Glossary of climbing terms
Encyclopedia
This page describes terms and jargon
related to climbing
and mountaineering
.
: An anchor which is created by connecting a closed loop of cord or webbing between two points of protection, and then suspending the rope from a carabiner clipped to only one strand of said anchor. This creates a triangular shape in the webbing or cord, which places massively multiplied inward forces on the protection, making it a dangerous, ineffective anchor.
Abalakov thread
: A type of abseiling
point used especially in winter and ice climbing
. Also called as V-thread.
Ablation zone : The area of a glacier where yearly melting meets or exceeds the annual snow fall.
Abseil : The process by which a climber can descend a fixed rope. Also known as Rappel.
ACR (Alpine Cock Ring): An anchor method similar to a cordelette but that is dynamically equalizing. It employs a cord and a rappel ring.
Adze : A thin blade mounted perpendicular to the handle on an ice axe
that can be used for chopping footholds.
Alpine knee : To use your knee as a way to gain ground on a climb.
Alpine start : To make an efficient start on a long climb by packing all your gear the previous evening and starting early in the morning, usually well before sunrise.
Altitude sickness
: A medical condition that is often observed at high altitudes. Also known as Acute mountain sickness, or AMS.
Anchor
:An arrangement of one or (usually) more pieces of gear set up to support the weight of a belay or top rope.
Approach : The path or route to the start of a technical climb. Although this is generally a walk or, at most, a scramble it is occasionally as hazardous as the climb itself.
Arête :
Ascend : To climb a rope using aid device.
Ascender : A device for ascending on a rope.
Aspect : The direction in which a slope faces.
ATC : A proprietary belay device
manufactured by Black Diamond. Has become common term used to describe any tubular belay device
s.
Atomic belay : A fast method for setting up a two-point anchor in sport climbing, using the climbing rope to attach to the anchor points.
for bouldering
problems, invented by John Gill
. Now largely superseded by the "V" grading system.
Bachar ladder
: A piece of training equipment used to improve campusing and core strength.
Back-clipping : A potentially hazardous mistake that can be made while lead climbing. The rope is clipped into a quickdraw such that the leader's end runs underneath the quickdraw as opposed to over top of it. If the leader falls, the rope may fold directly over the gate causing it to open and release the rope from the carabiner.
Bail : To retreat from a climb.
Barn-door : If a climber has only two points of contact using either the right or left side of his body, the other half may swing uncontrollably out from the wall like a door on a hinge.
Bashie : A copperhead intended for pounding into a crack
Belay
: To protect
a roped climber from falling by passing the rope through, or around, any type of friction enhancing belay device. Before belay devices were invented, the rope was simply passed around the belayer's hips to create friction.
Belay device
: A mechanical device used to create friction when belaying by putting bends in the rope. Many types of belay devices exist, including ATC, grigri
, Reverso
, Sticht plate, eight and tuber. Some belay devices may also be used as descenders. A Munter hitch
can sometimes be used instead of a belay device
.
Belay off : Called by belayer to confirm belay has been removed from climbing rope. Response to Belay off request.
Belay on : Called by belayer to confirm belay has been (re)applied to climbing rope. Response to Belay on request.
Belay slave : Someone that volunteers for, or is tricked into, repeated belaying duties without partaking in any of the actual climbing.
Benightment: An unscheduled overnight bivouac
often due to an epic.
Bergschrund
(or schrund): A crevasse
that forms on the upper portion of a glacier
where the moving section pulls away from the headwall. Also called a 'shrund.
Beta
: Advice on how to successfully complete (or protect) a particular climbing route, boulder problem, or crux sequence. Some climbers believe that beta 'taints' an ascent.
Beta flash
: The clean ascent of a climb on the first attempt, having previously obtained beta or while having beta shouted up from the ground en route. Also see on-sight.
Big wall
: A climb on which most parties will spend more than one day.
Biner : See Carabiner.
Bivy
(or bivvy): From the French "bivouac". A camp, or the act of camping, overnight while still on a climbing route off the ground. May involve nothing more than lying down or sitting on a rock ledge without any sleeping gear. When there is no rock ledge available, such as on a sheer vertical wall, a portaledge
that hangs from anchors on the wall can be used.
Bivy-bag : A lightweight garment or sack offering full-body protection from wind and rain.
Bollard : A large knob of rock or ice used as a belay anchor.
Bolt
: A point of protection permanently installed in a hole drilled into the rock, to which a metal hanger is attached, having a hole for a carabiner or ring.
Bolt chopping : The deliberate and destructive removal of one or more bolts
.
Bomb-proof anchor : A totally secure anchor. Also known as bomber. Bomber can also refer to a particularly solid hand or foot hold (a "Bomber Jug")
Bouldering
: The practice of climbing on large boulders. Typically this is close to the ground, so protection takes the form of crash pads and spotting instead of belay ropes.
Bridging : see Steming
Bucket : A large handhold.
Bummer : A slang word, used usually to describe a difficult or uncomfortable hold, often one that tears the skin on the hand.
Bump : To quickly move up a hand or a foot a small distance from one useful hold to another.
Buildering
: The art of climbing on buildings, which is often illegal.
Buttress : A prominent feature that juts out from a rock or mountain.
: A distinctive pile of stones placed to designate a summit or mark a trail, often above the treeline.
Cam : A spring-loaded device used as protection
.
Campus : The act of climbing without using any feet.
Campus board
: Training equipment used to build finger strength and strong arm lock-offs.
Carabiner
: Metal rings with spring-loaded gates, used as connectors. Usually oval or roughly D shaped. Also known as crab or biner .
Chalk
: A compound
used to improve grip by absorbing sweat. It is actually gymnastics chalk, usually magnesium carbonate
. Its use is controversial in some areas.
Chalk bag : A hand-sized holder for a climber's chalk that is usually carried on a chalkbelt for easy access during a climb.
Chicken head : see bollard, horn.
Chimney :
Chipping : Improving a hold by permanently altering the rock. Widely used in the 80's and early 90's, but now considered unethical and unacceptable.
Chock :
Choss : Loose or "rotten" rock.
Classification : See Grade.
Clawing : Use of front points of crampons
, ice axe
pick and ice hammer pick to climb a slope.
Clean :
Cleaning tool : A device for removing jammed equipment, especially nuts, from a route. Also known as a nut key.
Climbing area
: A region that is plentiful with climbing routes.
Climbing command : A short phrase used for communication between a climber and a belayer.
Climbing gym : Specialized indoor climbing centres. See gym climbing. (Usually just called a 'climbing wall' in Britain).
Climbing shoe
: Footwear designed specifically for climbing. Usually well fitting, with a rubber sole.
Climbing technique
: Particular techniques, or moves, commonly applied in climbing.
Climbing wall
: Artificial rock, typically in a climbing gym.
Clipping in : The process of attaching to belay lines or anchors for protection.
Clipstick : In bolted climbing, an extendable pole which is allows the climber to reach the first bolt from the ground, thus making the route safer and less committing. Ethically dubious.
Col
: A small pass or "saddle" between two peaks. Excellent for navigation as when standing on one it's always down in two, opposite, directions and up in the two directions in between those.
Cord lock
: a lock or toggle used to fasten cords with gloved hands. Used on most mountaineering gear.
Cordelette : A long loop of accessory cord used to tie into multiple anchor points.
Corner : An inside corner of rock, the opposite to an arête (UK). See Dihedral.
Cornice
: An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge.
Couloir
: A steep gully or gorge frequently filled with snow or ice.
Crack climbing : To ascend on a rock face by wedging body parts into cracks, i.e. not face climbing. See jamming and chimney.
Crag : A small area with climbing routes, often just a small cliff face or a few boulders.
Crampons
: Metal framework with spikes attached to boots to increase safety on snow and ice.
Cramponing :
Crank : To pull on a hold as hard as possible.
Crash pad : A thick mat used to soften landings or to cover hazardous objects in the event of a fall. See: Bouldering mat
Crater : Hitting the ground at the end of a fall instead of being caught by the rope.
Crimp :
Crux : The most difficult portion of a climb.
Cut-loose : Where a climber's feet swing away from the rock on overhanging terrain, leaving the climber hanging only by their hands. Also known as "Cutting feet."
Cwm : (Welsh
) A hanging valley, or cirque
—a steep-walled semicircular basin
in a mountain—sometimes containing a lake; also known as a corrie
.
Dead Ball : Type of High Ball boulder, where one can possibly die when falling from above.
Dead hang : To hang limp, such that weight is held by ligament
tension rather than muscles.
Deadman anchor : An object buried into snow to serve as an anchor for an attached rope. One common type of such an anchor is the snow fluke.
Deadpoint :A dynamic climbing technique
in which the hold is grabbed at the apex of upward motion. This technique places minimal strain on both the hold and the arms.
Deck :
Deep Water Soloing: Free climbing an area that overhangs a deep enough body of water to allow for a safe fall.
Descender : A device for controlled descent on a rope. Also called a rappel device. Many belay device
s may be used as descenders, including ATCs, eights, or even carabiners. See rappel.
Dexamethasone
: A pharmaceutical drug used in the treatment of high altitude cerebral edema
as well as high altitude pulmonary edema
. It is commonly carried on mountain climbing expeditions to help climbers deal with altitude sickness
. Also known as "dex".
Dialled : To have complete understanding of a particular climbing move or route.
Diamox : A drug used to inhibit the onset of altitude sickness
. Otherwise known as acetazolamide.
Dièdre : A dihedral.
Dihedral : An inside corner of rock, with more than a 90-degree angle between the faces. See also corner and arête.
Direct aid : A type of tension climbing consisting of using one or more belay ropes to haul the leader up to the next point of protection.
Double Rope Technique (DRT) : For alpine and rock climbers this term implies the use of two separate ropes. For tree climbers this term is ambiguous but is usually interpreted as a synonym for Doubled Rope Technique.
Doubled Rope Technique (DdRT) : A method used primarily by tree climbers where the rope passes over a support/limb and continuously slides over the limb as the climber ascends or descends.
Downclimb : To descend by climbing downward, typically after completing a climb.
Dry-tooling
: Using tools for ice climbing
like crampons and ice axe
s on rock.
Dulfersitz : A method of rappelling, without mechanical tools, where the uphill rope is straddled by the climber then looped around a hip, across the chest, over the opposite (weak) shoulder, and held with the downhill (strong) hand to adjust the shoulder friction and thus the descending speed.
Dynamic belay : Technique of stopping a long fall using smooth braking to reduce stress on the protection points and avoid unnecessary trauma from an abrupt stop.
Dynamic rope : A slightly elastic rope
that softens falls to some extent. Also tend to be damaged less severely by heavy loads. Compare with static rope.
Dynamic motion : Any move in which body momentum is used to progress. As opposed to static technique where three-point suspension and slow, controlled movement is the rule.
Dyno : A dynamic move to grab a hold that would otherwise be out of reach. Generally both feet will leave the rock face and return again once the target hold is caught. Non-climbers would call it a jump or a leap.
Edging : Using the edge of the climbing shoe
on a foothold. In the absence of footholds, smearing is used.
Egyptian : A climbing technique
used to reduce tension in arms while holding a side grip.
Eight-thousander
: A mountain whose elevation exceeds 8,000 metres above sea level.
Eliminate : A term from bouldering
describing a move or series of moves in which either certain holds are placed 'off bounds' or other artificial restrictions are imposed.
Elvis legs : Wobbly knees resulting from tired legs. See Sewing machine leg.
Epic : An ordinary climb rendered difficult by a dangerous combination of weather, injuries, darkness, lack of preparedness or other adverse factors. See Punter.
European Death Knot : A double overhand used to join a pair of ropes for retrievable abseils. So named as the technique originated in Europe and the Americans initially distrusted it.
Exposure : Empty space below a climber, usually referring to a great distance above the deck through which the climber could fall.
Fall :
Figure Four : Advanced climbing technique where the climber hooks a leg over the opposite arm, and then pushes down with this leg to achieve a greater vertical reach. Requires strength and a solid handhold.
Figure eight : A belay device or descender shaped like an "8".
Figure eight knot : A knot commonly used to secure the climber's harness to the climbing rope.
Finger board : Training equipment used to build finger strength.
First ascent : The first successful completion of a route.
Fist jam : A type of jam using the hand. See climbing technique
.
