The terms used can vary between different English-speaking countries; many of the phrases described here are particular to the United States and the United Kingdom.
The technical difficulty grading system for aid climbing (both for "original" and an adapted version for "new wave"), which goes: A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and up to A6 (for "new wave"). See C-grade.[4]
A technique by which a climber descends via a fixed rope that is firmly attached to a fixed anchor point, which is also known as an "abseil station". See tat and cord.
add-on
An indoor climbing game where climbers take turns creating a route, adding two moves at a time.[5]
Type of protection that dynamically changes to absorb the shape and strength of a fall; active protection is the opposite of passive protection. See cams and friends.
Part of the alpine climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of alpine climbing routes, which goes: F ("facile/easy"), PD ("peu difficile/little difficult"), AD ("assez difficile/fairly hard"), D ("difficile/difficult"), TD ("tres difficile/very hard"), and ED ("extremement difficile/extremely difficult"); ED then goes ED1, ED2, ED3, .. etc..[4][6]
alpine knee
An awkward climbing technique where the knee is placed on the hold rather than the foot.[7]
alpine start
Starting a climb very early in the morning, generally before 5:00a.m. (and even much earlier); common to alpine climbing to avoid afternoon rockfalls and melting snow on the route, or to get firmer ice on the glacier travel to and from the route.[2]
An armchair landing A technique in deep-water soloing for entering shallower water where the climber needs to avoid deeper hazards in the water; executed properly a 30-foot (9.1 m) fall can be absorbed in just 5 feet (1.5 m) of water.[8]
A hazardous mistake whereby the rope is clipped into a quickdraw such that the leader's end runs underneath the quickdraw as opposed to over the 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.[1][10]
back-step
A back-step Stepping on a hold where the outside edge — little toe side — of the shoe touches the rock.[1][11][12]
bail
To retreat from a climb.
ball nut
A type of protection device consisting of a nut and a movable ball used for very small thin cracks.[13]
barn-door
A potential barn door swing to the right When all four points of contact are on a straight axis, the body can swing uncontrollably on this axis. See flagging.[2]
Belay glove Gloves that are worn by the belayer to protect their skin in the event of sudden rope movement and to aid grip.
belay loop
The strongest point on a climbing harness, and the loop to which a belay device is physically attached.[1][2]
belay off
A climbing command from a belayer to confirm that the friction of belaying has been removed from a climbing rope. It is a standard response to a climber's "off belay" request.[14]
belay on
A climbing command from a belayer to confirm that the friction of belaying has been (re)applied to a climbing rope. It is a standard response to a climber's "on belay" request.[14]
A rock climbing technique for overhangs where the feet "pinch-hold" a foothold by one foot pushing down on it while the other foot pulls up on it (i.e. like the pedals on a bicycle).[16]
Big wall climbing A long sustained sheer exposed rock climb with at least 6–10 pitches (over 300–500 metres), that typically takes over a day (if not many days), and requires the hauling of food, water, sleeping bags, and the use of portaledges.[1]
Where the belayer uses their body, and not a mechanical belay device, to increase braking force when belaying; usually involves wrapping the rope around their waist or hip.[17]
boinking
A sport climbing technique to get back onto the wall after falling by pulling on the rope to un-weight it, allowing the belayer to take in the slack quickly; avoids the fallen climber having to return to the ground.[18]
bollard
Snow bollard A large block of rock or ice that is used as an anchor to construct a belay.
The deliberate removal of bolts from a climb; happens on traditional climbing routes (e.g. the Indian Face); also featured in the "bolt wars" of the 1980s and 1990s in the US.[3]
bolt ladder
Sequence of bolts that are so close together, they can be used by aid climbers as a ladder.[2]
The technical difficulty grading system for aid climbing that is "clean" (i.e. no hammeredpitons or bolts), which goes: C0, C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5; also has an A-grade equivalent of the "original" aid grades for "new wave".[4]
Type of harness that also covers the upper body to help prevent a rotation in any fall; particularly used when the climber is carrying a heavy pack, or is climbing in an area with crevasses.
chest jam
Jamming the torso into a wide crack, especially to allow the climber to rest.
A broad movement that extended from the earlier free climbing movement, which advocated minimizing any form of climbing that permanently impacted the natural rock surface, such as the use of bolts or pitons in sport climbing.
A type of ice climbing held on climbing walls for mostly professional ice climbers, split into the disciplines of ice lead climbing (on a bolted sport climbing dry-wall route), and ice speed climbing on an iced route. See also UIAA.
A small nut on a loop of wire with a head made of metal (often copper), soft enough to deform during placement, which is often with a hammer; commonly used in aid climbing as a point of placement, remaining fixed in-situ after placement.
Dead hanging When a climber hangs limp, such that their weight is held by arm ligament tension rather than by muscles.
deadman anchor
Also snow anchor.
An object which lies horizontally, buried in the snow, serving as an anchor for an attached fixed rope.[29]
deadpoint
A controlled dynamic motion in which the hold is grabbed with one hand at the apex of upward motion of the body, while one or both feet and the other hand maintain contact with the rock.[30] See dynos.
deck
The ground below a climbing route (i.e they fell to the ground and "hit the deck"). See ground fall.[2]
Italian for "shortest link", is the most direct route to the summit of a mountain up the fall line (e.g. the Brandler-Hasse Direttissima on the Cima Grande, Dolomites); origin of the term is often attributed to Emilio Comici who said: "I wish some day to make a route, and from the summit let fall a drop of water, and this is where my route will have gone".[32]
direct start
A new variation of an existing rock climbing route that avoids detours taken before the main line is reached due to their greater difficulty (e.g. Suprême Jumbo Love as a direct start to Jumbo Love).
dirtbag
A climber who lives modestly and often itinerantly, to maximize the amount of time climbing. Practitioners included Jan and Herb Conn and Fred Beckey (from the film: Dirtbag: The Legend of Fred Beckey).[33]
A type of anchor used in soft rock instead of bolts that uses a "baby angle" (piton) hammered into a drilled hole, which some think is better in soft rock than bolts that can crack the rock.[37][38]
drive-by
A deadpoint where one arm crosses over the other to reach a hold that is above and to the side.
