On-sight climbing means to attempt a rock climbing

Rock climbing

Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...

 route

Route

Route may refer to:* Route or thoroughfare for transportation* Route number or road number*Trade route, a commonly used path for the passage of goods*Scenic route, a thoroughfare designated as scenic based on the scenery through which it passes...

 for the first time without inspection or any form of "beta" (such as route description, watching others climb it, etc.).

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....

, such as Quickdraws or other protection equipment, is not pre-placed on the route during an on-sight.

On-sighting is a form of adventure climbing emphasizing the skills of route finding, quick thinking and problem solving.