Fixed rope : A rope which has a fixed attachment point. Commonly used for abseiling or aid climbing.
Flagging : Climbing technique where a leg is held in a position to maintain balance, rather than to support weight. Often useful to prevent barn-dooring.
Flake : A thin slab of rock detached from the main face.
Flapper : An injury consisting of a piece of loose (flapping) skin. A climber will usually just repair these with sticky tape or super glue.
Flash : To successfully and cleanly complete a climbing route on the first attempt after having received beta of some form. Also refers to an ascent of this type. For ascents on the first attempt without receiving beta see on-sight.
Follow : What the second does.
Font : The French bouldering
grading system.
Fourteener
: Mountain that tops 14000 feet (4,267.2 m) in the contiguous United States.
Free base : Climbing with your only protection being a parachute that is deployed in the event of a fall. A combination of free soloing, and BASE jumping.
Free climbing
:
Free solo : Climbing without aid or protection. This typically means climbing without a rope.
French free : Also known as French climbing, or French freeing, it is the use of aid climbing
techniques to bypass a section due to climbing difficulty, rock conditions, etc.; typically for only a short section of the total climb.
Frenchies : An exercise used to develop lock-off strength.
Friable (rock) : Delicate and easily broken rock, often dangerous.
Friction : Climbing technique relying on the friction
between the sloped rock and the sole of the shoe to support the climber's weight, as opposed using holds or edges, cracks, etc.
Friend : A name brand of a type of spring-loaded camming device (SLCD), sometimes used to refer to any type of spring-loaded camming device.
Flute: A usually insecure fin or flake of rock or ice.
Gendarme : A pinnacle or isolated rock tower frequently encountered along a ridge.
Geneva rappel : A modified dulfersitz rappel using the hip and downhill arm for friction, rather than the chest and shoulder, offering less complexity, but less friction and less control. 'Geneva Style' is also a description used in Australia for what is commonly referred to elsewhere as 'Australian Rappelling'.
Glacier
travel : walking or climbing on a glacier; a rope is usually used to arrest falls into crevasse
s, but protection
is not used.
Glissade
: A usually voluntary act of sliding down a steep slope of snow.
Gorp
: Trail mix
for periodic nibbling to keep high energy level between meals on long climbs or hikes. An acronym for 'Good Ol' Raisins & Peanuts' or 'Granola, Oatmeal, Raisins, and Peanuts'.
Grade :
Grigri
: A belay device
designed to be easy to use and safer for beginners because it is self-locking under load. Invented and manufactured by Petzl
. Many experienced climbers advocate the use of an atc type device for beginners
Gripped : Scared. Also over gripping the rock.
Grovel : To climb with obviously poor style or technique.
Gumby : An inexperienced, unknowledgeable and oblivious climber; is a derogatory term. Gumbies are incapable of learning.
Gym climbing : Climbing indoors, on artificial climbing walls. This is typically for training but many people consider this a worthwhile activity in its own right.
: High Altitude Cerebral Edema
- a severe, and often fatal, form of altitude sickness
.
Hand traverse : Traversing without any definitive footholds, i.e. smearing or heelhooking.
Hangdog : While lead climbing or on top rope, to hang on the rope or a piece of protection for a rest.
Hanging belay : Belaying at a point such that the belayer is suspended.
HAPE
: High Altitude Pulmonary Edema - a serious form of altitude sickness
.
Harness
: A sewn nylon webbing device worn around the waist and thighs that is designed to allow a person to safely hang suspended in the air.
Haul bag : A large and often unwieldy bag into which supplies and climbing equipment may be thrown.
Headpoint : See top rope. The practice of top-roping a hard trad route before leading it cleanly.
Headwall : The region of a cliff or rock face that steepens dramatically.
Helmet
: Also known as a brain bucket or skid lid. It can save your life, but only while worn.
Hexcentric : A protective device. It is an eccentric hexagonal nut attached to a wire loop. The nut is inserted into a crack and it holds through counter-pressure. Often just termed Hex.
High Ball : A tall boulder problem. Falling becomes more dangerous due to the increase in height.
Hold
: A place to temporarily cling, grip, jam, press, or stand in the process of climbing.
HMS Carabiner : A round-ended carabiner
for use with a Munter hitch
(from the German name for the hitch; Halbmastwurfsicherung).
Honed : To be in peak mental and physical fitness for climbing.
Hook :
Horn : Large, pointed protrusion of rock that can be slung. Typically also makes a good hand hold. See bollard, chicken head.
Hueco: (Spanish hueco "hole") A climbing hold consisting of a pocket in the rock, typically round and deep and featuring a positive lip. Huecos vary in size from accommodating a single finger (this is also called a "mono") to large enough to fit one's entire body. The term hueco entered the jargon of rock climbers from the Texas climbing area Hueco Tanks
that is famous for this sort of hold.
: A handy tool for safety and balance, having a pick/adze head and a spike at the opposite end of a shaft.
Ice hammer : A lightweight ice axe
with a hammer/pick head on a short handle and no spike.
Ice screw
: A screw used to protect a climb over steep ice or for setting up a crevasse rescue
system. The strongest and most reliable is the modern tubular ice screw which ranges in length from 18 to 23 cm.
Ice piton : Long, wide, serrated piton
once used for weak protection on ice.
Indoor climbing : See gym climbing.
Jib : A particularly small foot hold, usually only large enough for the big toe, sometimes relying heavily on friction to support weight.
Jug : A shortened term for Jumar, both noun and verb.
Jug hold : A large, easily held hold. Also known simply as a jug.
Jumar
:
: See Cairn.
Klemheist knot
: An alternative to the Prusik knot, useful when the climber is short of cord but has plenty of webbing.
Knot
s : Climbers rely on many different knots for anchoring oneself to a mountain, joining two ropes together, slings for climbing up the rope, etc.
: A form of climbing in which the climber places anchors and attaches the belay rope as they climb (traditional) or clips the belay rope into preplaced equipment attached to bolts (sport).
Leader Fall : A fall while Lead climbing
. A fall from above the climbers last piece of protection. The falling leader will fall at least twice the distance back to his or her last piece, plus slack and rope stretch.
Lieback : Or layback. A climbing move that involves pulling on the hands while pushing on the feet.
Liquid Chalk
: A liquid form of chalk with a longer hold time than normal chalk. It is used on very hard routes and competitions, where the act of rechalking requires too much energy or time.
Locking carabiner : A carabiner with a locking gate, to prevent accidental release of the rope.
Lock-off : Using tendon strength to support weight on a hand hold without tiring muscles too much.
Low-Angle : A face climb that is less than vertical; the opposite of an overhang or roof. The same as "slab".
Match : To use one hold for two limbs, or to swap limbs on a particular hold.
Moat : A crevasse
that forms where the glacier pulls away from a rock formation.
Mono: (French monodoigt "single finger") A climbing hold, typically a pocket or hueco, that only has enough room for one finger.
Mountain rescue
: The search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. Also see rescue doctrine
.
Move : Application of a specific climbing technique
to progress on a climb.
Moving together : Method of climbing – used on easy Alpine ground – in which two or more climbers climb at the same time with running belays between them and fixed belays not being used. Similar to simulclimbing, a technique for steeper terrain.
Multi-pitch climbing : Climbing on routes that are too long for a single belay rope.
Munter hitch
: A simple hitch that is often used for belaying without a mechanical belay device. Otherwise known as an Italian hitch or a Friction hitch.
No-hand rest : An entirely leg-supported resting position during climbing that does not require hands on the rock.
Nub : A little hold that only a few fingers can grip, or the tips of the toes.
Nunatak : A mountain or rock that protrudes through an ice field.
Nut : A metal wedge attached to a wire loop that is inserted into cracks for protection. See hexcentric.
Nut Key : See Cleaning Tool
Off belay : Called by a climber when requesting that the belayer remove belay equipment from the climbing rope (for example, when cleaning top protection from a lead route). Replied to with Belay off.
Off-width : A crack that is too wide for effective hand or foot jams, but is not as large as a chimney.
On belay : What a climber calls when he is ready to be belayed. Replied to with Belay on.
On-sight
: A clean ascent, with no prior practice or beta.
Open book : An inside angle in the rock. See also dihedral.
Overhang : A section of rock or ice that is angled beyond vertical. See roof.
Peak-bagging : To systematically attain designated summits under prescribed conditions.
Peel : To fall.
Pendulum
:
Pickets : Long, tubular rods driven into snow to provide a quick anchor.
Pied à plat : A crampon technique in the French style: to climb on high-angle ice with feet flat on the ice (as opposed to front-pointing).
Pied assis : A crampon technique in the French style: to rest on high-angle ice with one foot tucked under the buttocks, toes pointed straight down-slope.
Pied d'Elephant : A short, light sleeping bag covering the lower half of the body only. It is designed to be used in connection with a down jacket for lightweight bivvies.
Pied en canard : A crampon technique in the French style: to walk on moderate-angle ice with toes pointed outward; literally, "duck footed".
Pied marche : A crampon technique in the French style: to walk on low-angle ice with toes pointed straight ahead.
Picknick stop : A No-hand rest.
Pinkpoint : To complete a lead climb without falling or resting on the rope (hangdogging), but with pre-placed protection
and carabiner
s. Also see clean and redpoint.
Pinch Hold : This is a hold where you must pinch it to hold on. They come in various sizes.
Pitch
: In the strictest climbing definition, a pitch is considered one rope length (50–60 metres). However, in guide books and route descriptions, a pitch is the portion of a climb between two belay points.
Piton
: A flat or angled metal blade of steel which incorporates a clipping hole for a carabiner or a ring in its body. A piton is typically used in "aid-climbing" and an appropriate size and shape is hammered into a thin crack in the rock and preferably removed by the last team member.
Piton catcher : Clip-on string fastened to piton when inserting or removing, so as to avoid loss.
Plunge step : An aggressive step pattern for descending on hard or steep angle snow.
Pof : An alternative to chalk made from pine resin. Popular in Fontainebleau but discouraged (or actively forbidden) everywhere else since it deposits a thick, shiny resin layer on the rock and friction can only be achieved by using more pof.
Polish : On popular routes, the sheer passage of traffic can polish the rock to such an extent as to make the climbing much more difficult. This is most noticeable at the crux, and more common on certain rock types.
Positive : A hold or part of a hold, having a surface facing upwards, or away from the direction it is pulled, facilitating use.
Pressure Breathing : Forcefully exhaling to facilitate O2/CO2 exchange at altitude. Also called the "Whittaker wheeze".
Problem : Used in bouldering, the path that a climber takes in order to complete the climb. Same as route in roped climbing.
Protection
:
Prusik :
Pseudo Leading : To climb a wall Toprope with having another rope connected to the climber, for practice of Lead climbing
clipping. The other rope is normally not connected to any belayer
below and is only there to practice the clipping. Usually practiced while learning how to Lead Climb.
Psychological protection : A piece of protection that everyone knows will not hold a fall, but makes the climber feel better about having gear beneath them anyhow.
Pumped :
Punter : An over-ambitious and under-prepared climber.
: Used to attach a freely running rope to anchors or chocks. Sometimes called "quickies" or just "draws."
Rappel : The process by which a climber may descend on a fixed rope using a friction device. Also known as Abseil or roping down..
RB : A removable bolt, similar in concept to a sliding nut, but shaped to fit into a drilled hole.
Rebolting : The replacement of bolts on an existing climb.
Redpoint : To complete a lead climb after making previous unsuccessful attempts, done without falling or resting on the rope (hangdogging). Also see clean and pinkpoint.
Rest step : Energy-saving technique where unweighted (uphill) leg is rested between each forward step, sometimes by "locking" knee of rear leg.
Retro-bolting
: The addition of bolts to an existing climb which has already been ascended using natural protection.
Rodeo clipping: To clip in to the first piece of protection from the ground by swinging a loop of rope so that it is caught by a carabiner. This can only be done when the first piece of gear is already placed.
Roof : Horizontal overhang.
Rope
: A basic item of climbing equipment
that physically connects the climber to the belayer.
Rope gun : The most talented climber in the group. The person who can get the rope up there for the rest of us.
Rope jumping : Jumping from objects using rock climbing equipment.
Route : The path of a particular climb, or a predefined set of moves.
RP : A small nut, named after Rowland Pauligk. Not certified for sale in Europe.