An elastic rope that softens falls to some extent and absorbs the energy of heavy loads. Compare static rope.[26]
dyno
In rock climbing, a dynamic jump or leap to grab an out-of-reach hold; failure to grab the hold will usually result in a fall. See also paddling and campusing.[1][2][39]
Part of the British adjectival grading system that is used to rank the level of risk (a separate grade is given for technical difficulty) of traditional climbing routes, and which goes E1, E2, E3, ... to E11 (an additional metric is used for technical difficulty).[4]
edging
Using the edge of a climbing shoe on a narrow foothold; in the absence of footholds, smearing is used.
An advanced rock climbing technique for overhanging routes where the knee is dropped downwards to twist the hips — and thus the centre of gravity — closer to the rock face, thus increasing the amount of upward reach and torque available to the climber; the unique stresses on the knee can lead to serious injuries.[1][11]
Egyptian bridging
The same position as bridging or chimneying, but with one leg in front and one behind the body.
Using teams of support people (e.g. support climbers, sherpas, and/or equipment porters, etc.), and equipment (e.g. fixed rope, base camps, etc.) in helping the lead climbers reach the eventual summit; opposite of alpine style.
Also figure of four and figure-four move and yaniro
An advanced climbing technique in which the climber hooks a leg over the opposite arm (which needs to be in a good handhold), and then pushes down with this leg to achieve a greater vertical reach; more common in mixed climbing.[2]
figure-nine
Also figure of nine and figure-nine move
A variation of the figure-four move where the "same-side" leg is used instead of the "opposite" leg.[2]
A climbing technique where a leg is held in a position to maintain balance, rather than to support weight, often to prevent a barn-door.[2] There are three types of flagging:[12][11]
normal flag
Flagging foot stays on the same side (e.g. flagging right foot to the right side of the body).[12][11]
reverse inside-flag
Flagging foot is crossed in front of the foot that is on a foothold.[12][11]
reverse outside-flag
Flagging foot is crossed behind the foot that is on a foothold.[12][11]
flake
A thin slab of rock detached from the main face offering a hold, although it may become detached.[2]
flash
To ascend a route on the first attempt, but having obtained beta; with no beta, it is an on-sight.[1][2][41][3]
The French grade system for bouldering, which goes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C, 7A, 7B, 7C, .... , to 9A; with the American V-grade system, is the most common worldwide boulder-grading system. Font grades are often confused with French grades.[6]
foot jam
Also heel-to-toe jam.
A technique of jamming the foot into a large crack by twisting so that the heel and toes touch the sides.
The use of very basic aid climbing techniques (i.e. A0-graded aid techniques such as pulling on climbing protection) to bypass a short section that is not easily climbable, particularly used in big wall climbing.[42]
The French grade system for sport climbing, which goes: 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a, 7b, 7c, .... , to 9c; with the American YDS system, is the most common sport climbing grading system. French grades are often confused with font grades.[6]
French start
Moving off for the second hold without being established on the start holds, thus using the floor as a foothold. In most competition climbing, including IFSC events, starting a climb in this manner invalidates the attempt.[43]
frenchies
An exercise used to develop lock-off strength consisting of pull-ups that stop with the elbows locked at angles between 20 and 160 degrees.
friable
Delicate and easily broken rock, or ice, often dangerously so.
friction climbing
A climbing technique relying solely on the friction between the sloped rock and the sole of the shoe.
Mountaineering clothing equipment that is worn over the boots and lower leg to give added protection and waterproofing.
Gaston
A climbing grip using one hand with the thumb down and elbow out, like a reverse side pull. The grip maintains friction against a hold by pressing outward toward the elbow. Named for Gaston Rébuffat.[1][2][11]
gate flutter
The unwelcome action of the gate on a carabiner opening during a fall.
A sewn nylon webbing load-bearing device that is worn around the climber's waist and thighs, and to which the climbing rope, and other load-bearing climbing devices, can be attached.[2]
A round hold consisting of a pocket in the rock with a positive lip, varying in size from a single finger (a "mono") to body-sized. The term comes from Hueco Tanks that is notable for huecos, the Spanish term for a "hole".
A technique used to climb off-width cracks pioneered in the late 1970's by Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro [fr] that uses alternating hand-fist stacks and leg-calf locks; helpful for resting, and when placing protection.[52]
Resting lock off A climber holding a fixed position with one bent arm, usually while clipping or reaching for another hold with their other arm, or resting. Contrast with dead hang.[1]
Part of the mixed climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of mixed climbing routes, which goes: M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M6, and up to M14.[4] See also D-grade.
mantel
Mantel move Moving onto a shelf of rock by pressing down on it with the palms until the climber can stand on the "mantel" (e.g. the same action as leaving from the side of a pool).[1][2][12][11]
A type of climbing that involves using ice climbing tools on iced-up or snow-covered rock surfaces; mixed climbing techniques are used in dry-tooling and in alpine climbing.[47]
A route that was bolted by someone (e.g. they bought and installed the bolts) but who was unsuccessful in redpointing it, and it is now considered to be "open" to any climber to try; sometimes the original bolter will leave colored tape on the first bolt(s) to note the route is "not open".[54]
A section of rock or ice that is angled beyond the vertical. See roof.[2]
PEdit
paddling
A multi-move dyno where the climber must move quickly through a sequence of intermediate hand holds (neither of which can hold the climber for any period), with their arms mimicking a paddling action and their feet usually in mid-air, before getting to a secure position. See also campusing.[39]
To systematically attain every peak of a designated class of summits (e.g. eight-thousanders), sometimes under prescribed conditions (e.g. in winter), and/or in a prescribed climbing style (e.g. no supplementary oxygen.)
A quickdraw but made from a steel cable with steel carabiners that is permanently fixed to the bolt; longer wearing than aluminum quickdraws, and climbers do not need to retrieve them after a climb.[1]
Portaledge A lightweight foldaway tent platform used in big wall climbing to create a rest point on a sheer rock face.
positive
A hold or part of a hold with a surface facing upwards, or away from the direction it is pulled, facilitating use. A positive hold is the opposite of a sloper.
pressure breathing
Also Whittaker wheeze.
Forcefully exhaling to facilitate O2/CO2 exchange at altitude.
problem
Also bouldering problem or boulder problem.
Used in bouldering to describe the sequence of moves to be overcome.[2]
progress capture device
Also PCD.
A mechanical climbing device that allows the rope to move through it in only one direction, examples being the Petzel Micro Traxion or the Camp Lift; PCDs are used in pulley hauling and in top rope solo climbing.[56][57] See also Self-locking device.
project
Also projecting.
