When I first started sport climbing, my climbing partners were the ones supplying the quickdraws and rope. As I began to get more into climbing, I decided to buy my own draws. The only problem? I had no idea how many quickdraws I needed to buy.
You are able to climb most sport climbing routes with 12 quickdraws. You will need to bring approximately 1 quickdraw for every 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 10 feet) of the route. Bringing an extra 1-2 quickdraws than you need is recommended for safety reasons.
Many factors come into play when selecting how many quickdraws you need to start sport climbing.
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Factors Determining How Many Quickdraws You Need
Ultimately, the number of bolts placed into the route will determine how many quickdraws you need to bring. Bolts are typically placed 2 to 3 meters apart (6.5 to 10 feet). Therefore, the number of bolts on a route is directly related to the length of the route. However, bolt spacing also varies with rock type, route grade, geographic location and cliff face geometry among other factors.
The average sport climbing route will generally be less than 30 meters (100 feet). If you are considering climbing an entire pitch, these can extend up to 60 to 70 meters in length (the average length that can be covered by a rope). I created the following table as a quick reference guide for determining how many quickdraws you would need based on route length with an average bolt spacing of 2 to 3 meters (6.5 to 10 feet).
Table 1 – Number Of Needed Quickdraws Based On Route Length
| Route Length | # of bolts at 3m spacing | # of bolts at 2m spacing | # of Quickdraws needed |
| 10 meters | 4 | 5 | 4 to 5 |
| 15 meters | 5 | 8 | 5 to 8 |
| 20 meters | 7 | 10 | 7 to 10 |
| 25 meters | 9 | 13 | 9 to 13 |
| 30 meters | 10 | 15 | 10 to 15 |
Be sure to bring 1 to 2 extra quickdraws with you when you go climbing as a safety percaution. As illustrated in the table above, most sport climbing routes can generally be climbed with 12 draws. Shorter sport climbing routes will typically only require 6 to 8 draws and longer routes will require 14 to 16.
Table 1 above is only meant to be used as a general reference as it not specific to any individual route. As previously discussed, bolt spacing is dependent on many various route specific factors.
To make things a little more interesting, I decided to tabulate the number of bolts installed on over 30 of the most popular sport climbing routes in the United States. Instead of presenting you with a mind numbing table of over 30 different routes, I have separated the tables into the following geographic regions:
- Eastern
- Midwest
- Rocky Mountains
- West Coast
The routes I am using are from an article published by Climbing.com entitled “America’s 100 Best Sport Climbing Routes”. In their well researched article, they discuss 100 different sport climbing routes and what makes them great. You can check it out linked here once you have determined how many draws you need.
Popular Sport Routes In The Eastern United States
The eastern region being evaluated consists of four of the best rock climbing states near the Appalachian Mountain range. These states are:
- New Hampshire
- West Virginia
- New York
Table 2 below details 8 sport climbing routes within this region and tabulates the route length, number of bolts, average bolt spacing and number of quickdraws required.
Table 2 – Number of Quick Draws Needed For Popular Sport Climbing Routes In The Eastern United States
| Route Name, State, Grade | Route Length | # of Bolts | Bolt Spacing | # of Quickdraws Needed |
| Mrs. Fields Follies, WV, 5.8 | 29m (95ft) | 10 | 2.9m (9.5ft) | 11 |
| Honeybdager, NY, 5.10a | 27m (90ft) | 10 | 2.7m (9ft) | 11 |
| Millenium Falcon, NH, 5.10c | 23m (75ft) | 12 | 1.9m (6.5ft) | 13 |
| Legacy, WV, 5.11a | 27m (90ft) | 10 | 2.7m (9ft) | 11 |
| Porter for Recorder, WV, 5.11+ | 24m (80ft) | 8 | 3m (10ft) | 9 |
| Under the Milky Way, WV, 5.11d | 21m (70ft) | 7 | 3m (10ft) | 8 |
| Technosurfing, NH, 5.12b | 18m (60ft) | 9 | 2m (6.5ft) | 10 |
| Quinsana Plus, WV, 5.13a | 24m (80ft) | 8 | 3m (10ft) | 9 |
Popular Sport Routes In The Midwest United States
The midwestern region being evaluated consists of 7 of the most climber friendly states in the middle of the country. These states are:
- South Dakota
- Arkansas
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Oklahoma
Table 3 below details 8 sport climbing routes within this region and tabulates the route length, number of bolts, average bolt spacing and number of quickdraws required.