Runner : Made of nylon and nylon/blend materials, runners, also referred to as slings, are used by climbers for a multitude of purposes.
Runout :
Rugosity : Hold sized area of rock that has rougher texture than its surroundings.
RURP : Acronym, stands for Realized Ultimate Reality Piton. Miniature, postage-stamp sized piton
originally designed by Yvon Chouinard
Sandbag : A climb which receives a much lower grade than deserved. Also used as a verb when referring to the act of describing a climbing route as easier than it actually is.
Sardar
or Sirdar : Head Sherpa mountain guide.
'scend: contraction of the word ascend, past tense: 'scended. See Send
Scrambling
: A type of climbing somewhere between hiking and graded rock climbing.
Screamer :
Scree
: Small, loose, broken rocks, often at the base of a cliff. Also an area or slope covered in scree. Scree is distinguished from Talus by its smaller size and looser configuration.
Screw on : A small climbing hold, screwed onto the wall in climbing gyms. Can be used for feet in a route regardless of its colour. Also referred to as a foot chip, chip or micro.
Second : A climber who follows the lead, or first, climber.
Self-Arrest : The act of planting the pick of your ice axe into the snow to arrest a fall in the event of a slip. Also a method of stopping in a controlled glissade.
Send : To cleanly complete a route. i.e. on-sight, flash, redpoint. Sometimes even on tr. See scend
Serac
: A large ice tower.
Sewing machine leg : The involuntary vibration of one or both legs resulting from fatigue or panic. Also known as "Scissor leg", "Elvis Presley Syndrome", or "Disco knee". Can often be remedied by bringing the heel of the offending leg down, changing the muscles used to support the weight of the climber
Sharp end : The end of the belay rope that is attached to the lead climber. "Being on the sharp end" refers to the act of lead climbing, which is considered more psychologically demanding than top-roping or following, since it may involve more route-finding, as well as the possibility of longer, more consequential falls.
Sherpa
: A Sherpa is a person of the ethnic group of the same name that is located in the Himalayan Mountains. Also a generic term for mountaineering porters in Nepal (usually those working at or above base camp) regardless of their ethnic group
Short fixing: A traditionally-belayed lead climber reaches a new belay station, creates an anchor, tying the lead rope off to the anchor. The climber then switches over to self-belaying and continues to climb. Meanwhile the second climber ascends the fixed rope using ascenders (aka Jugging) and cleans the pitch. When the second reaches the belay, he or she anchors in and starts to belay the leader in the traditional way again. When the leader reaches the next belay the process is repeated.
Side pull : A hold that needs to be gripped with a sideways pull towards the body.
Simulclimbing : A technique where both climbers move simultaneously upward with the leader placing protection which the second removes as they advance. A device known as a Tibloc which allows the rope to only move in a single direction is sometimes used to prevent the second climber from accidentally pulling the lead climber off should the second slip.
Single Rope Technique (SRT) : The use of a single rope where one or both ends of the rope are attached to fixed anchor points.
Sit and spin : A method of starting a rappel from a cliff edge, accomplished by sitting with legs over the edge and then spinning around to face the cliff while planting feet on the face.
Sit start : Starting a climb from a position in which the climber is sitting on the floor. This is common in climbing gyms in order to fit an extra move into the climb. Noted as SS or SDS in some topo guides.
Slab : A relatively low-angle (significantly less than vertical) section of rock, usually with few large features. Requires slab climbing techniques.
Slab climbing : A particular type of rock climbing, and its associated techniques, involved in climbing rock that is less than vertical. The emphasis is on balance, footwork, and making use of very small features or rough spots on the rock for friction.
Slack : Portion of rope that is not taut, preferably minimized during belay.
SLCD : Abbreviation for spring-loaded camming device, a type of protection device
. These are better known by the term cam.
Sling : Webbing
sewn, or tied, into a loop.
Sloppy Plopping : Poor footwork [Northumberland climbing slang] as in "Nae Sloppy Ploppin'" - "you'll need accurate footwork to have any chance of flashing this".
Sloper : A sloping hold with very little positive surface. A sloper is comparable to palming a basketball.
Smearing : To use friction on the sole of the climbing shoe
, in the absence of any useful footholds.
Snarg : A type of tubular ice screw that is inserted by hammering.
Snow fluke
: An angled aluminium plate attached to a metal cable. The fluke is buried into snow, typically used as a deadman anchor.
Solo climbing : Setting and cleaning ones own protection on an ascent; climbing by oneself.
Sport climbing
: A style of climbing where form, technical (or gymnastic) ability and strength are more emphasized over exploration, self-reliance and the exhilaration of the inherent dangers involved in the sport. Sport climbing routes tend to be well protected with pre-placed bolt-anchors and lends itself well to competitive climbing.
Spotting : A method of protection commonly used during bouldering or before the leader has placed a piece of protection. The spotter stands beneath the climber, ready to absorb the energy of a fall and direct him away from any hazards.
Sprag : A type of hand position where the fingers and thumb are opposed.
Spraying : Giving unwanted - and unasked-for - beta to a fellow climber. Also, excessive, overly prominent, or boorish proclamation of one's own (often exaggerated) skills or exploits.
Static : Of a style of climbing or specific move, not dynamic.
Static rope : A non-elastic rope
. Compare with dynamic rope.
Steep : Descriptive of any climbing face that is angled beyond vertical. See Overhang.
Stem :
Sticht plate : A belay device
consisting of a flat plate with a pair of slots. Named after the inventor Franz Sticht.
Stick clip : A long stick on the end of which a climber can affix a quickdraw. It allows the climber to clip a quickdraw to the first bolt on a sport climb while still standing on the ground. This is especially useful if the first bolt is high up, and out of the comfort zone of the climber. A stick clip can be bought or easily made by attaching a quickdraw to a stick with a rubber band.
Stopper :
Summit :
Swami Belt : A kind of proto- climbing harness
consisting of a long length of tubular webbing wrapped several times around the climbers body and secured with a water knot
. Largely eschewed today in favor of commercial harnesses.
Sweeper : Refers to the last member or the tail of a climbing group. The sweeper's task is to spot and retrieve things that may have accidentally fallen from the preceding climbers; to make sure that no mess or gear is left behind; and to make sure that the rear is keeping up with the whole team. The term "sweeper", a Filipino contribution to mountaineering vocabulary was introduced in 1998 and was inspired by The Cleaner character in the 1990 film Nikita, also known as La Femme Nikita by Luc Besson.
Swinging-lieback : A dynamic form of the lieback described above, rotating off one foot while maintaining a grip with that hand, then grabbing a high handhold at the deadpoint of the swing. This move is frequently reversible, unlike more aerial dynos.
Talus : An area of large rock fragments on a mountainside that may vary from house-size to as small as a small backpack. The area, if older and consolidated, may be stable, or the rocks may be precariously balanced. Talus is distinguished from scree in that it is larger and may feature solid interlocking of the rocks, while scree is by definition loose.
Teabagging : When, after a whipper
, or long fall, a climber falls past their belayer, who is generally lifted up off the ground.
Technical climbing : Climbing involving a rope and some means of protection
, as opposed to scrambling
or glacier travel.
Tension : A technique for maintaining balance using a taut rope through a point of protection.
Thrutching : Poor technique or 'body climbing', often making a move more difficult than it need be. Also: A grunting, heaving action synonymous with climbing.
Top rope : To belay from a fixed anchor point above the climb. Top-roping requires easy access to the top of the climb, by means of a footpath or scrambling.
Top-out: To complete a route by ascending over the top of the structure being climbed.
Traditional climbing
: A style of climbing that emphasizes the adventure and exploratory nature of climbing. While sport climbers generally will use pre-placed protection ("bolts"), traditional (or "trad") climbers will place their own protection as they climb, generally carried with them on a rack.
Mountain Tramming : A technique that is typically used while lowering and cleaning gear from an overhanging and/or traversing route. A quickdraw
is clipped between the climber's harness and the rope that is threaded through the gear. As the climber is lowered by the belayer, the quickdraw holds the cleaner close to the wall and following the line of the route. Without the quickdraw, the climber would lower straight down, further and further from the remaining gear to be cleaned. Also known as trolleying.
Trad Rack : A collection of equipment used for Traditional Climbing.
Training : Getting prepared to climb on difficult mountains
Track : to use holds specified out for you in any route, usually used in gym climbing
Traverse :
Tricam
: A simple camming protection device that has no moving parts.
Tuber : A belay device.
Tufa : A limestone rib formation that protrudes from the wall which can sometimes fit within the pinching grasp of a climber's hand.
for bouldering
problems, invented by John Sherman
.
V-thread
: A type of abseiling
point used especially in winter and ice climbing
. Also called abalakov thread.
Verglas : A thin coating of ice that forms over rocks when rainfall or melting snow freezes on rock. Hard to climb on as crampons
have insufficient depth for reliable penetration. See also clear ice
and glaze ice
.
stick with a small flag on top used to mark paths over glacier
s and snow fields.
Webbing
: Hollow and flat nylon strip, mainly used to make slings.
Webolette : A piece of webbing with eyes sewn into the ends which can be used in place of a cordelette.
Weighting : As in, "weighting the rope." Any time the rope takes the weight of the climber. This can happen during a minor fall, a whipper
(long fall), or simply by resting while hanging on the belay rope (see also hangdogging.)
Whipper
: A lead fall from above and to the side of the last clip, whipping oneself downwards and in an arc. Has come to be the term for any fall beyond the last placed or clipped piece of protection.
Wired : Describes a route or sequence which a climber has rehearsed extensively and thus ascends with ease. See dialled.
Wires : A slang term for nuts.
Wolf moon: To complete a lead climb during night time.
Woodie : A home made climbing wall. Often specifically a hybrid between a climbing wall and a fingerboard. Specifically called such because of the wooden panels (usually left unpainted) used to attach the climbing holds to.
: A numerical system for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs in the United States. The rock climbing (5.x) portion of the scale is the most common climb grading
system used in the US. The scale runs from 5.0 to 5.16
Yabo : Another name for a Sit start, a 'Yabo start' was named after John 'Yabo' Yablonski.
Zipper fall : A fall in which each piece of protection fails in turn. In some cases when the rope comes taut during a fall, the protection can fail from the bottom up, especially if the first piece was not placed to account for outward and/or upward force.
Z-pulley : Also Z-system. A particular configuration of rope, anchors, and pulleys typically used to extricate a climber after falling into a crevasse
.
Jargon
Jargon is terminology which is especially defined in relationship to a specific activity, profession, group, or event. The philosophe Condillac observed in 1782 that "Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas." As a rationalist member of the Enlightenment he...
related to climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
and mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
.
A
American death triangleAmerican death triangle
The American Death Triangle, also known as the "American Triangle", "Death Triangle" or "Triangle Anchor" is a type of rock climbing anchor infamous for being a poor anchoring technique due to both the way the forces of the load are magnified on the fixed anchors and the lack of redundancy in the...
: An anchor which is created by connecting a closed loop of cord or webbing between two points of protection, and then suspending the rope from a carabiner clipped to only one strand of said anchor. This creates a triangular shape in the webbing or cord, which places massively multiplied inward forces on the protection, making it a dangerous, ineffective anchor.
Abalakov thread
Abalakov thread
The Abalakov thread, or V-Thread, is an ice protection device named after its inventor, Soviet climber Vitaly Abalakov. The Abalakov thread is a common method of protecting oneself while ice climbing because it is easy to create, doesn't require the sacrifice of expensive gear, and can be very...
: A type of abseiling
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
point used especially in winter and ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
. Also called as V-thread.
Ablation zone : The area of a glacier where yearly melting meets or exceeds the annual snow fall.
Abseil : The process by which a climber can descend a fixed rope. Also known as Rappel.
ACR (Alpine Cock Ring): An anchor method similar to a cordelette but that is dynamically equalizing. It employs a cord and a rappel ring.
Adze : A thin blade mounted perpendicular to the handle on an ice axe
Ice axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
that can be used for chopping footholds.
Alpine knee : To use your knee as a way to gain ground on a climb.
Alpine start : To make an efficient start on a long climb by packing all your gear the previous evening and starting early in the morning, usually well before sunrise.
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
: A medical condition that is often observed at high altitudes. Also known as Acute mountain sickness, or AMS.
Anchor
Anchor (climbing)
In rock climbing, an anchor can be any way of attaching the climber, the rope, or a load to rock, ice, steep dirt, or a building by either permanent or temporary means...