An attempt over time to climb a new (worldwide or personal) route or boulder problem as a "project".
An energy-saving mountaineering technique where the unweighted (uphill) leg is rested between each forward step, by "locking" the knee of the rear leg.
retro-bolting
The addition of bolts to a route that has already been ascended using traditional climbingprotection. The technique is controversial, with ethical debate on the issues of improving climber safety versus protecting the integrity of the original traditional climbing challenge.[58][59]
ripped
Term to denote when a piece of protection failed and "ripped-out" of the rock. See zipper fall.[2]
A move in which the crossing arm goes behind the other arm and is so far extended that the body is forced to twist until it ends up facing away from the rock. It was introduced by Antoine Le Menestrel [fr] to climb a route in Buoux called La rose et le vampire8b (5.13d) in 1985.[61]
RURP A miniature, postage stamp-sized chrome-moly square piton, tied to a wire or rope and hammered into cracks; created by Yvon Chouinard in 1960 for extreme aid climbing routes in Yosemite; acronym for realized ultimate reality piton.[62]
A rock climb with a much lower official climbing grade than probably deserved; sometimes due to a "trick-move" at the crux that once learned, does make the route easier; or due to overly conservative grading.[2]
The use of a single rope where one or both ends of the rope are attached to fixed anchor points. See fixed rope.
sit start
Also sit down start or SDS
A sit startBouldering term for a route that must be started from a seated position on the ground with hands and feet on proscribed holds; acronyms are SS (sit-start), SDS (sit-down-start), or assis (french); concept invented by John Yablonski.[65]
A technique in mixed climbing and dry-tooling where the ice axe is inverted and the blade wedged into a crack above the climber's head, who then pulls down on the handle of the axe to gain upward momentum. See also undercling pull.[67]
stemming
Stemming Technique for climbing opposing corners by pushing in opposite directions with the feet and hands.[1][2][12][11]
step cutting
Scooping steps out of snow or ice with the adze of an ice axe.
step kicking
Scooping and stamping steps out of soft snow with the feet.
2. A knot used to prevent the end of a rope from running through — and detaching from — a piece of gear.[1][2]
sure-footedness
Sure-footedness is the ability when hiking or mountain climbing, to negotiate difficult or rough terrain safely.[68]
TEdit
tat
Term to describe pieces of webbing or cord left on a climb (e.g. "I found some old tat") often as part of an irretrievable anchor point that was part of an abseil station.[69]
A big wall climbing technique where the lead climber carries an additional static rope (in addition to their dynamic climbing rope) that hangs (or "trails") behind them as they ascend; the trail rope enables the belayer to pass equipment to the leader during the ascent, and for the leader to haul up equipment as the belayer ascends.[20][55]
A climbing move where the hips "twist" perpendicular to the wall, the inside arm is "locked" on an upper hold, the outside arm holds the body against the wall, and the feet press down to propel the body higher.
The UIAA grade system for rock climbing, which goes: ... VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, .... , to XII; is less common than the French grade system or the American YDS grade system, but still used in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe.[6]
A downward hold which is gripped with the palm of the hand facing upwards.[1][2][11]
undercling pull
After a stein pull is completed, the undercling pull is a mixed climbing technique for continuing to use the hold to gain upward momentum by using the hold to pull into the rock; requires a lot more energy than a stein pull.[67]
A grading system for boulderingproblems invented by John Sherman, which goes: V0, V1, V2, V3, V4, V5, V6, V7, ... , to V17. The V-scale and the French font scale are the most common boulder grading systems in use worldwide.[1][6]
A thin coating of ice that forms over rocks when rainfall or melting snow freezes, which is hard to climb on as there is insufficient depth for crampons to have penetration. See also clear ice and glaze ice.
Part of the ice climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of ice climbing routes, which goes: WI1, WI2, WI3, WI4, WI5, WI6, and up to WI13.[4] See also M-grade.
Round webbing A 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
Any time a rope sustains the weight of the climber, e.g. "weighting the rope". This can happen during a minor fall, a whipper (long fall), or simply by resting while hanging on the belay rope. See also hangdogging.
French term for a figure-four move which came from American climber Tony Yaniro [fr]'s use of it on Chouca8a+ (5.13c).[71]
yo-yo
A free climbing term pre-redpointing, where a falling lead climber returns to the ground to restart, but leaves their rope clipped into the protection — in redpointing, the rope is pulled free from all protection before re-starting the climb.[2]
American system for grading walks, hikes, and climbs; the rock climbing (5.x) goes: 5.7, 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a, .... , 5.14a, 5.14b, 5.14c, 5.14d, 5.15a, etc., and with the French grade system, is the most widely used grading system worldwide for sport climbing.[6]
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glossary, climbing, terms, sight, redirects, here, kanye, west, song, sight, relates, rock, climbing, including, climbing, lead, climbing, bouldering, competition, climbing, mountaineering, climbing, terms, used, vary, between, different, english, speaking, co. On sight redirects here For the Kanye West song see On Sight Glossary of climbing terms relates to rock climbing including aid climbing lead climbing bouldering and competition climbing mountaineering and to ice climbing 1 2 3 The terms used can vary between different English speaking countries many of the phrases described here are particular to the United States and the United Kingdom Contents A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZA EditA grade Also aid climbing grade The technical difficulty grading system for aid climbing both for original and an adapted version for new wave which goes A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 and up to A6 for new wave See C grade 4 Abalakov thread nbsp Abalakov threadAlso V thread A type of anchor used in abseiling especially in winter and in ice climbing ABD Also assisted braking device A term used to describe a progress capture device or a self locking device such as a Petzel GriGri that immediately locks if the rope travels through it quickly in a specific direction See automatic belay abseiling Also rappelling A technique by which a climber descends via a fixed rope that is firmly attached to a fixed anchor point which is also known as an abseil station See tat and cord add on An indoor climbing game where climbers take turns creating a route adding two moves at a time 5 accessory cord See cord active protection Also active camming device or ACD Type of protection that dynamically changes to absorb the shape and strength of a fall active protection is the opposite of passive protection See cams and friends adze nbsp Ice axe with adze A thin blade mounted perpendicular to the handle on an ice axe is used for chopping footholds aid climbing Type of rock climbing where