Table 3 – Number of Quick Draws Needed For Popular Sport Climbing Routes In The Midwestern United States
| Route Name, Grade | Route Length | # of Bolts | Bolt Spacing | # of Quickdraws Needed |
| Green Goblin, AR, 5.8 | 20m (65ft) | 10 | 2m (6.5ft) | 11 |
| Baba Cool, SD, 5.9+ | 18m (60ft) | 7 | 2.6m (8.5ft) | 8 |
| Gettin’ Lucky in Kentucky, KY, 5.10b | 18m (60ft) | 6 | 3m (10ft) | 7 |
| Spawn, TN, 5.10b/c | 27m (90ft) | 10 | 2.7m (9ft) | 11 |
| Crimp Scampi, AR, 5.10d | 21m (70ft) | 5 | 4m (13ft) | 6 |
| Horseshoes and Hand Grenades, AR, 5.11a | 18m (60ft) | 9 | 2m (6.5ft) | 10 |
| Amarillo Sunset, KY, 5.11b | 15m (50ft) | 8 | 1.9m (6ft) | 9 |
| 500 Roses, OK, 5.13a | 23m (75ft) | 7 | 3.5m (11ft) | 8 |
Popular Sport Routes Near The Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountain region being evaluated consists of 7 states in one of the best climbing meccas in the United States. These states are:
- Utah
- Colorado
- Montana
- Idaho
- New Mexico
- Arizona
- Wyoming
Table 4 below details 8 sport climbing routes within this region and tabulates the route length, number of bolts, average bolt spacing and number of quickdraws required.
Table 4 – Number of Quick Draws Needed For Popular Sport Climbing Routes In The Rocky Mountain Region
| Route Name, Grade | Route Length | # of Bolts | Bolt Spacing | # of Quickdraws Needed |
| Room With a View, MT, 5.8+ | 20m (65ft) | 5 | 4m (13ft) | 6 |
| Post Moderate, NM, 5.9 | 50m (165ft) | 17 | 2.9m (9.5ft) | 18 |
| Tribal Boundaries, ID, 5.10a | 18m (60ft) | 12 | 1.5m (5ft) | 13 |
| Mr. Slate, AZ, 5.10b | 21m (70ft) | 7 | 3m (10ft) | 8 |
| Colossus, ID, 5.10c | 24m (80ft) | 9 | 2.7m (9ft) | 10 |
| License To Thrill, UT, 5.11c | 24m (80ft) | 10 | 2.4m (8ft) | 11 |
| Wet Dream, CO, 5.12a | 32m (105ft) | 17 | 1.9m (6ft) | 18 |
| Happiness, WY, 5.12b | 24m (80ft) | 9 | 2.7m (9ft) | 10 |
Popular Sport Routes On The West Coast Of The United States
The west coast region being evaluated consists of 4 states nearby some of the most historic sport climbing places of the United states. These states are:
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Washington
Table 5 below details 8 sport climbing routes within this region and tabulates the route length, number of bolts, average bolt spacing and number of quickdraws required.
Table 5 – Number of Quick Draws Needed For Popular Sport Climbing Routes On The West Coast United States
| Route Name, Grade | Route Length | # of Bolts | Bolt Spacing | # of Quickdraws Needed |
| 5 Gallon Buckets, OR, 5.8 | 18m (60ft) | 8 | 2.3m (7.5ft) | 9 |
| Pistol Pete, CA, 5.10a/b | 24m (80ft) | 8 | 3m (10ft) | 9 |
| Screaming Yellow Zonkers, OR, 5.10b | 26m (85ft) | 10 | 2.6m (8.5ft) | 11 |
| AC Devil Dog, CA, 5.10d | 15m (50ft) | 6 | 2.5m (8ft) | 7 |
| Under The Boardwalk, NV, 5.11a | 15m (50ft) | 7 | 2.1m (7ft) | 8 |
| Rock n’ Ratlle, WA, 5.11c | 23m (75ft) | 7 | 3.3m (11ft) | 8 |
| Sicorroco, CA, 5.12a | 45m (150ft) | 15 | 3m (10ft) | 16 |
| Just Do It, OR, 5.14c | 42m (140ft) | 18 | 2.3m (7.5ft) | 19 |
How Many Quickdraws You Should Buy To Start
Although the tables above provide a great starting point, they are not directly tailored to the exact routes you will be climbing. Therefore, I highly recommend you research the areas you plan to climb frequently ahead of time and determine how many quickdraws you need from there. To do this, you can use local route climbing guides or the incredibly useful route guide compiled by MountainProject.com that has information on over 200,000 rock climbing routes.
If you plan on expanding your horizons, eventually then I recommend you have 14-16 quickdraws. To make things simple on yourself, you can purchase 3 sets of draws to start (18 total draws). That way you will always have a few back up draws just incase anything happens to them. Remember to always bring 1 to 2 extra quickdraws with you when you go climbing just to be safe!
The bottom line? You will need 12 quickdraws to climb most sport climbing routes. 14 to 16 draws will allow you to climb almost all sport climbing routes.