:An arrangement of one or (usually) more pieces of gear set up to support the weight of a belay or top rope.
Approach : The path or route to the start of a technical climb. Although this is generally a walk or, at most, a scramble it is occasionally as hazardous as the climb itself.
Arête :
- A small ridge-like feature or a sharp outward facing corner on a steep rock face
- ArêteAreteAreté is the term meaning "virtue" or "excellence", from Greek ἈρετήArete may also be used:*as a given name of persons or things:**Queen Arete , a character in Homer's Odyssey.***197 Arete, an asteroid....
, a narrow ridge of rock formed by glacial erosion - A method of indoor climbing, in which one is able to use such a corner as a hold. See also dihedral.
Ascend : To climb a rope using aid device.
Ascender : A device for ascending on a rope.
Aspect : The direction in which a slope faces.
ATC : A proprietary belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
manufactured by Black Diamond. Has become common term used to describe any tubular belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
s.
Atomic belay : A fast method for setting up a two-point anchor in sport climbing, using the climbing rope to attach to the anchor points.
B
"B"-grade : A grading systemGrade (bouldering)
In the sport of bouldering, problems are assigned technical grades according to several established systems, which are often distinct from those used in roped climbing. Bouldering grade systems in wide use include the Hueco "V" grades , Fontainebleau technical grades, route colors, Peak District...
for bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
problems, invented by John Gill
John Gill (climber)
John Gill is an American mathematician who has achieved recognition for his rock-climbing. He is considered the Father of Modern Bouldering by many climbers.-Early life and professional career:...
. Now largely superseded by the "V" grading system.
Bachar ladder
Bachar ladder
The Bachar ladder is form of rope ladder used as a training device by rock climbers to improve overall upper body strength.Named after noted free soloist John Bachar, Bachar ladder's typically consist of PVC rungs joined by webbing or cord to create an unstable structure similar to the ratlines of...
: A piece of training equipment used to improve campusing and core strength.
Back-clipping : A potentially hazardous mistake that can be made while lead climbing. The rope is clipped into a quickdraw such that the leader's end runs underneath the quickdraw as opposed to over top of it. If the leader falls, the rope may fold directly over the gate causing it to open and release the rope from the carabiner.
Bail : To retreat from a climb.
Barn-door : If a climber has only two points of contact using either the right or left side of his body, the other half may swing uncontrollably out from the wall like a door on a hinge.
Bashie : A copperhead intended for pounding into a crack
Belay
Belaying
thumb|200px|right|A belayer is belaying behind a lead climberBelaying refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far...
: To protect
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
a roped climber from falling by passing the rope through, or around, any type of friction enhancing belay device. Before belay devices were invented, the rope was simply passed around the belayer's hips to create friction.
Belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
: A mechanical device used to create friction when belaying by putting bends in the rope. Many types of belay devices exist, including ATC, grigri
Grigri (climbing)
A Grigri is a hand-sized belay device designed to help secure rock-climbing, rappelling, and rope-acrobatic activities. Its main characteristic is a clutch that self-locks under a shock load. Belayers using a Grigri need to pay full attention to their climber and exercise skillful operation to...
, Reverso
Reverso
A Reverso is a belay device developed and patented by Petzl, used for example in rock-climbing and other activities which involves rope-work. Another version of this device is the Reversino, intended for use with thinner ropes....
, Sticht plate, eight and tuber. Some belay devices may also be used as descenders. A Munter hitch
Munter hitch
The Munter hitch, also known as the Italian hitch, is a simple knot, commonly used by climbers and cavers as part of a life-lining or belay system. To climbers, this knot is also known as HMS, the abbreviation for the German term Halbmastwurfsicherung, meaning half clove hitch belay...
can sometimes be used instead of a belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
.
Belay off : Called by belayer to confirm belay has been removed from climbing rope. Response to Belay off request.
Belay on : Called by belayer to confirm belay has been (re)applied to climbing rope. Response to Belay on request.
Belay slave : Someone that volunteers for, or is tricked into, repeated belaying duties without partaking in any of the actual climbing.
Benightment: An unscheduled overnight bivouac
Bivouac
Bivouac may refer to:* Bivouac Peak, a mountain in the Teton Range, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA* A military camp** Bivouac shelter** Bivouac sack, or "bivy sack" or bivy bag, an extremely lightweight alternative to traditional tent systems...
often due to an epic.
Bergschrund
Bergschrund
A bergschrund is a crevasse that forms where the moving glacier ice separates from the stagnant ice above. It is often a serious obstacle for mountaineers, who sometimes abbreviate "bergschrund" to "schrund"....
(or schrund): A crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
that forms on the upper portion of a glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
where the moving section pulls away from the headwall. Also called a 'shrund.
Beta
Beta (climbing)
Beta is climbing jargon that designates information about a climb. In rock climbing this may include information about a climb's difficulty, crux, style, length, quality of rock, ease to protect, required equipment, and specific information about hand or foot holds...
: Advice on how to successfully complete (or protect) a particular climbing route, boulder problem, or crux sequence. Some climbers believe that beta 'taints' an ascent.
Beta flash
Beta (climbing)
Beta is climbing jargon that designates information about a climb. In rock climbing this may include information about a climb's difficulty, crux, style, length, quality of rock, ease to protect, required equipment, and specific information about hand or foot holds...
: The clean ascent of a climb on the first attempt, having previously obtained beta or while having beta shouted up from the ground en route. Also see on-sight.
Big wall
Big wall climbing
Big wall climbing is a type of rock climbing in which a long multi-pitch route, so sustained that an ascent normally requires more than a single day, is climbed. Big wall routes require the climbing team to live on the route often using portaledges and hauling equipment...
: A climb on which most parties will spend more than one day.
Biner : See Carabiner.
Bivy
Bivouac shelter
A bivouac traditionally refers to a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire or such a site where a camp may be built. It is also commonly used to describe a variety of improvised camp sites such as those used in scouting and...
(or bivvy): From the French "bivouac". A camp, or the act of camping, overnight while still on a climbing route off the ground. May involve nothing more than lying down or sitting on a rock ledge without any sleeping gear. When there is no rock ledge available, such as on a sheer vertical wall, a portaledge
Portaledge
A portaledge is a deployable hanging tent system designed for rock climbers who spend multiple days and nights on a big wall climb. An assembled portaledge is a fabric-covered platform surrounded by a metal frame that hangs from a single point and has adjustable suspension straps...
that hangs from anchors on the wall can be used.
Bivy-bag : A lightweight garment or sack offering full-body protection from wind and rain.
Bollard : A large knob of rock or ice used as a belay anchor.
Bolt
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
: A point of protection permanently installed in a hole drilled into the rock, to which a metal hanger is attached, having a hole for a carabiner or ring.
Bolt chopping : The deliberate and destructive removal of one or more bolts
Bolt (climbing)
In rock climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock as a form of protection. Most bolts are either self-anchoring expansion bolts or fixed in place with liquid resin....
.
Bomb-proof anchor : A totally secure anchor. Also known as bomber. Bomber can also refer to a particularly solid hand or foot hold (a "Bomber Jug")
Bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
: The practice of climbing on large boulders. Typically this is close to the ground, so protection takes the form of crash pads and spotting instead of belay ropes.
Bridging : see Steming
Bucket : A large handhold.
Bummer : A slang word, used usually to describe a difficult or uncomfortable hold, often one that tears the skin on the hand.
Bump : To quickly move up a hand or a foot a small distance from one useful hold to another.
Buildering
Buildering
Buildering is the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering" is a portmanteau, combining the word "building" with the climbing term "bouldering".If done without ropes or protection far off the ground, buildering may be dangerous...
: The art of climbing on buildings, which is often illegal.
Buttress : A prominent feature that juts out from a rock or mountain.
C
CairnCairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
: A distinctive pile of stones placed to designate a summit or mark a trail, often above the treeline.
Cam : A spring-loaded device used as protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
.
Campus : The act of climbing without using any feet.
Campus board
Campus board
A campus board is a training tool that has been widely adopted to improve rock climbing performance. Typically, a user ascends or descends the campus board using only their hands. Campus boards can take a variety of different forms and may incorporate a variety of materials...
: Training equipment used to build finger strength and strong arm lock-offs.
Carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
: Metal rings with spring-loaded gates, used as connectors. Usually oval or roughly D shaped. Also known as crab or biner .
Chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
: A compound
Chemical compound
A chemical compound is a pure chemical substance consisting of two or more different chemical elements that can be separated into simpler substances by chemical reactions. Chemical compounds have a unique and defined chemical structure; they consist of a fixed ratio of atoms that are held together...
used to improve grip by absorbing sweat. It is actually gymnastics chalk, usually magnesium carbonate
Magnesium carbonate
Magnesium carbonate, MgCO3, is a white solid that occurs in nature as a mineral. Several hydrated and basic forms of magnesium carbonate also exist as minerals...
. Its use is controversial in some areas.
Chalk bag : A hand-sized holder for a climber's chalk that is usually carried on a chalkbelt for easy access during a climb.
Chicken head : see bollard, horn.
Chimney :
- A rock cleft with vertical sides mostly parallel, large enough to fit the climber's body into. To climb such a structure, the climber often uses his head, back and feet to apply opposite pressure on the vertical walls.
- The process of using such a technique.
Chipping : Improving a hold by permanently altering the rock. Widely used in the 80's and early 90's, but now considered unethical and unacceptable.
Chock :
- A mechanical device, or a wedge, used as anchors in cracks.
- A naturally occurring stone wedged in a crack.
Choss : Loose or "rotten" rock.
Classification : See Grade.
Clawing : Use of front points of crampons
Crampons
Crampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
, ice axe
Ice axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
pick and ice hammer pick to climb a slope.
Clean :
- To remove equipment from a route.
- A route that is free of loose vegetation and rocks.
- To complete a climb without falling or resting on the rope. Also see redpoint.
- In aid climbing, abbreviated "C", a route that does not require the use of a hammer or any invasive addition of protection (such as pitons or copperheads) into the rock (see protection).
Cleaning tool : A device for removing jammed equipment, especially nuts, from a route. Also known as a nut key.
Climbing area
Climbing area
A climbing area is a small geographical region with a concentration of opportunities for climbing. The term is most commonly used of rock climbing areas, but there are also ice climbing areas that have the right combination of steepness and water to result in climbable ice during the winter.While...
: A region that is plentiful with climbing routes.
Climbing command : A short phrase used for communication between a climber and a belayer.
Climbing gym : Specialized indoor climbing centres. See gym climbing. (Usually just called a 'climbing wall' in Britain).
Climbing shoe
Climbing shoe
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand...
: Footwear designed specifically for climbing. Usually well fitting, with a rubber sole.
Climbing technique
Climbing technique
A climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
: Particular techniques, or moves, commonly applied in climbing.
Climbing wall
Climbing wall
A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with grips for hands and feet, usually used for indoor climbing, but sometimes located outdoors as well. Some are brick or wooden constructions, but on most modern walls, the material most often used is a thick multiplex board with holes drilled...
: Artificial rock, typically in a climbing gym.
Clipping in : The process of attaching to belay lines or anchors for protection.
Clipstick : In bolted climbing, an extendable pole which is allows the climber to reach the first bolt from the ground, thus making the route safer and less committing. Ethically dubious.
Col
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
: A small pass or "saddle" between two peaks. Excellent for navigation as when standing on one it's always down in two, opposite, directions and up in the two directions in between those.
Cord lock
Cord lock
A plastic cord lock attaches to drawstrings and tightens without the use of knots. Cord locks allow mountaineers to fasten clothing and camping equipment quickly in cold conditions when the fingers are encased in heavy gloves. They consist generally of three parts: a barrel, a toggle , and a spring...
: a lock or toggle used to fasten cords with gloved hands. Used on most mountaineering gear.
Cordelette : A long loop of accessory cord used to tie into multiple anchor points.
Corner : An inside corner of rock, the opposite to an arête (UK). See Dihedral.
Cornice
Cornice (climbing)
A snow cornice or simply cornice is an overhanging edge of snow on a ridge or the crest of a mountain. They form by wind blowing snow over the crest of the mountain, so they often form on the leeward sides of mountains...
: An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge.