artificial devices are used to make upward progress and not just for protection opposite of free climbing See clean aid climbing aider See etrier alpine climbing A form of mountaineering that includes ice climbing dry tooling and rock climbing Alpine grade Also IFAS grade and UIAA Scale of Difficulty Part of the alpine climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of alpine climbing routes which goes F facile easy PD peu difficile little difficult AD assez difficile fairly hard D difficile difficult TD tres difficile very hard and ED extremement difficile extremely difficult ED then goes ED1 ED2 ED3 etc 4 6 alpine knee An awkward climbing technique where the knee is placed on the hold rather than the foot 7 alpine start Starting a climb very early in the morning generally before 5 00 a m and even much earlier common to alpine climbing to avoid afternoon rockfalls and melting snow on the route or to get firmer ice on the glacier travel to and from the route 2 alpine style Carrying all your own gear even for multi day climbs also called light weight climbing opposite of expedition style American death triangle nbsp Diagram of American death triangle A dangerous anchor that is created by connecting a closed loop of webbing between two points of protection anchor An arrangement of one or more pieces of fixed protection set up to support the weight of a belay a top rope or an abseil 1 3 See also deadman anchor ape index A measure of the ratio of a climber s arm span relative to their height arete 1 A small ridge like feature or a sharp outward facing corner on a steep rock face 2 A narrow ridge of rock formed by glacial erosion 3 A method of indoor climbing in which one is able to use such a corner as a hold See also dihedral arm bar A climbing technique where the climber jams their arm into a crack and locks it into place to aid their ascent 1 armchair landing nbsp An armchair landing A technique in deep water soloing for entering shallower water where the climber needs to avoid deeper hazards in the water executed properly a 30 foot 9 1 m fall can be absorbed in just 5 feet 1 5 m of water 8 ascender nbsp Ascenders A mechanical device used for ascending a fixed rope very common in aid climbing and big wall climbing See jumar aspect The geographical direction which a particular slope or rock wall faces e g north aspect ATC A belay device from Black Diamond the Air Traffic Controller that became a generic term for any tuber belay device Australian rappel nbsp Australian rappel Also angel jumping deepelling and rap jumping A type of abseiling technique performed face first used for military purposes 9 auto belay A mechanical belay device on indoor climbing walls which hangs from the top of routes that solo climbers clip into B EditB grade A grading system for bouldering invented by John Gill now superseded by the V grading system Bachar ladder nbsp Bachar ladder A piece of training equipment used to improve campusing and core body and arm strength invented by John Bachar back clipping A hazardous mistake whereby the rope is clipped into a quickdraw such that the leader s end runs underneath the quickdraw as opposed to over the 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 1 10 back step nbsp A back step Stepping on a hold where the outside edge little toe side of the shoe touches the rock 1 11 12 bail To retreat from a climb ball nut A type of protection device consisting of a nut and a movable ball used for very small thin cracks 13 barn door nbsp A potential barn door swing to the right When all four points of contact are on a straight axis the body can swing uncontrollably on this axis See flagging 2 bashie See copperhead bat hang nbsp Using a bat hang Where a lead climber gains a brief upside down rest by hanging from their wedged feet See chest jam and knee bar belay To protect a roped lead climber from falling by controlling the rope usually involves a belay device 1 2 belayer The person belaying the lead climber also known as a second belay device A mechanical device used by belayers to increase braking force when belaying can be passive like a figure eights or tubers or a more active assisted braking device like the Petzel GriGri 1 2 belay gloves nbsp Belay glove Gloves that are worn by the belayer to protect their skin in the event of sudden rope movement and to aid grip belay loop The strongest point on a climbing harness and the loop to which a belay device is physically attached 1 2 belay off A climbing command from a belayer to confirm that the friction of belaying has been removed from a climbing rope It is a standard response to a climber s off belay request 14 belay on A climbing command from a belayer to confirm that the friction of belaying has been re applied to a climbing rope It is a standard response to a climber s on belay request 14 belay station nbsp Bolted belay station The place from which a belayer is belaying sometimes anchored to the ground or directly to the rock particularly in a hanging belay on big wall climbing routes or other objects 15 bergschrund A crevasse that forms on the upper portion of a glacier where the moving section pulls away from the headwall beta Information on how to complete or protect a particular climbing route See on sight and flash 1 2 3 beta break In sport climbing a move on a climbing route other than the move originally intended by the route setter beta flash See flash bicycle A rock climbing technique for overhangs where the feet pinch hold a foothold by one foot pushing down on it while the other foot pulls up on it i e like the pedals on a bicycle 16 big wall climbing nbsp Big wall climbing A long sustained sheer exposed rock climb with at least 6 10 pitches over 300 500 metres that typically takes over a day if not many days and requires the hauling of food water sleeping bags and the use of portaledges 1 bivouac Also bivy or bivvy A crude overnight camp or shelter on a climbing route on a sheer vertical wall a portaledge can be used bivy bag A lightweight garment or sack offering full body protection from wind and rain which is used in a bivouac body belay Also hip belay Where the belayer uses their body and not a mechanical belay device to increase braking force when belaying usually involves wrapping the rope around their waist or hip 17 boinking A sport climbing technique to get back onto the wall after falling by pulling on the rope to un weight it allowing the belayer to take in the slack quickly avoids the fallen climber having to return to the ground 18 bollard nbsp Snow bollard A large block of rock or ice that is used as an anchor to construct a belay bolt A point of protection permanently installed in a hole drilled into the rock to which a metal bolt hanger is attached with a hole to attach a carabiner or a quickdraw used in sport climbing and in competition climbing 1 2 bolt chopping The deliberate removal of bolts from a climb happens on traditional climbing routes e g the Indian Face also featured in the bolt wars of the 1980s and 1990s in the US 3 bolt ladder Sequence of bolts that are so close together they can be used by aid climbers as a ladder 2 bolt hanger Also hanger A piece of metal that is pre attached to a bolt i e before the bolt is screwed in into which quickdraws can be clipped bolt runner A term to describe a bolt that has no bolt hanger will require a rivet hanger to be used by a climber bomb proof Also bomber A highly secure anchor or a particularly solid handhold or foothold 1 2 19 bosun s chair A type of larger