place rock pro by bounce testing

Beginning rock climbers are often daunted by the prospect of learning to place and trust their own gear.  It’s one thing to see pictures in a book about proper placement of cams, stoppers and hexes, but another leap entirely to trust the lives of you and your partner to the quality of your gear placement many pitches off the deck.

A great way to build the confidence needed that the gear you place is solid is to treat it the same way it that aid climbers do - give it a solid bounce test.  Yes, that sphincter-tightening technique of hopping on a micro-stopper 2,000 feet up on El Capitan can help teach newbies the fundamentals of a good placement.  While the forces generated in a bounce test do not come close to those generated in a hard leader fall, a bounce test can help grow the trust you need to have confidence in your gear.

Ideally under the supervision of an experienced climber, find an area on flat ground with lots of gear placement possibilities.  (The top of Rocky Butte on the west facing retaining wall below the road is a great place to do this in Portland.) 

Find a crack, choose a piece of pro you think will fit and place it, ideally between waist high and about the top of your outstretched hand.  Clip a biner and a long sling or two onto this piece of gear, and then step gently into the sling with your foot, while balancing with your hands on the rock.  Is it holding?  Great!  Now, starting with 2-3 gentle hops, bounce test your pro with ever-increasing enthusiasm, ending up vigorously bounce-testing with your whole body weight on the gear you’ve placed.  Don’t get carried away, as 4-5 hops total is enough to test your pro.

• Did it not move at all?  Good placement.  Clean it and try another crack.
• Did it shift a little?  Hmm, might hold, but not so good.  Try another placement 1 size bigger or smaller and see how that holds.
• Did it pop out? Yikes!  More practice time needed!

Keep in mind . . .

1. You should not be more than a foot or two off the ground when you do this, so even if your pro pops you should not take much of a tumble.
2. Lightly cover the pro with one hand while you are bouncing on it.  Do not look at the gear while you are bounce testing it!  If it does pop, the trajectory will likely be very close to your eye or head!
3. Be SURE you remembered to bring your nut cleaning tool with you; you’ll get a lot of practice using it.  A small hammer might be a good idea to have as well.
4. Check below for a great YouTube video on bounce testing by big wall expert Chris McNamara.