He was free climbing the flake, which means that his only means of progress was his hands and feet on the rock. The clamp he built (more of a reverse cam, real

He was free climbing the flake, which means that his only means of progress was his hands and feet on the rock. The clamp he built (more of a reverse cam, really) was used solely to catch him in the event of a fall. He mentioned that he practiced placing the gear on the route while top roping, meaning that the rope started from the top of the route. However no one had successfully trad climbed the route before, which means that the rope starts from the bottom and is clipped into removable protection along the way. Trad (short for traditional) is what most people consider "real" climbing.