harness to give a climber relief from bearing a constant load via their climbing harness bouldering A type of climbing on large boulders less than 20 feet 6 1 m high with only crash pads and spotting for protection 1 2 bouldering mat nbsp Bouldering mat A thick foam pad used for protection when bouldering also called a crash pad 2 bounce test A technique in aid climbing where a new placement is tested by using the lead climber s bodyweight 20 bowline on a bight A knot that makes a pair of fixed size loops in the middle of a rope 21 bridging See stemming 1 2 bucket A large handhold that is very easy to use 2 buildering The practice of climbing on buildings which is often illegal buttress nbsp Large buttresses A prominent rock feature that juts out from the rock face or from the mountain 2 C EditC grade Also clean aid climbing grade The technical difficulty grading system for aid climbing that is clean i e no hammered pitons or bolts which goes C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 and C5 also has an A grade equivalent of the original aid grades for new wave 4 cam A spring loaded camming device SLCD also known as friends used as protection in traditional climbing 1 camalot A brand of spring loaded camming device SLCD manufactured by Black Diamond Equipment campusing nbsp Climber campusing Ascending a route without using the feet is done on overhanging routes or on a campus board 1 2 See paddling campus board A piece of training equipment used to build finger strength and strong arm lock offs 2 carabiner Also twist lock carabiner bent gate carabiner An aluminum loop with a spring loaded gate used to attach various load bearing climbing devices together 1 chalk Gymnastic magnesium carbonate chalk used to reduce moisture improve friction and mark holds 1 2 chalk bag nbsp Chalk and chalk bag A hand sized holder for climbing chalk that is carried on a chalk belt or clipped to a harness chest harness Type of harness that also covers the upper body to help prevent a rotation in any fall particularly used when the climber is carrying a heavy pack or is climbing in an area with crevasses chest jam Jamming the torso into a wide crack especially to allow the climber to rest chicken bolt Term in big wall climbing and aid climbing to refer to a bolt placed to reduce the risk of a difficult section 22 chicken head nbsp Tied chicken head Knob or horn of rock narrowed at the base 2 chicken wing A crack climbing technique where a hand is placed on one side of the crack and the shoulder on the other 23 chimney A rock cleft with mostly parallel vertical sides large enough to fit the climber s body See stemming 1 2 chipping Improving a climbing hold by chipping the rock is considered unethical and poor practice in climbing 2 chock Also chockstone A stone wedged in a crack that can be threaded to create a point of protection in traditional climbing 1 2 chop route British term for a traditional climbing route with very poor protection where any fall could be fatal See X 2 choss Loose or rotten rock that makes for unpleasant difficult or dangerous climbing useful for dry tooling 2 classification See grade clean 1 To remove or strip protection equipment from a climbing route 2 A route that is free of loose vegetation and rocks vigorous cleaning can be chipping 2 3 To complete a climb without falling or resting on the rope See redpoint clean aid climbing A type of aid climbing where only removable traditional climbing protection is allowed and no hammered in bolts or pitons See C grade clean climbing A broad movement that extended from the earlier free climbing movement which advocated minimizing any form of climbing that permanently impacted the natural rock surface such as the use of bolts or pitons in sport climbing cleaning tool nbsp Cleaning toolAlso nut key or nut tool A device for removing jammed protection equipment especially nuts from a route climbing area A region with numerous climbing routes climbing command A short phrase used for communication and instructions between a lead climber and a belayer See take 14 climbing gym A specialized indoor climbing center usually just called a climbing centre in the UK climbing peak From german Klettergipfel a formation that can only be ascended by climbing 24 climbing route A path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain a rock face or obstacle or an ice covered face or obstacle climbing shoe nbsp Climbing shoe Footwear designed specifically for rock climbing that fits tightly and with sticky rubber soles for grip climbing wall Artificial rock face that is typically housed indoors is also used for competition climbing clip in Also clipping in The process of attaching the rope to protection usually via a carabiner to belay devices or to other anchors See tie in clipstick See stick clip competition climbing A type of climbing held on climbing walls for mostly professional or Olympic climbers split into the disciplines of lead climbing on a bolted sport climbing route bouldering and speed climbing A fourth discipline of combined add the three together See IFSC 25 competition ice climbing A type of ice climbing held on climbing walls for mostly professional ice climbers split into the disciplines of ice lead climbing on a bolted sport climbing dry wall route and ice speed climbing on an iced route See also UIAA copperhead nbsp Copperheads Also head A small nut on a loop of wire with a head made of metal often copper soft enough to deform during placement which is often with a hammer commonly used in aid climbing as a point of placement remaining fixed in situ after placement cord Also cordage accessory cord A short piece of thin climbing rope used for various purposes in climbing including for creating abseil stations See tat 26 cord lock A lock or toggle used to fasten cords with gloved hands Used on most mountaineering gear cordelette nbsp Cordelette A loop of narrow e g 5 7 millimetre accessory perlon cord that is used to tie into multiple anchor points corner An inside corner of rock the opposite of an arete UK See dihedral 2 cornice An overhanging edge of snow on a ridge crack climbing To ascend by wedging body parts into natural cracks in the rock See jamming and chimney 1 2 crag An expanse of continuous rock that contains a number of rock climbing routes e g Clogwyn Du r Arddu 2 crampons nbsp 12 point crampons A pair of metal frames with spikes that can be attached to boots to increase grip on snow and ice See front pointing cranking To pull on a climbing hold as hard as possible crash pad See bouldering mat crater See ground fall 2 crimp nbsp Cranking on crimpsAlso crimper A hold which is only just big enough to be grasped with the tips of the fingers 1 2 12 crux The most difficult portion of a climb often the grade is defined by the difficulty of the crux 1 2 27 cut loose When a climber s feet swing away from the rock on overhanging terrain and they hang by their hands D EditD grade Also dry tool climbing grade Where mixed climbing routes are completed in fully dry conditions i e no ice or snow the M suffix of the M grade is swapped for a D dab A term in bouldering for touching the ground crash pad spotter or hold from other route 28 daisy chain nbsp Daisy chain A special purpose type of sling with multiple sewn or tied loops used in aid and big wall climbing dead hang nbsp Dead hanging When a climber hangs limp such that their weight is held by arm ligament tension rather than by muscles deadman anchor Also snow anchor An object which lies horizontally buried