lead climbing

Question
hey!
I've been rock climbing for a couple of years now. I've always done top rope. How do you know when you're ready to start lead climbing and how different is it from top rop climbing.

Thanx!

Answer
Well i started leading about a year after i had started climbing. It is farely nerve racking the first time you decide to lead. What i did was picked a route that i top ropped a few times untill i knew nearly every move on it and untill i felt really confident on that route. Then i lead it. After you lead for the first time, you feel like you can have a go at anything and feel like you have reached a knew level of climbing, but just remember to stay safe and only lead on walls that you feel confortable on. Leading will improve your climbing a great deal. You will begin to trust your judgement more and your confidence and technique on the wall will improve so much. Leading in climbing is so personal!! It is what you feel comfortable with. A climb can be graded but a persons ability cant be!! The most important thing is that you stay safe and feel confident on the wall. I hope i have helped. Anything else i can help with, let me know!!
Good luck and let me know how it goes. I live in South Wales, if you ever fancy a climb, get in touch if you fancy a chat!! Speak soon.
XEMX