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You climb at the gym regularly. Maybe you can top rope a 5.10. You love climbing and you want to take it outside — but somewhere along the way you got the impression that going outdoors means lead climbing, and you're not ready for that yet.
That gate doesn't exist.
This guide is written specifically for gym climbers who want to top rope outdoors without ever clipping a bolt on lead.
Written by Matt King, AMGA Certified Guide with 15 years guiding Boulder's Front Range crags, this is the guide he wishes every gym climber had before their first outdoor session.
What's inside:
Why the gym didn't fully prepare you — and exactly what's different outside
Every piece of gear you actually need (and what you can skip)
How to read a crag, find routes, and set up a safe base
Risk assessment as a way of thinking, not a checklist
Step-by-step anchor building using the Quad — the most beginner-reliable system available
A Front Range crag progression: four specific areas, in order, with what to do at each one
What to do when things go wrong
The Dark Arts of the French Free — how to set a ground-up top rope without leading
10 mistakes gym climbers make outside — and how to avoid every one
Your First Outdoor Climbing Plan — a fillable session worksheet to use before you go
QR codes linking to Mountain Project, anchor demo video, and Rope Wranglers booking
Real photos from real Front Range crags. Checklists you can print and bring to the wall.
After purchase you'll receive an email with your download link. Save the PDF to your device right away — the link expires after 24 hours. If it expires, email ropewranglers@gmail.com and we'll resend it.
You climb at the gym regularly. Maybe you can top rope a 5.10. You love climbing and you want to take it outside — but somewhere along the way you got the impression that going outdoors means lead climbing, and you're not ready for that yet.
That gate doesn't exist.
This guide is written specifically for gym climbers who want to top rope outdoors without ever clipping a bolt on lead.
Written by Matt King, AMGA Certified Guide with 15 years guiding Boulder's Front Range crags, this is the guide he wishes every gym climber had before their first outdoor session.
What's inside:
Why the gym didn't fully prepare you — and exactly what's different outside
Every piece of gear you actually need (and what you can skip)
How to read a crag, find routes, and set up a safe base
Risk assessment as a way of thinking, not a checklist
Step-by-step anchor building using the Quad — the most beginner-reliable system available
A Front Range crag progression: four specific areas, in order, with what to do at each one
What to do when things go wrong
The Dark Arts of the French Free — how to set a ground-up top rope without leading
10 mistakes gym climbers make outside — and how to avoid every one
Your First Outdoor Climbing Plan — a fillable session worksheet to use before you go
QR codes linking to Mountain Project, anchor demo video, and Rope Wranglers booking
Real photos from real Front Range crags. Checklists you can print and bring to the wall.
After purchase you'll receive an email with your download link. Save the PDF to your device right away — the link expires after 24 hours. If it expires, email ropewranglers@gmail.com and we'll resend it.