in the snow serving as an anchor for an attached fixed rope 29 deadpoint A controlled dynamic motion in which the hold is grabbed with one hand at the apex of upward motion of the body while one or both feet and the other hand maintain contact with the rock 30 See dynos deck The ground below a climbing route i e they fell to the ground and hit the deck See ground fall 2 deep water soloing Also psicobloc nbsp Deep water soloingFree solo climbing on an overhanging route over a body of water to absorb any fall 2 descender Also rappel device A mechanical device that enables a controlled descent on a fixed rope belay devices can be descenders 2 dexamethasone Also dex A drug to treat high altitude cerebral edema HACE and high altitude pulmonary edema HAPE 31 dialled To have a complete understanding of a particular climbing move or sequence of moves on a route Diamox A drug used to inhibit the onset of altitude sickness otherwise known as acetazolamide 31 dihedral nbsp Dihedral An open book corner of rock the opposite of an arete 1 2 direttissima Italian for shortest link is the most direct route to the summit of a mountain up the fall line e g the Brandler Hasse Direttissima on the Cima Grande Dolomites origin of the term is often attributed to Emilio Comici who said I wish some day to make a route and from the summit let fall a drop of water and this is where my route will have gone 32 direct start A new variation of an existing rock climbing route that avoids detours taken before the main line is reached due to their greater difficulty e g Supreme Jumbo Love as a direct start to Jumbo Love dirtbag A climber who lives modestly and often itinerantly to maximize the amount of time climbing Practitioners included Jan and Herb Conn and Fred Beckey from the film Dirtbag The Legend of Fred Beckey 33 double ropes Also half ropes nbsp Using double ropes In lead climbing where two thinner ropes are used instead of a single rope to manage rope drag Compare twin ropes 26 downclimb To descend by climbing downward rather than by abseiling or lowering off after completing a climb or bailing drag Also rope drag Friction from the rope running over the rock and through the lower protection See slack and double ropes 34 35 36 drilled baby angle nbsp Drilled baby angleAlso drilled pitons A type of anchor used in soft rock instead of bolts that uses a baby angle piton hammered into a drilled hole which some think is better in soft rock than bolts that can crack the rock 37 38 drive by A deadpoint where one arm crosses over the other to reach a hold that is above and to the side drop knee Also dropknee See Egyptian 1 11 dry tooling nbsp A climber dry tooling Using ice climbing tools such as crampons and ice axes on bare rock See Mixed climbing Dry Tooling Style Also DTS Type of dry tooling with additional restrictions and particularly a prohibition on yaniro moves Dulfersitz A classical non mechanical abseiling technique where the fixed rope is wrapped around the body dynamic rope An elastic rope that softens falls to some extent and absorbs the energy of heavy loads Compare static rope 26 dyno In rock climbing a dynamic jump or leap to grab an out of reach hold failure to grab the hold will usually result in a fall See also paddling and campusing 1 2 39 E EditE grade Part of the British adjectival grading system that is used to rank the level of risk a separate grade is given for technical difficulty of traditional climbing routes and which goes E1 E2 E3 to E11 an additional metric is used for technical difficulty 4 edging Using the edge of a climbing shoe on a narrow foothold in the absence of footholds smearing is used Egyptian nbsp EgyptianAlso knee drop Also drop knee Also lolotte An advanced rock climbing technique for overhanging routes where the knee is dropped downwards to twist the hips and thus the centre of gravity closer to the rock face thus increasing the amount of upward reach and torque available to the climber the unique stresses on the knee can lead to serious injuries 1 11 Egyptian bridging The same position as bridging or chimneying but with one leg in front and one behind the body eight thousander A mountain whose elevation exceeds 8 000 meters 26 247 ft a s l of which there are only 14 in the world eliminate 1 A bouldering move or series of moves where certain holds are placed off bounds 2 2 A British term for a route that does not take the most obvious or direct line i e it eliminates obstacles 2 Elvis legs See sewing machine leg 2 enchainment A mountaineering term to describe linking up several individual climbs to create a larger undertaking energy absorber nbsp Energy absorber Also shock absorber A piece of protection equipment used in via ferrata climbing to absorb the energy of the arrest of any fall See lanyard epic An otherwise ordinary climb that turned into a major struggle ERNEST An acronym for Equalised Redundant No Extension Strong and Timely in building anchors See SERENE etrier nbsp Using an etrier A short ladder made of webbing that is used for aid climbing 2 40 European death knot A flat overhand used to join a pair of ropes for retrievable abseils considered dubious in America expedition style Also siege tactics Using teams of support people e g support climbers sherpas and or equipment porters etc and equipment e g fixed rope base camps etc in helping the lead climbers reach the eventual summit opposite of alpine style exposure The level of empty space below or around a climber who is not in a secure position 2 F Editface climbing Any climbing on vertical rock using finger holds edges and smears as opposed to crack climbing 1 fall factor Ratio of the height h a climber falls to the rope length l available to absorb the energy of a fall 1 2 figure four nbsp A figure four moveAlso figure of four and figure four move and yaniro An advanced climbing technique in which the climber hooks a leg over the opposite arm which needs to be in a good handhold and then pushes down with this leg to achieve a greater vertical reach more common in mixed climbing 2 figure nine Also figure of nine and figure nine move A variation of the figure four move where the same side leg is used instead of the opposite leg 2 figure eight nbsp Figure eight belay A belay device or descender that is shaped like the number eight 2 12 figure eight knot nbsp Figure eight knotAlso figure eight loop A knot commonly used to tie in a climber s harness to the climbing rope finger jam Also finger lock A type of jam using the fingers in a crack 1 finger board Training equipment used to build finger strength See also hangboard 2 first ascent Also FA The first successful ascent of a new route by any means including aid climbing i e not via free climbing first free ascent Also FFA The first ascent of a new route without aid following the free climbing criteria of a redpoint first female free ascent Also FFFA The first female to complete a free ascent of a route that has already had an FFA fist jam A type of jam using the hand fixed rope nbsp Jumaring up a fixed rope using an ascender A rope that hangs from a fixed attachment point commonly used for abseiling going down or for jumaring going up flagging A climbing technique where a leg is held in a position to maintain balance rather than to support weight often to prevent a barn door 2 There are three types of flagging 12 11 normal flag Flagging foot stays on the same side e g flagging right foot to the right side of the body 12 11 reverse inside flag Flagging foot is crossed in front of the foot that