Couloir
Couloir
A couloir is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain. A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, or vertical crevasse in an otherwise solid mountain mass...
: A steep gully or gorge frequently filled with snow or ice.
Crack climbing : To ascend on a rock face by wedging body parts into cracks, i.e. not face climbing. See jamming and chimney.
Crag : A small area with climbing routes, often just a small cliff face or a few boulders.
Crampons
Crampons
Crampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
: Metal framework with spikes attached to boots to increase safety on snow and ice.
Cramponing :
- Using cramponsCramponsCrampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
to ascend or descend on ice, preferably with maximum number of points of the crampon into the ice for weight distribution. - Accidentally piercing something with a crampon spike.
Crank : To pull on a hold as hard as possible.
Crash pad : A thick mat used to soften landings or to cover hazardous objects in the event of a fall. See: Bouldering mat
Bouldering mat
A bouldering mat or crash pad is a foam pad used for protection when bouldering. There are various sizes and makes, but the most common type is a folded mattress, 8 to 10 centimetres thick , that when unfolded measures about 1 x 1.3 metres . Bouldering mats often have shoulder straps so as to...
Crater : Hitting the ground at the end of a fall instead of being caught by the rope.
Crimp :
- A hold which is only just big enough to be grasped with the tips of the fingers.
- The process of holding onto a crimp.
Crux : The most difficult portion of a climb.
Cut-loose : Where a climber's feet swing away from the rock on overhanging terrain, leaving the climber hanging only by their hands. Also known as "Cutting feet."
Cwm : (Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
) A hanging valley, or cirque
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
—a steep-walled semicircular basin
Depression (geology)
A depression in geology is a landform sunken or depressed below the surrounding area. Depressions may be formed by various mechanisms.Structural or tectonic related:...
in a mountain—sometimes containing a lake; also known as a corrie
Cirque
Cirque may refer to:* Cirque, a geological formation* Makhtesh, an erosional landform found in the Negev desert of Israel and Sinai of Egypt*Cirque , an album by Biosphere* Cirque Corporation, a company that makes touchpads...
.
D
Daisy chain : A special purpose type of sling with multiple sewn, or tied, loops. It is significantly weaker than a normal sling.Dead Ball : Type of High Ball boulder, where one can possibly die when falling from above.
Dead hang : To hang limp, such that weight is held by ligament
Ligament
In anatomy, the term ligament is used to denote any of three types of structures. Most commonly, it refers to fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bones and is also known as articular ligament, articular larua, fibrous ligament, or true ligament.Ligament can also refer to:* Peritoneal...
tension rather than muscles.
Deadman anchor : An object buried into snow to serve as an anchor for an attached rope. One common type of such an anchor is the snow fluke.
Deadpoint :A dynamic climbing technique
Climbing technique
A climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
in which the hold is grabbed at the apex of upward motion. This technique places minimal strain on both the hold and the arms.
Deck :
- The ground.
- To hit the ground, usually the outcome of a fall.
Deep Water Soloing: Free climbing an area that overhangs a deep enough body of water to allow for a safe fall.
Descender : A device for controlled descent on a rope. Also called a rappel device. Many belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
s may be used as descenders, including ATCs, eights, or even carabiners. See rappel.
Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone
Dexamethasone is a potent synthetic member of the glucocorticoid class of steroid drugs. It acts as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant...
: A pharmaceutical drug used in the treatment of high altitude cerebral edema
High altitude cerebral edema
High altitude cerebral edema is a severe form of altitude sickness. HACE is the result of swelling of brain tissue from fluid leakage and almost always begins as acute mountain sickness...
as well as high altitude pulmonary edema
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
High altitude pulmonary edema is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs in otherwise healthy mountaineers at altitudes typically above ....
. It is commonly carried on mountain climbing expeditions to help climbers deal with altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
. Also known as "dex".
Dialled : To have complete understanding of a particular climbing move or route.
Diamox : A drug used to inhibit the onset of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
. Otherwise known as acetazolamide.
Dièdre : A dihedral.
Dihedral : An inside corner of rock, with more than a 90-degree angle between the faces. See also corner and arête.
Direct aid : A type of tension climbing consisting of using one or more belay ropes to haul the leader up to the next point of protection.
Double Rope Technique (DRT) : For alpine and rock climbers this term implies the use of two separate ropes. For tree climbers this term is ambiguous but is usually interpreted as a synonym for Doubled Rope Technique.
Doubled Rope Technique (DdRT) : A method used primarily by tree climbers where the rope passes over a support/limb and continuously slides over the limb as the climber ascends or descends.
Downclimb : To descend by climbing downward, typically after completing a climb.
Dry-tooling
Dry-tooling
Dry-tooling involves climbing rock with ice axes and crampons. It has its origins in mixed climbing, ice climbing and more recently sport climbing. Dry tooling is controversial among many climbers...
: Using tools for ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
like crampons and ice axe
Ice axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
s on rock.
Dulfersitz : A method of rappelling, without mechanical tools, where the uphill rope is straddled by the climber then looped around a hip, across the chest, over the opposite (weak) shoulder, and held with the downhill (strong) hand to adjust the shoulder friction and thus the descending speed.
Dynamic belay : Technique of stopping a long fall using smooth braking to reduce stress on the protection points and avoid unnecessary trauma from an abrupt stop.
Dynamic rope : A slightly elastic rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
that softens falls to some extent. Also tend to be damaged less severely by heavy loads. Compare with static rope.
Dynamic motion : Any move in which body momentum is used to progress. As opposed to static technique where three-point suspension and slow, controlled movement is the rule.
Dyno : A dynamic move to grab a hold that would otherwise be out of reach. Generally both feet will leave the rock face and return again once the target hold is caught. Non-climbers would call it a jump or a leap.
E
Edge : A thin ledge on the rock.Edging : Using the edge of the climbing shoe
Climbing shoe
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand...
on a foothold. In the absence of footholds, smearing is used.
Egyptian : A climbing technique
Climbing technique
A climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
used to reduce tension in arms while holding a side grip.
Eight-thousander
Eight-thousander
The eight-thousanders are the fourteen independent mountains on Earth that are more than high above sea level. They are all located in the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges in Asia....
: A mountain whose elevation exceeds 8,000 metres above sea level.
Eliminate : A term from bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
describing a move or series of moves in which either certain holds are placed 'off bounds' or other artificial restrictions are imposed.
Elvis legs : Wobbly knees resulting from tired legs. See Sewing machine leg.
Epic : An ordinary climb rendered difficult by a dangerous combination of weather, injuries, darkness, lack of preparedness or other adverse factors. See Punter.
European Death Knot : A double overhand used to join a pair of ropes for retrievable abseils. So named as the technique originated in Europe and the Americans initially distrusted it.
Exposure : Empty space below a climber, usually referring to a great distance above the deck through which the climber could fall.
F
Face climbing : To ascend a vertical rock face using finger holds, edges and smears, i.e. not crack climbing.Fall :
- Undesirable downward motion. Hopefully stopped by a rope, otherwise see mountain rescue.
- A free-solo belay, the quickest way to reach the ground.
Figure Four : Advanced climbing technique where the climber hooks a leg over the opposite arm, and then pushes down with this leg to achieve a greater vertical reach. Requires strength and a solid handhold.
Figure eight : A belay device or descender shaped like an "8".
Figure eight knot : A knot commonly used to secure the climber's harness to the climbing rope.
Finger board : Training equipment used to build finger strength.
First ascent : The first successful completion of a route.
Fist jam : A type of jam using the hand. See climbing technique
Climbing technique
A climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
.
Fixed rope : A rope which has a fixed attachment point. Commonly used for abseiling or aid climbing.
Flagging : Climbing technique where a leg is held in a position to maintain balance, rather than to support weight. Often useful to prevent barn-dooring.
Flake : A thin slab of rock detached from the main face.
Flapper : An injury consisting of a piece of loose (flapping) skin. A climber will usually just repair these with sticky tape or super glue.
Flash : To successfully and cleanly complete a climbing route on the first attempt after having received beta of some form. Also refers to an ascent of this type. For ascents on the first attempt without receiving beta see on-sight.
Follow : What the second does.
Font : The French bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
grading system.
Fourteener
Fourteener
In mountaineering terminology in the United States, a fourteener is a mountain that exceeds 14,000 feet above mean sea level. There are 547 fourteeners in the world. The importance of fourteeners is greatest in Colorado, which has the majority of such peaks in North America...
: Mountain that tops 14000 feet (4,267.2 m) in the contiguous United States.
Free base : Climbing with your only protection being a parachute that is deployed in the event of a fall. A combination of free soloing, and BASE jumping.
Free climbing
Free climbing
Free climbing is a type of rock climbing in which the climber uses only hands, feet and other parts of the body to ascend, employing ropes and forms of climbing protection to prevent falls only....
:
- Climbing without unnatural aids, other than used for protection.
- Often (incorrectly) used by non-climbers as a synonym for soloing.
Free solo : Climbing without aid or protection. This typically means climbing without a rope.
French free : Also known as French climbing, or French freeing, it is the use of aid climbing
Aid climbing
Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which standing on or pulling oneself up via devices attached to fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress....
techniques to bypass a section due to climbing difficulty, rock conditions, etc.; typically for only a short section of the total climb.
Frenchies : An exercise used to develop lock-off strength.
Friable (rock) : Delicate and easily broken rock, often dangerous.
Friction : Climbing technique relying on the friction
Friction
Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and/or material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction:...
between the sloped rock and the sole of the shoe to support the climber's weight, as opposed using holds or edges, cracks, etc.
Friend : A name brand of a type of spring-loaded camming device (SLCD), sometimes used to refer to any type of spring-loaded camming device.
Flute: A usually insecure fin or flake of rock or ice.
G
Gaston : A climbing grip using one hand with the thumb down and elbow out. The grip maintains friction against a hold by pressing outward toward the elbow.Gendarme : A pinnacle or isolated rock tower frequently encountered along a ridge.
Geneva rappel : A modified dulfersitz rappel using the hip and downhill arm for friction, rather than the chest and shoulder, offering less complexity, but less friction and less control. 'Geneva Style' is also a description used in Australia for what is commonly referred to elsewhere as 'Australian Rappelling'.
Glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
travel : walking or climbing on a glacier; a rope is usually used to arrest falls into crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
s, but protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
is not used.
Glissade
Glissade (climbing)
Glissading is the act of descending a steep snow- or scree-covered slope via a controlled slide on one's feet or buttocks. It is an alternative to other descent methods such as plunge stepping, and may be used to expedite a descent, or simply for the thrill....
: A usually voluntary act of sliding down a steep slope of snow.
Gorp
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes....
: Trail mix
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a combination of dried fruit, grains, nuts, and sometimes chocolate, developed as a snack food to be taken along on outdoor hikes....
for periodic nibbling to keep high energy level between meals on long climbs or hikes. An acronym for 'Good Ol' Raisins & Peanuts' or 'Granola, Oatmeal, Raisins, and Peanuts'.
Grade :
- Intended as an objective measure of the technical difficulty of a particular climbGrade (climbing)In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
or boulderingGrade (bouldering)In the sport of bouldering, problems are assigned technical grades according to several established systems, which are often distinct from those used in roped climbing. Bouldering grade systems in wide use include the Hueco "V" grades , Fontainebleau technical grades, route colors, Peak District...
problem. More often is highly subjective, however. - A surveying term for referring to the slope of an incline. (Grade (geography)Grade (geography)This article is for the grade of a topographic feature or constructed element, for other uses see: Slope The grade of a physical feature, topographic landform or constructed element, refers to the amount of inclination of that surface to the horizontal...
)
Grigri
Grigri (climbing)
A Grigri is a hand-sized belay device designed to help secure rock-climbing, rappelling, and rope-acrobatic activities. Its main characteristic is a clutch that self-locks under a shock load. Belayers using a Grigri need to pay full attention to their climber and exercise skillful operation to...
: A belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
designed to be easy to use and safer for beginners because it is self-locking under load. Invented and manufactured by Petzl
Petzl
Petzl is a world leading manufacturer of climbing gear, caving gear, work-at-height equipment, and headlamps based in Crolles , France. The company was created by the cave explorer Fernand Petzl in the mid-1970s...
. Many experienced climbers advocate the use of an atc type device for beginners
Gripped : Scared. Also over gripping the rock.
