CLIMBING TERMS DEFINED

abseil: when a climber descends a fixed rope - also known as rappelling

anchor: an arrangement of gear set up to support the weight of a belay or top rope

belayer: the person that manages the rope, protecting the climber against a fall

beta: when you’ve received hints and tips about difficult moves or handy gear placements from climbers who have already done the route

body position: the way you place your body in relation to the holds on the wall

bomber: a totally secure anchor. can also be used to describe a very good hold, such as a large jug

bouldering: unroped climbing on usually technically challenging boulders that are low enough to fall from safely, often onto a mat

bridging: applying around equal pressure with both hands and feet to bridge between rock features

bucket: an even bigger, better hold

bumbly: a novice or incompetent climber

campus: to climb a route without using your feet at all

cheese grater: the unfortunate effect of a fall on slabby terrain

chossy: used to describe a route or a section of route that wasn’t very solid - a chossy section might be characterized by lots of vegetation, loose rock, rubble or soil

crag: a cliff or rock feature

crash pad: the mat used for protection if a climber falls - it’s better to have a few handy

crimp: a tiny edge that requires the climber to bend their fingers in order to effectively grip the rock

crux: the most technically demanding section of a climb

dab: when on a problem, a climber brushes the ground, spotter, another hold, tree, or anything else not associated with the route

deadpoint: equilibrium. basically, as you move towards a hold, stop and hit it at the perfect time

deep water soloing: (often abbreviated to dws) rock climbing without a rope above deep water

dyno: a leap where both feet leave the rock face and return again when the hold is caught – think tom cruise at the start of mission impossible 2

egyptian: with feet on separate footholds, one leg is turned so that its knee faces the other. this takes the strain off your arms when on a steep face

epic: not as in ‘awesome’, here we’re talking about ‘an epic’ - when a climb turns into an ordeal, often taking much longer than anticipated by being affected by adverse conditions or unexpected difficulties

flag: sticking a leg out to remain in balance when climbing

flapper: an injury sustained while climbing that entails a loose flap of skin

flash: to complete a climb cleanly at the first time of asking, having received beta or conducted research on the route

gardening: removing vegetation from a route - can endanger some vanishingly rare flora and should be avoided if possible.

gaston: named in honor of the great french alpinist, guide and author gaston rébuffat, it’s a grip that involves pushing a hold with your thumb pointing down and your elbow out, thus creating friction against the hold

gripped: feeling an overwhelming sense of fear

gronked: when you’ve become lost on the rock face while leading a climb and ended up on a much more technically challenging route - the origin of the term comes from “gronk”, a climbing route that’s notorious for this at bristol’s avon gorge in england

ground up: as it sounds, this involves climbing the crag from the ground all the way to the top in one go. if you take a fall, it can still count as a ground up ascent, as long as you return to the ground and start again

gumby: a derogatory term for a new climber

gym: indoor climbing wall

hand jamming: putting your hand into a crack and squeezing so that it jams in and grips

headpoint: leading a technically challenging climb having rehearsed the moves previously using a top rope

heel hook: using your heel on a hold to pull your body upward

highball bouldering: technically challenging boulder problems at a greater height than usual bouldering

highball: a very high boulder problem - if you fall off, it’s gonna hurt or worse

hot aches or screaming barfies: that feeling you get when your hands have been extremely chilled and blood returns to your digits, causing a unique kind of pain and makes its victim feel like throwing up

ice climbing: steep climbs on frozen ice, requiring crampons, two technical ice axes and usually ropes

jug: a large hold that is easily held

kneebar: your foot pressing on the wall while your knee/thigh is jammed into an overlapping hold

layback: a move characterized by gripping the rock and pulling your hands towards your body, while pushing away with your feet

lead: the person leading the climb

lock off: a static reach. while one arm stays motionless, the other reaches for the hold

mantel: if you have ever climbed over a wall when you were a kid, this is the move you did at the top

match: placing both hands on the same hold at the same time

multi-pitch: a longer climb involving more than one rope length

on-sight: to complete a route cleanly at the first time of asking in one continual flow with no falls or resting

pinch: a small hold that is gripped by pinching it between thumb and finger

pinkpoint: is just a term to differentiate climbers that lead climb up a route with quickdraws already in place

pitch: a part of a climb that is completed using one rope length

pocket: a small hole or hollow in the rock that only accommodates a finger or two

problem: a bouldering route - a sequence of holds, with a start and finish.

project: a problem that a boulderer is trying to complete, but has yet to do so - usually, a personal goal to work towards

pumped: when your muscles have filled with lactic acid and become bloated with blood - this leads to a loss of strength, rendering you unable to hold on or even lift or clip a rope

redpoint: climb a route with no rests having previously rehearsed the moves without pre-placed draws. usually applies to sport climbing routes

run out: a long distance between pieces of protection that can be frightening - often used to describe the character of a route that has little opportunity for gear placement

sandbag: a route that is renowned for being tougher than its advertised grade - sandbag comes from the idea of climbing with a bag full of sand; pretty difficult, in other words

scrambling: the gray area between hiking and rock climbing where hands are required but the terrain isn’t serious enough to warrant a climbing grade and hiking shoes or boots are usually worn - climbers will often scramble to the start of a more technical climb in their approach shoes

second: the person following the lead up

send: to climb a problem without falling off

single-pitch: a climb that is short enough to only warrant the use of one rope length

smear: placing the sole of the foot to create a high amount of friction on relatively featureless rock

soloing: rock climbing without rope

sport climbing: climbing that makes use of pre-installed protection, such as bolts in the rock

spot/spotting: to guide a falling climber safely to the ground

spray: to offer beta or tell a climber what to do without being asked beforehand

stance: a place where a climber stops at the end of a pitch to secure a belay

top rope: the kind of climbing often found at a gym or on an artificial wall. the climber is attached to one end of the rope, which is passed over an anchor at the top of the climb and back down to the belayer.

trad climbing: roped climbing where the leader places protection onto the crag as they climb, which is then often removed by the second on their way up

traversing: moving laterally along the wall. not everything goes up!

undercling: this is what you do bicep curls for - the hold looks upside down and you need to pull yourself into the wall using body tension and bicep strength

undercut: a down-facing hold which is gripped with the palm of the hand facing upwards

wad: a good climber, usually one with a fair amount of style

winter climbing: ascents of steep snow slopes or mixed rock and ice that require the use of crampons and at least one ice ax