is on a foothold 12 11 reverse outside flag Flagging foot is crossed behind the foot that is on a foothold 12 11 dd flake A thin slab of rock detached from the main face offering a hold although it may become detached 2 flash To ascend a route on the first attempt but having obtained beta with no beta it is an on sight 1 2 41 3 font Also Fontainebleau grade The French grade system for bouldering which goes 1 2 3 4 5 6A 6B 6C 7A 7B 7C to 9A with the American V grade system is the most common worldwide boulder grading system Font grades are often confused with French grades 6 foot jam Also heel to toe jam A technique of jamming the foot into a large crack by twisting so that the heel and toes touch the sides fourteener A mountain summit that exceeds 14 000 feet 4 300 m particularly one in the contiguous United States freeBASE Free solo climbing but with a BASE jumping parachute as a backup in the event of a fall free climbing Climbing without artificial aids other than for protection can be done as sport climbing or traditional climbing 2 free solo climbing Also free soloing nbsp Free soloing Climbing without any type of aid or any form of climbing protection French free climbing The use of very basic aid climbing techniques i e A0 graded aid techniques such as pulling on climbing protection to bypass a short section that is not easily climbable particularly used in big wall climbing 42 French grade Also Sport climbing grade and Plaisir grade The French grade system for sport climbing which goes 5a 5b 5c 6a 6b 6c 7a 7b 7c to 9c with the American YDS system is the most common sport climbing grading system French grades are often confused with font grades 6 French start Moving off for the second hold without being established on the start holds thus using the floor as a foothold In most competition climbing including IFSC events starting a climb in this manner invalidates the attempt 43 frenchies An exercise used to develop lock off strength consisting of pull ups that stop with the elbows locked at angles between 20 and 160 degrees friable Delicate and easily broken rock or ice often dangerously so friction climbing A climbing technique relying solely on the friction between the sloped rock and the sole of the shoe Friend nbsp Friends The name of Wild Country s spring loaded camming device SLCD protection and a generic name for SLCDs 2 front pointing An ice climbing technique that uses the frontmost spikes of the crampons to ascend iced routes fruit boot Type of lightweight shoe used in mixed climbing and ice climbing that have in built crampons G Editgaiters Mountaineering clothing equipment that is worn over the boots and lower leg to give added protection and waterproofing Gaston A climbing grip using one hand with the thumb down and elbow out like a reverse side pull The grip maintains friction against a hold by pressing outward toward the elbow Named for Gaston Rebuffat 1 2 11 gate flutter The unwelcome action of the gate on a carabiner opening during a fall gendarme A rock pinnacle or isolated rock tower encountered along a ridge often at the intersection of ridges Geneva rappel A modified Dulfersitz rappel using the hip and downhill arm for friction less complex but less friction and control glissade nbsp Sitting glissade A voluntary act of sliding down a steep slope of snow using an ice axe for control grade Classifications intended as an objective measure of the technical difficulty of a climbing route including rock ice bouldering mixed and aid The most widely used lead climbing grading systems are the French sport climbing grades and the American Yosemite Decimal System for bouldering it is the font grade and the V grade systems 2 6 grade milestone The first free ascent FFA by a lead climber of a new climbing route that sets a new grade level e g the first ever 9b 5 15b grade milestone was Chris Sharma s FFA of Jumbo Love in 2008 greenpoint Also greenpointing Ascending a sport climbing route but only using traditional climbing protection e g Principle Hope See redpoint 44 Grigri nbsp Belaying with a grigri A belay device invented and manufactured by Petzl also used in rope solo climbing 2 gronked Accidentally going off route leading into a harder route from the notorious climb Gronk in Avon Gorge ground fall Also decking Where a lead climber falls and hits the ground either because their protection failed e g zipper fall the runout was too great or the belayer failed to arrest or hold the rope 2 H Edithalf ropes See double ropes 26 hand jam A type of jam using the hand in a crack 1 hand traverse Traversing without any definitive footholds i e no edging smearing or heelhooking hangboard nbsp HangboardAlso finger board A training device to increase the climber s arm and finger strength See campus board 45 hangdog Also hangdogging To hang on the rope or a piece of protection after falling and then start reclimbing without returning to the ground 46 hanging belay nbsp Using a hanging belay bottom climber Where the belay station of the belayer is suspended from the ground and tied to the wall via a fixed anchor point used in big wall climbing and multi pitch climbing heel spurs Type of crampon attachment to the back of the heel used in mixed climbing to perform a heel hook 47 high altitude cerebral edema Also HACE A severe and often fatal form of altitude sickness caused by physical exertion without sufficient oxygen 31 high altitude pulmonary edema Also HAPE A severe form of altitude sickness caused by physical exertion without sufficient oxygen 31 harness Also climbing harness A sewn nylon webbing load bearing device that is worn around the climber s waist and thighs and to which the climbing rope and other load bearing climbing devices can be attached 2 haul bag nbsp Haul bag A large hard wearing bag for supplies and equipment that can be dragged up multi pitch or big wall routes headpoint Also headpointing Top roping a traditional climbing route before lead climbing it to practise the moves See redpoint 44 headwall A region at the top of a cliff or rock face that steepens dramatically heel hook nbsp Heel hook Using the back of the heel to apply pressure on a hold for balance or for leverage 1 2 12 heel toe Also heel toe cam A combination of a toe hook and heel hook to hold the body onto the climbing route hexcentric nbsp HexesAlso a hex A protective device consisting of an eccentric hexagonal nut attached to a wire loop highball Also high ball nbsp A high ball A boulder problem over circa 5 10 metre 16 33 ft high where falling is dangerous 1 2 hip belay A method of belaying whereby the rope friction is increased by passing the rope around the hip of the belayer hold A place to temporarily cling grip jam press or stand in the process of climbing a route 2 See volume hold HMS carabiner A round ended carabiner for use with a Munter hitch from German for the hitch Halbmastwurfsicherung hook Also fifi hook and cam hook A mechanical piece of climbing equipment used in aid climbing See also skyhook hueco A round hold consisting of a pocket in the rock with a positive lip varying in size from a single finger a mono to body sized The term comes from Hueco Tanks that is notable for huecos the Spanish term for a hole hueco scale See V grade 1 I Editice axe nbsp Modern ice axe A multi purpose tool used in alpine climbing that is a combination of an ice pick adze and pointed stick ice climbing Ascending iced routes e g waterfalls and couloirs with specialized equipment See mixed climbing 1 ice hammer nbsp Ice hammer A