Grovel : To climb with obviously poor style or technique.
- A climbing route judged to be without redeeming virtue.
Gumby : An inexperienced, unknowledgeable and oblivious climber; is a derogatory term. Gumbies are incapable of learning.
Gym climbing : Climbing indoors, on artificial climbing walls. This is typically for training but many people consider this a worthwhile activity in its own right.
H
HACEHigh altitude cerebral edema
High altitude cerebral edema is a severe form of altitude sickness. HACE is the result of swelling of brain tissue from fluid leakage and almost always begins as acute mountain sickness...
: High Altitude Cerebral Edema
Cerebral edema
Cerebral edema or cerebral œdema is an excess accumulation of water in the intracellular or extracellular spaces of the brain.-Vasogenic:Due to a breakdown of tight endothelial junctions which make up the blood-brain barrier...
- a severe, and often fatal, form of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
.
Hand traverse : Traversing without any definitive footholds, i.e. smearing or heelhooking.
Hangdog : While lead climbing or on top rope, to hang on the rope or a piece of protection for a rest.
Hanging belay : Belaying at a point such that the belayer is suspended.
HAPE
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
High altitude pulmonary edema is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs in otherwise healthy mountaineers at altitudes typically above ....
: High Altitude Pulmonary Edema - a serious form of altitude sickness
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness—also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, hypobaropathy, or soroche—is a pathological effect of high altitude on humans, caused by acute exposure to low partial pressure of oxygen at high altitude...
.
Harness
Climbing harness
A climbing harness is a piece of equipment used in certain types of rock-climbing, abseiling or other activities requiring the use of ropes to provide access or safety...
: A sewn nylon webbing device worn around the waist and thighs that is designed to allow a person to safely hang suspended in the air.
Haul bag : A large and often unwieldy bag into which supplies and climbing equipment may be thrown.
Headpoint : See top rope. The practice of top-roping a hard trad route before leading it cleanly.
Headwall : The region of a cliff or rock face that steepens dramatically.
Helmet
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries.Ceremonial or symbolic helmets without protective function are sometimes used. The oldest known use of helmets was by Assyrian soldiers in 900BC, who wore thick leather or bronze helmets to protect the head from...
: Also known as a brain bucket or skid lid. It can save your life, but only while worn.
Hexcentric : A protective device. It is an eccentric hexagonal nut attached to a wire loop. The nut is inserted into a crack and it holds through counter-pressure. Often just termed Hex.
High Ball : A tall boulder problem. Falling becomes more dangerous due to the increase in height.
Hold
Climbing hold
A climbing hold is a shaped grip that is usually attached to a climbing wall so climbers can grab or step on it. On most walls, climbing holds are arranged in paths, called routes, by specially trained route setters. Climbing holds come in a large array of sizes and shapes to provide different...
: A place to temporarily cling, grip, jam, press, or stand in the process of climbing.
HMS Carabiner : A round-ended carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
for use with a Munter hitch
Munter hitch
The Munter hitch, also known as the Italian hitch, is a simple knot, commonly used by climbers and cavers as part of a life-lining or belay system. To climbers, this knot is also known as HMS, the abbreviation for the German term Halbmastwurfsicherung, meaning half clove hitch belay...
(from the German name for the hitch; Halbmastwurfsicherung).
Honed : To be in peak mental and physical fitness for climbing.
Hook :
- EquipmentClimbing equipmentA wide range of equipment is used during rock climbing. The most popular types of climbing equipment are briefly described in this article. The article on protecting a climb describes equipment commonly used to protect a climber against the consequences of a fall....
used in aid climbing. - A climbing techniqueClimbing techniqueA climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
involving hooking a heel or toe against a hold in order to balance or to provide additional support.
Horn : Large, pointed protrusion of rock that can be slung. Typically also makes a good hand hold. See bollard, chicken head.
Hueco: (Spanish hueco "hole") A climbing hold consisting of a pocket in the rock, typically round and deep and featuring a positive lip. Huecos vary in size from accommodating a single finger (this is also called a "mono") to large enough to fit one's entire body. The term hueco entered the jargon of rock climbers from the Texas climbing area Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks
Hueco Tanks is an area of low mountains in El Paso County, Texas, USA. It is located in a high-altitude desert basin between the Franklin Mountains to the west and the Hueco Mountains to the east. Hueco is a Spanish word meaning hollows and refers to the many water-holding depressions in the...
that is famous for this sort of hold.
I
Ice axeIce axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
: A handy tool for safety and balance, having a pick/adze head and a spike at the opposite end of a shaft.
Ice hammer : A lightweight ice axe
Ice axe
An ice axe, is a multi-purpose ice and snow tool used by mountaineers both in the ascent and descent of routes which involve frozen conditions. It can be held and employed in a number of different ways, depending on the terrain encountered...
with a hammer/pick head on a short handle and no spike.
Ice screw
Ice screw
An ice screw is a threaded tubular screw used as a running belay or anchor by climbers on steep ice surface such as steep waterfall ice or alpine ice during ice climbing or crevasse rescue, to hold the climber in the event of a fall, and at belays as anchor points. Ice screws are made by...
: A screw used to protect a climb over steep ice or for setting up a crevasse rescue
Crevasse rescue
Crevasse rescue is the process of retrieving a climber from a crevasse in a glacier. Because of the frequency with which climbers break through the snow over a crevasse and fall in, crevasse rescue technique is a standard part of climbing education....
system. The strongest and most reliable is the modern tubular ice screw which ranges in length from 18 to 23 cm.
Ice piton : Long, wide, serrated piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
once used for weak protection on ice.
Indoor climbing : See gym climbing.
J
Jamming : Wedging a body part into a crack.Jib : A particularly small foot hold, usually only large enough for the big toe, sometimes relying heavily on friction to support weight.
Jug : A shortened term for Jumar, both noun and verb.
Jug hold : A large, easily held hold. Also known simply as a jug.
Jumar
Jumar
An ascender is a mechanical device used for ascending on a rope. One such device is a Jumar, named after the Swiss factory which developed the first tool for sale in 1958. The device's name also leads to the term Jumaring for the process of using such a device...
:
- A type of mechanical ascender.
- To ascend a rope using a mechanical ascender.
K
KarenKaren
Karen may refer to:* Karen people, an ethnic group in Burma and Thailand** Karen languages, spoken by the Karen people* Karen , a given name )* Karen , an NBC sitcom starring Debbie Watson...
: See Cairn.
Klemheist knot
Klemheist knot
The Klemheist knot is a type of friction hitch, used as part of a system to ascend or descend a climbing rope. As with other friction knots, it grips the rope when weight is applied and is free to move when the weight is released...
: An alternative to the Prusik knot, useful when the climber is short of cord but has plenty of webbing.
Knot
Knot
A knot is a method of fastening or securing linear material such as rope by tying or interweaving. It may consist of a length of one or several segments of rope, string, webbing, twine, strap, or even chain interwoven such that the line can bind to itself or to some other object—the "load"...
s : Climbers rely on many different knots for anchoring oneself to a mountain, joining two ropes together, slings for climbing up the rope, etc.
L
Lead climbingLead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. This technique is predominantly used in rock climbing and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic climbing rope and ascending a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and...
: A form of climbing in which the climber places anchors and attaches the belay rope as they climb (traditional) or clips the belay rope into preplaced equipment attached to bolts (sport).
Leader Fall : A fall while Lead climbing
Lead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. This technique is predominantly used in rock climbing and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic climbing rope and ascending a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and...
. A fall from above the climbers last piece of protection. The falling leader will fall at least twice the distance back to his or her last piece, plus slack and rope stretch.
Lieback : Or layback. A climbing move that involves pulling on the hands while pushing on the feet.
Liquid Chalk
Liquid Chalk
The term liquid chalk refers to several substances, in relation to dry, powdery chalk:* liquid-chalk marking pens ;* liquid-chalk mixtures for rock climbing; and...
: A liquid form of chalk with a longer hold time than normal chalk. It is used on very hard routes and competitions, where the act of rechalking requires too much energy or time.
Locking carabiner : A carabiner with a locking gate, to prevent accidental release of the rope.
Lock-off : Using tendon strength to support weight on a hand hold without tiring muscles too much.
Low-Angle : A face climb that is less than vertical; the opposite of an overhang or roof. The same as "slab".
M
Mantle :- A moveClimbing techniqueA climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
used to surmount a ledge or feature in the rock in the absence of any useful holds directly above. It involves pushing down on a ledge or feature instead of pulling down. In ice climbing, a mantle is done by moving the hands from the shaft to the top of the ice toolIce toolAn ice tool is a specialized elaboration of the modern ice axe , used in ice climbing, mostly for the more difficult configurations...
and pushing down on the head of the tool. - The external covering of a climbing ropeRopeA rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
. Climbing ropes use kernmantleKernmantle ropeKernmantle rope is rope constructed with its interior core protected with a woven exterior sheath that is designed to optimize strength, durability, and flexibility. The core fibers provide the tensile strength of the rope, while the sheath protects the core from abrasion during use...
construction consisting of a kern (or core) for strength and an external sheath called the mantle.
Match : To use one hold for two limbs, or to swap limbs on a particular hold.
Moat : A crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
that forms where the glacier pulls away from a rock formation.
Mono: (French monodoigt "single finger") A climbing hold, typically a pocket or hueco, that only has enough room for one finger.
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue
Mountain rescue refers to search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. The difficult and remote nature of the terrain in which mountain rescue often occurs has resulted...
: The search and rescue activities that occur in a mountainous environment, although the term is sometimes also used to apply to search and rescue in other wilderness environments. Also see rescue doctrine
Rescue doctrine
In the USA, the rescue doctrine of the law of torts holds that if a tortfeasor creates a circumstance that places the tort victim in danger, the tortfeasor is liable not only for the harm caused to the victim, but also the harm caused to any person injured in an effort to rescue that victim. This...
.
Move : Application of a specific climbing technique
Climbing technique
A climbing technique is any type or combination of body posture, movement, or hold used in climbing. In this article, several different climbing techniques are listed, and briefly described.-Bridging, or stemming:...
to progress on a climb.
Moving together : Method of climbing – used on easy Alpine ground – in which two or more climbers climb at the same time with running belays between them and fixed belays not being used. Similar to simulclimbing, a technique for steeper terrain.
Multi-pitch climbing : Climbing on routes that are too long for a single belay rope.
Munter hitch
Munter hitch
The Munter hitch, also known as the Italian hitch, is a simple knot, commonly used by climbers and cavers as part of a life-lining or belay system. To climbers, this knot is also known as HMS, the abbreviation for the German term Halbmastwurfsicherung, meaning half clove hitch belay...
: A simple hitch that is often used for belaying without a mechanical belay device. Otherwise known as an Italian hitch or a Friction hitch.
N
Névé : Permanent granular ice formed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles.No-hand rest : An entirely leg-supported resting position during climbing that does not require hands on the rock.
Nub : A little hold that only a few fingers can grip, or the tips of the toes.
Nunatak : A mountain or rock that protrudes through an ice field.
Nut : A metal wedge attached to a wire loop that is inserted into cracks for protection. See hexcentric.
Nut Key : See Cleaning Tool
O
Objective danger : Danger in a climbing situation which comes from hazards inherent in the location of the climb, not depending on the climber's skill level. Most often these involve falling rock or ice, or avalanches.Off belay : Called by a climber when requesting that the belayer remove belay equipment from the climbing rope (for example, when cleaning top protection from a lead route). Replied to with Belay off.
Off-width : A crack that is too wide for effective hand or foot jams, but is not as large as a chimney.
On belay : What a climber calls when he is ready to be belayed. Replied to with Belay on.
On-sight
On-sight climbing
On-sight climbing means to attempt a rock climbing route for the first time without inspection or any form of "beta" ....
: A clean ascent, with no prior practice or beta.
Open book : An inside angle in the rock. See also dihedral.
Overhang : A section of rock or ice that is angled beyond vertical. See roof.
P
Panic Bear : A panicking novice climber clinging to hand holds while searching desperately for a foot hold.Peak-bagging : To systematically attain designated summits under prescribed conditions.
Peel : To fall.
Pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
:
- Swinging on taut rope either to reach the next hold in a pendulum traverse.
- A swing during a fall when the last piece of protection is far to one side.
Pickets : Long, tubular rods driven into snow to provide a quick anchor.
Pied à plat : A crampon technique in the French style: to climb on high-angle ice with feet flat on the ice (as opposed to front-pointing).
Pied assis : A crampon technique in the French style: to rest on high-angle ice with one foot tucked under the buttocks, toes pointed straight down-slope.
Pied d'Elephant : A short, light sleeping bag covering the lower half of the body only. It is designed to be used in connection with a down jacket for lightweight bivvies.
Pied en canard : A crampon technique in the French style: to walk on moderate-angle ice with toes pointed outward; literally, "duck footed".
Pied marche : A crampon technique in the French style: to walk on low-angle ice with toes pointed straight ahead.
Picknick stop : A No-hand rest.
Pinkpoint : To complete a lead climb without falling or resting on the rope (hangdogging), but with pre-placed protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
and carabiner
Carabiner
A carabiner or karabiner is a metal loop with a sprung or screwed gate that is used to quickly and reversibly connect components in safety-critical systems. The word comes from "Karabinerhaken", meaning "hook for a carbine" in German.-Use:...
s. Also see clean and redpoint.
Pinch Hold : This is a hold where you must pinch it to hold on. They come in various sizes.
Pitch
Pitch (vertical space)
-Climbing:In rock climbing and ice climbing, a pitch is a steep section of a route that requires a rope between two belays, as part of a climbing system...
: In the strictest climbing definition, a pitch is considered one rope length (50–60 metres). However, in guide books and route descriptions, a pitch is the portion of a climb between two belay points.
Piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
: A flat or angled metal blade of steel which incorporates a clipping hole for a carabiner or a ring in its body. A piton is typically used in "aid-climbing" and an appropriate size and shape is hammered into a thin crack in the rock and preferably removed by the last team member.
Piton catcher : Clip-on string fastened to piton when inserting or removing, so as to avoid loss.
Plunge step : An aggressive step pattern for descending on hard or steep angle snow.
Pof : An alternative to chalk made from pine resin. Popular in Fontainebleau but discouraged (or actively forbidden) everywhere else since it deposits a thick, shiny resin layer on the rock and friction can only be achieved by using more pof.
Polish : On popular routes, the sheer passage of traffic can polish the rock to such an extent as to make the climbing much more difficult. This is most noticeable at the crux, and more common on certain rock types.
Positive : A hold or part of a hold, having a surface facing upwards, or away from the direction it is pulled, facilitating use.
Pressure Breathing : Forcefully exhaling to facilitate O2/CO2 exchange at altitude. Also called the "Whittaker wheeze".
Problem : Used in bouldering, the path that a climber takes in order to complete the climb. Same as route in roped climbing.
Protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
:
- Process of setting equipment or anchors for safety.
- Equipment or anchors used for arresting falls. Commonly known as Pro.
Prusik :
- A knot used for ascending a rope. It is named after Dr Karl Prusik, the Austrian mountaineer who developed this knot in 1931.
- To use a Prusik knot for ascending a rope.
Pseudo Leading : To climb a wall Toprope with having another rope connected to the climber, for practice of Lead climbing
Lead climbing
Lead climbing is a climbing technique used to ascend a route. This technique is predominantly used in rock climbing and involves a lead climber attaching themselves to a length of dynamic climbing rope and ascending a route while periodically attaching protection to the face of the route and...
clipping. The other rope is normally not connected to any belayer
Belaying
thumb|200px|right|A belayer is belaying behind a lead climberBelaying refers to a variety of techniques used in climbing to exert friction on a climbing rope so that a falling climber does not fall very far...
below and is only there to practice the clipping. Usually practiced while learning how to Lead Climb.
Psychological protection : A piece of protection that everyone knows will not hold a fall, but makes the climber feel better about having gear beneath them anyhow.
Pumped :
- To have such an accumulation of lactic acidLactic acidLactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
in the forearm, that forming even a basic grip becomes impossible. A climber who is pumped will find it difficult to hold on, and may struggle to lift or clip a rope. - (Psychology) A feeling of anticipation and energy before a challenging climb.
Punter : An over-ambitious and under-prepared climber.
Q
QuickdrawQuickdraw
Quickdraws are used by rock climbers to connect the climbing rope to bolt anchors or other protection, while lead climbing...
: Used to attach a freely running rope to anchors or chocks. Sometimes called "quickies" or just "draws."
R
Rack : The set of equipment carried up a climb; also, the part of a harness (consisting of several plastic loops) where equipment is hung, ready to be used.Rappel : The process by which a climber may descend on a fixed rope using a friction device. Also known as Abseil or roping down..
RB : A removable bolt, similar in concept to a sliding nut, but shaped to fit into a drilled hole.
Rebolting : The replacement of bolts on an existing climb.
Redpoint : To complete a lead climb after making previous unsuccessful attempts, done without falling or resting on the rope (hangdogging). Also see clean and pinkpoint.
Rest step : Energy-saving technique where unweighted (uphill) leg is rested between each forward step, sometimes by "locking" knee of rear leg.
Retro-bolting
Retro-bolting
Retro-bolting is a term used within the rock climbing community to refer to the addition of new bolts to an existing climb. Retro-bolting can be contrasted with re-bolting, which is the replacement of existing bolts on a climb with new bolts....
: The addition of bolts to an existing climb which has already been ascended using natural protection.
Rodeo clipping: To clip in to the first piece of protection from the ground by swinging a loop of rope so that it is caught by a carabiner. This can only be done when the first piece of gear is already placed.
Roof : Horizontal overhang.
Rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
: A basic item of climbing equipment
Climbing equipment
A wide range of equipment is used during rock climbing. The most popular types of climbing equipment are briefly described in this article. The article on protecting a climb describes equipment commonly used to protect a climber against the consequences of a fall....
that physically connects the climber to the belayer.
Rope gun : The most talented climber in the group. The person who can get the rope up there for the rest of us.
Rope jumping : Jumping from objects using rock climbing equipment.
Route : The path of a particular climb, or a predefined set of moves.
RP : A small nut, named after Rowland Pauligk. Not certified for sale in Europe.
Runner : Made of nylon and nylon/blend materials, runners, also referred to as slings, are used by climbers for a multitude of purposes.
Runout :
- A lengthy distance between two points of protection which in some, but not all, cases might be perceived as frightening or dangerous. May also be used as an adjective to describe a route, or a section of a route.
- A long portion of a route with minimal protection.
Rugosity : Hold sized area of rock that has rougher texture than its surroundings.
RURP : Acronym, stands for Realized Ultimate Reality Piton. Miniature, postage-stamp sized piton
Piton
In climbing, a piton is a metal spike that is driven into a crack or seam in the rock with a hammer, and which acts as an anchor to protect the climber against the consequences of a fall, or to assist progress in aid climbing...
originally designed by Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard
Yvon Chouinard is a rock climber, environmentalist and outdoor industry businessman, noted for his contributions to climbing, climbing equipment and the outdoor gear business. His second company, Patagonia is known for its environmental focus...
S
Saddle : A high pass between two peaks, larger than a col.Sandbag : A climb which receives a much lower grade than deserved. Also used as a verb when referring to the act of describing a climbing route as easier than it actually is.
Sardar
Sardar
Sardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
or Sirdar : Head Sherpa mountain guide.
'scend: contraction of the word ascend, past tense: 'scended. See Send
Scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
: A type of climbing somewhere between hiking and graded rock climbing.
Screamer :
- A long and loud fall.
- A nylon webbing structure consisting of one large loop sewn in multiple places to make a shorter length. The stitch-points are intentionally sewn with less than maximum possible strength. The screamer is attached with carabiners between an anchor point, particularly one of dubious strength, and the climber. In the event of a fall the stitching of the sewn sections is designed to rip apart, absorbing some of the fall energy and decelerating the climber, thereby reducing the overall shock load on the dubious anchor. Screamer is a brand name of Yates Mountaineering.
Scree
Scree
Scree, also called talus, is a term given to an accumulation of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, or valley shoulders. Landforms associated with these materials are sometimes called scree slopes or talus piles...
: Small, loose, broken rocks, often at the base of a cliff. Also an area or slope covered in scree. Scree is distinguished from Talus by its smaller size and looser configuration.
Screw on : A small climbing hold, screwed onto the wall in climbing gyms. Can be used for feet in a route regardless of its colour. Also referred to as a foot chip, chip or micro.
Second : A climber who follows the lead, or first, climber.
Self-Arrest : The act of planting the pick of your ice axe into the snow to arrest a fall in the event of a slip. Also a method of stopping in a controlled glissade.
Send : To cleanly complete a route. i.e. on-sight, flash, redpoint. Sometimes even on tr. See scend
Serac
Serac
A serac is a block or column of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier. Often house-sized or larger, they are dangerous to mountaineers since they may topple with little warning...
: A large ice tower.
Sewing machine leg : The involuntary vibration of one or both legs resulting from fatigue or panic. Also known as "Scissor leg", "Elvis Presley Syndrome", or "Disco knee". Can often be remedied by bringing the heel of the offending leg down, changing the muscles used to support the weight of the climber
Sharp end : The end of the belay rope that is attached to the lead climber. "Being on the sharp end" refers to the act of lead climbing, which is considered more psychologically demanding than top-roping or following, since it may involve more route-finding, as well as the possibility of longer, more consequential falls.
Sherpa
Sherpa people
The Sherpa are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from the Kham region in eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years.The initial mountainous migration from Tibet was a search for beyul...
: A Sherpa is a person of the ethnic group of the same name that is located in the Himalayan Mountains. Also a generic term for mountaineering porters in Nepal (usually those working at or above base camp) regardless of their ethnic group
Short fixing: A traditionally-belayed lead climber reaches a new belay station, creates an anchor, tying the lead rope off to the anchor. The climber then switches over to self-belaying and continues to climb. Meanwhile the second climber ascends the fixed rope using ascenders (aka Jugging) and cleans the pitch. When the second reaches the belay, he or she anchors in and starts to belay the leader in the traditional way again. When the leader reaches the next belay the process is repeated.
Side pull : A hold that needs to be gripped with a sideways pull towards the body.
Simulclimbing : A technique where both climbers move simultaneously upward with the leader placing protection which the second removes as they advance. A device known as a Tibloc which allows the rope to only move in a single direction is sometimes used to prevent the second climber from accidentally pulling the lead climber off should the second slip.
Single Rope Technique (SRT) : The use of a single rope where one or both ends of the rope are attached to fixed anchor points.
Sit and spin : A method of starting a rappel from a cliff edge, accomplished by sitting with legs over the edge and then spinning around to face the cliff while planting feet on the face.
Sit start : Starting a climb from a position in which the climber is sitting on the floor. This is common in climbing gyms in order to fit an extra move into the climb. Noted as SS or SDS in some topo guides.
Slab : A relatively low-angle (significantly less than vertical) section of rock, usually with few large features. Requires slab climbing techniques.
Slab climbing : A particular type of rock climbing, and its associated techniques, involved in climbing rock that is less than vertical. The emphasis is on balance, footwork, and making use of very small features or rough spots on the rock for friction.
Slack : Portion of rope that is not taut, preferably minimized during belay.
SLCD : Abbreviation for spring-loaded camming device, a type of protection device
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
. These are better known by the term cam.
Sling : Webbing
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
sewn, or tied, into a loop.
Sloppy Plopping : Poor footwork [Northumberland climbing slang] as in "Nae Sloppy Ploppin'" - "you'll need accurate footwork to have any chance of flashing this".
Sloper : A sloping hold with very little positive surface. A sloper is comparable to palming a basketball.
Smearing : To use friction on the sole of the climbing shoe
Climbing shoe
A climbing shoe is a specialized type of footwear designed for rock climbing. Typical climbing shoes have a close fit, little if any padding, and a smooth, sticky rubber sole with an extended rubber rand...
, in the absence of any useful footholds.
Snarg : A type of tubular ice screw that is inserted by hammering.
Snow fluke
Snow fluke
A snow fluke is an anchoring device used in mountaineering. It is used both for climbing and for securing tents and other camping gear, designed for use in sand and snow...
: An angled aluminium plate attached to a metal cable. The fluke is buried into snow, typically used as a deadman anchor.
Solo climbing : Setting and cleaning ones own protection on an ascent; climbing by oneself.
Sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
: A style of climbing where form, technical (or gymnastic) ability and strength are more emphasized over exploration, self-reliance and the exhilaration of the inherent dangers involved in the sport. Sport climbing routes tend to be well protected with pre-placed bolt-anchors and lends itself well to competitive climbing.
Spotting : A method of protection commonly used during bouldering or before the leader has placed a piece of protection. The spotter stands beneath the climber, ready to absorb the energy of a fall and direct him away from any hazards.
Sprag : A type of hand position where the fingers and thumb are opposed.
Spraying : Giving unwanted - and unasked-for - beta to a fellow climber. Also, excessive, overly prominent, or boorish proclamation of one's own (often exaggerated) skills or exploits.
Static : Of a style of climbing or specific move, not dynamic.
Static rope : A non-elastic rope
Rope
A rope is a length of fibres, twisted or braided together to improve strength for pulling and connecting. It has tensile strength but is too flexible to provide compressive strength...
. Compare with dynamic rope.
Steep : Descriptive of any climbing face that is angled beyond vertical. See Overhang.
Stem :
- The simultaneous use of two widely spaced footholds.
- Climbing using two faces that are at an angle less than 180° to each other.
Sticht plate : A belay device
Belay device
Belay devices are mechanical pieces of climbing equipment used to control a rope during belaying. They are designed to improve belay safety for the climber by allowing the belayer to manage their duties with minimal physical effort. With the right belay device, a small, weak climber can easily...
consisting of a flat plate with a pair of slots. Named after the inventor Franz Sticht.
Stick clip : A long stick on the end of which a climber can affix a quickdraw. It allows the climber to clip a quickdraw to the first bolt on a sport climb while still standing on the ground. This is especially useful if the first bolt is high up, and out of the comfort zone of the climber. A stick clip can be bought or easily made by attaching a quickdraw to a stick with a rubber band.
Stopper :
- A wedge-shaped nutmade by Black Diamond.
- A knot used to prevent the rope running through a piece of equipment.
Summit :
- The high point of a mountain or peak.
- To reach such a high point.
Swami Belt : A kind of proto- climbing harness
Climbing harness
A climbing harness is a piece of equipment used in certain types of rock-climbing, abseiling or other activities requiring the use of ropes to provide access or safety...
consisting of a long length of tubular webbing wrapped several times around the climbers body and secured with a water knot
Water knot
The water knot is a knot frequently used in climbing for joining two ends of webbing together, for instance when making a sling.-Tying the water knot:...
. Largely eschewed today in favor of commercial harnesses.
Sweeper : Refers to the last member or the tail of a climbing group. The sweeper's task is to spot and retrieve things that may have accidentally fallen from the preceding climbers; to make sure that no mess or gear is left behind; and to make sure that the rear is keeping up with the whole team. The term "sweeper", a Filipino contribution to mountaineering vocabulary was introduced in 1998 and was inspired by The Cleaner character in the 1990 film Nikita, also known as La Femme Nikita by Luc Besson.
Swinging-lieback : A dynamic form of the lieback described above, rotating off one foot while maintaining a grip with that hand, then grabbing a high handhold at the deadpoint of the swing. This move is frequently reversible, unlike more aerial dynos.
T
Take : See hang dogging.Talus : An area of large rock fragments on a mountainside that may vary from house-size to as small as a small backpack. The area, if older and consolidated, may be stable, or the rocks may be precariously balanced. Talus is distinguished from scree in that it is larger and may feature solid interlocking of the rocks, while scree is by definition loose.
Teabagging : When, after a whipper
Whipper
In rock climbing, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls beyond at least one piece of protection, which in trad climbing would mean the last placed cam or nut and in sport climbing would be...
, or long fall, a climber falls past their belayer, who is generally lifted up off the ground.
Technical climbing : Climbing involving a rope and some means of protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
, as opposed to scrambling
Scrambling
Scrambling is a method of ascending rocky faces and ridges. It is an ambiguous term that lies somewhere between hillwalking and rock climbing. It is often distinguished from hillwalking by defining a scramble as a route where hands must be used in the ascent...
or glacier travel.
Tension : A technique for maintaining balance using a taut rope through a point of protection.
Thrutching : Poor technique or 'body climbing', often making a move more difficult than it need be. Also: A grunting, heaving action synonymous with climbing.
Top rope : To belay from a fixed anchor point above the climb. Top-roping requires easy access to the top of the climb, by means of a footpath or scrambling.
Top-out: To complete a route by ascending over the top of the structure being climbed.
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of rock climbing in which a climber or group of climbers places all gear required to protect against falls , and removes it when a passage is complete...
: A style of climbing that emphasizes the adventure and exploratory nature of climbing. While sport climbers generally will use pre-placed protection ("bolts"), traditional (or "trad") climbers will place their own protection as they climb, generally carried with them on a rack.
Mountain Tramming : A technique that is typically used while lowering and cleaning gear from an overhanging and/or traversing route. A quickdraw
Quickdraw
Quickdraws are used by rock climbers to connect the climbing rope to bolt anchors or other protection, while lead climbing...
is clipped between the climber's harness and the rope that is threaded through the gear. As the climber is lowered by the belayer, the quickdraw holds the cleaner close to the wall and following the line of the route. Without the quickdraw, the climber would lower straight down, further and further from the remaining gear to be cleaned. Also known as trolleying.
Trad Rack : A collection of equipment used for Traditional Climbing.
Training : Getting prepared to climb on difficult mountains
Track : to use holds specified out for you in any route, usually used in gym climbing
Traverse :
- To climb in a horizontal direction.
- A section of a route that requires progress in a horizontal direction.
- A Tyrolean traverseTyrolean traverseA Tyrolean traverse is a method of crossing through free space between two high points on a rope without a hanging cart or cart equivalent. This is used in a range of mountaineering activities: rock climbing, technical tree climbing, caving and water crossings. A zip-line is in essence a Tyrolean...
is crossing a chasm using a rope anchored at both ends. - A pendulum traverse involves swinging across a wall or chasm while suspended from a rope affixed above the climber.
Tricam
Tricam
right|thumb|A pair of tricams: on the right, a nylon size 2.0, and on the left, a [[Dyneema]] size 1.5.A Tricam is a type of climbing protection equipment.The most versatile nut, the Tri-cam, was invented by Greg Lowe in 1973, and came to market in 1981....
: A simple camming protection device that has no moving parts.
Tuber : A belay device.
Tufa : A limestone rib formation that protrudes from the wall which can sometimes fit within the pinching grasp of a climber's hand.
V
"V"-grade : A technical grading systemGrade (bouldering)
In the sport of bouldering, problems are assigned technical grades according to several established systems, which are often distinct from those used in roped climbing. Bouldering grade systems in wide use include the Hueco "V" grades , Fontainebleau technical grades, route colors, Peak District...
for bouldering
Bouldering
Bouldering is a style of rock climbing undertaken without a rope and normally limited to very short climbs over a crash pad so that a fall will not result in serious injury. It is typically practiced on large natural boulders or artificial boulders in gyms and outdoor urban areas...
problems, invented by John Sherman
John Sherman (climber)
John Sherman , nicknamed Verm is an American climber and a pioneering boulderer. He is also a writer and photographer. He is the originator of the V-scale for grading boulder problems....
.
V-thread
Abalakov thread
The Abalakov thread, or V-Thread, is an ice protection device named after its inventor, Soviet climber Vitaly Abalakov. The Abalakov thread is a common method of protecting oneself while ice climbing because it is easy to create, doesn't require the sacrifice of expensive gear, and can be very...
: A type of abseiling
Abseiling
Abseiling , rappelling in American English, is the controlled descent down a rock face using a rope; climbers use this technique when a cliff or slope is too steep and/or dangerous to descend without protection.- Slang terms :...
point used especially in winter and ice climbing
Ice climbing
Ice climbing, as the term indicates, is the activity of ascending inclined ice formations. Usually, ice climbing refers to roped and protected climbing of features such as icefalls, frozen waterfalls, and cliffs and rock slabs covered with ice refrozen from flows of water. For the purposes of...
. Also called abalakov thread.
Verglas : A thin coating of ice that forms over rocks when rainfall or melting snow freezes on rock. Hard to climb on as crampons
Crampons
Crampons are traction devices used to improve mobility on snow and ice. There are three main attachment systems for footwear: step-in, hybrid, and strap bindings. The first two require boots with welts, the last adapt to any type....
have insufficient depth for reliable penetration. See also clear ice
Clear ice
Clear ice refers to a solid precipitation which forms when air temperature is between 0 °C and -3 °C and there are supercooled, relatively large drops of water...
and glaze ice
Glaze ice
Glaze ice or simply glaze is a smooth, transparent and homogenous ice coating occurring when freezing rain or drizzle hits a surface. It is similar in appearance to clear ice, which forms from supercooled water droplets...
.
W
Wand : A bambooBamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
stick with a small flag on top used to mark paths over glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s and snow fields.
Webbing
Webbing
Webbing is a strong fabric woven as a flat strip or tube of varying width and fibres often used in place of rope. The name webbing comes from the meshed material frequently used in its construction, which resembles a web...
: Hollow and flat nylon strip, mainly used to make slings.
Webolette : A piece of webbing with eyes sewn into the ends which can be used in place of a cordelette.
Weighting : As in, "weighting the rope." Any time the rope takes the weight of the climber. This can happen during a minor fall, a whipper
Whipper
In rock climbing, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls beyond at least one piece of protection, which in trad climbing would mean the last placed cam or nut and in sport climbing would be...
(long fall), or simply by resting while hanging on the belay rope (see also hangdogging.)
Whipper
Whipper
In rock climbing, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls beyond at least one piece of protection, which in trad climbing would mean the last placed cam or nut and in sport climbing would be...
: A lead fall from above and to the side of the last clip, whipping oneself downwards and in an arc. Has come to be the term for any fall beyond the last placed or clipped piece of protection.
Wired : Describes a route or sequence which a climber has rehearsed extensively and thus ascends with ease. See dialled.
Wires : A slang term for nuts.
Wolf moon: To complete a lead climb during night time.
Woodie : A home made climbing wall. Often specifically a hybrid between a climbing wall and a fingerboard. Specifically called such because of the wooden panels (usually left unpainted) used to attach the climbing holds to.
X
X (Protection Rating)- A rating from the Yosemite Decimal SystemYosemite Decimal SystemThe Yosemite Decimal System is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs. It is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. The Class 5 portion of the Class scale is primarily a rock climbing classification system. Originally the system was...
given to climbs that have very poor or no protection. These climbs often present risk of serious injury or death if a fall were to occur, even if the climb is properly protected.
Y
Yosemite Decimal SystemYosemite Decimal System
The Yosemite Decimal System is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs. It is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. The Class 5 portion of the Class scale is primarily a rock climbing classification system. Originally the system was...
: A numerical system for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs in the United States. The rock climbing (5.x) portion of the scale is the most common climb grading
Grade (climbing)
In rock climbing, mountaineering and other climbing disciplines, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that concisely describes the difficulty and danger of climbing the route...
system used in the US. The scale runs from 5.0 to 5.16
Yabo : Another name for a Sit start, a 'Yabo start' was named after John 'Yabo' Yablonski.
Z
Z-clipping : Clipping into an anchor with the segment of rope from beneath the previous piece of protection, resulting in a potentially dangerous tangled configuration of the belay rope.Zipper fall : A fall in which each piece of protection fails in turn. In some cases when the rope comes taut during a fall, the protection can fail from the bottom up, especially if the first piece was not placed to account for outward and/or upward force.
Z-pulley : Also Z-system. A particular configuration of rope, anchors, and pulleys typically used to extricate a climber after falling into a crevasse
Crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in an ice sheet rhys glacier . Crevasses form as a result of the movement and resulting stress associated with the sheer stress generated when two semi-rigid pieces above a plastic substrate have different rates of movement...
.
See also
- List of climbing topics — A list of articles relating to climbing and mountaineering.
- Climbing equipmentClimbing equipmentA wide range of equipment is used during rock climbing. The most popular types of climbing equipment are briefly described in this article. The article on protecting a climb describes equipment commonly used to protect a climber against the consequences of a fall....
— Article describing equipment used by climbers. - Mountaineering: The Freedom of the HillsMountaineering: The Freedom of the HillsMountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills is often considered the standard textbook for mountaineering and climbing. The book was first published in 1960 by The Mountaineers of Seattle, Washington...