lightweight ice axe with a hammer and pick head on a short handle and no spike See also rock hammer ice piton nbsp Ice pitons left and ice screw right A long wide serrated piton that can be used for weak protection on ice ice screw Modern protection device in ice climbing with the tubular ice screw as the strongest 48 ice tool Also technical axe A specialized elaboration of the modern ice axe that is used in modern advanced ice climbing IFSC Acronym for the international body that organises and regulates competition climbing See UIAA indoor climbing Rock climbing that takes place on artificial climbing walls that are set up inside buildings in situ Denotes protection that is installed on the route e g there is a piton and sling in situ at the crux 2 isolation zone In competition climbing an area where competitiors are kept to prevent them getting beta on the upcoming routes 49 J Editjamming nbsp Hand jamming Wedging a body part into a crack including finger jam foot jam hand jam and chest jam 2 jib A very small foothold large enough for the big toe relying heavily on friction to support the weight jug See bucket 1 2 jumar Also jumaring A type of mechanical ascender and the generic term for ascending a fixed rope using a mechanical ascender K Editkarabiner See carabiner 2 Klemheist knot An alternative to the Prusik knot useful when the climber is short of cord but has plenty of webbing knee bar source source source source source source source Using a knee bar Wedging a knee against a hold in such a way as to allow the other limbs to be released and rested 1 50 knee drop See Egyptian knee pad An artificial pad that is worn on the lower thigh to protect a climber when performing a knee bar 51 L Editlanyard nbsp A Petzel lanyard and energy absorber A Y shaped piece of protection equipment used in via ferrata climbing that attaches the harness to the fixed steel cables Lanyards often attach to energy absorbers given the higher fall factor of via ferrata climbing laybacking nbsp LaybackingAlso liebacking Climbing an edge by side pulling with both hands and using opposing friction for the feet 1 2 11 lead climbing Also leading A form of climbing in which a lead climber clips their belay rope into protection equipment as they ascend 1 2 lead climber Also leader The individual ascending the route in lead climbing the other person is the belayer 1 2 leader fall A lead climber fall while lead climbing will be at least twice the distance to the last piece of protection Leavittation A technique used to climb off width cracks pioneered in the late 1970 s by Randy Leavitt and Tony Yaniro fr that uses alternating hand fist stacks and leg calf locks helpful for resting and when placing protection 52 liquid chalk A liquid form of climbing chalk but with a longer hold time live rope In lead climbing the segment of the rope between the lead climber and the belayer 2 lock off nbsp Resting lock off A climber holding a fixed position with one bent arm usually while clipping or reaching for another hold with their other arm or resting Contrast with dead hang 1 lolotte See Egyptian lower off When a lead climber is lowered down the route by the belayer holding their weight on the belay device M EditM grade Also mixed climbing grades Part of the mixed climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of mixed climbing routes which goes M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 and up to M14 4 See also D grade mantel nbsp Mantel move Moving onto a shelf of rock by pressing down on it with the palms until the climber can stand on the mantel e g the same action as leaving from the side of a pool 1 2 12 11 mixed climbing A type of climbing that involves using ice climbing tools on iced up or snow covered rock surfaces mixed climbing techniques are used in dry tooling and in alpine climbing 47 mono nbsp Mono holdA climbing hold typically a pocket or a hueco which only has enough room for one finger 1 2 moving together See simul climbing multi pitch climbing A climb that has more than one pitch a big wall route involves so many pitches it takes over a day Munter hitch Also Italian hitch or friction hitch A simple hitch used for belaying without a mechanical belay device N EditNational Climbing Classification System Also NCCS Also commitment grade A North American grading system used mainly in big wall climbing and alpine climbing goes from I II III to VII neve Permanent granular ice formed by repeated freeze thaw cycles new wave See A grade no hand rest nbsp No hand rest An entirely leg supported resting position during climbing that does not require hands on the rock normal route Also voie normale Also Normalweg The easiest and most frequently used route for ascending and descending a climb 53 nunatak A mountain or rock formation that protrudes through an ice field nut nbsp Nuts A metal wedge attached to a wire loop that is inserted into cracks for protection See hexcentric 2 nut key Also nut tool 2 See cleaning tool O Editoff belay American climbing command when requesting that the belayer remove belay equipment from the climbing rope e g when cleaning top protection from a lead route Replied to with belay off 14 off width nbsp Off width climb A crack that is too wide for effective hand or foot jams but is not as large as a chimney 1 2 on belay American climbing command when they are ready to be belayed Replied to with belay on 14 on sight To ascend a route on the first attempt with no prior beta with beta it is a flash 1 2 41 open book An inside angle in the rock See also dihedral open project A route that was bolted by someone e g they bought and installed the bolts but who was unsuccessful in redpointing it and it is now considered to be open to any climber to try sometimes the original bolter will leave colored tape on the first bolt s to note the route is not open 54 overhang A section of rock or ice that is angled beyond the vertical See roof 2 P Editpaddling A multi move dyno where the climber must move quickly through a sequence of intermediate hand holds neither of which can hold the climber for any period with their arms mimicking a paddling action and their feet usually in mid air before getting to a secure position See also campusing 39 passive protection Type of protection that remains static during a fall opposite of active protection See nuts and hexcentrics peak bagging To systematically attain every peak of a designated class of summits e g eight thousanders sometimes under prescribed conditions e g in winter and or in a prescribed climbing style e g no supplementary oxygen peg A piton pendulum 1 Swinging on a taut anchored rope to reach the next hold in a pendulum traverse 2 A swing experienced during a fall caused by the last piece of protection being far to one side permadraw A quickdraw but made from a steel cable with steel carabiners that is permanently fixed to the bolt longer wearing than aluminum quickdraws and climbers do not need to retrieve them after a climb 1 personal anchor system Also PAS An adjustable attachment point from a climber to a fixed anchor give them flexibility to perform other tasks picket Also snow picket nbsp Picket A long tubular rod driven into the snow to provide a makeshift anchor pinch hold Also pinch A hold which must be pinched between the fingers to use it 2 12 pinkpoint Lead climbing where the protection e g quickdraws are pre installed See also greenpoint and redpoint 2 44 pitch The climbing route between two belay points with a full pitch being the length of the rope circa 50 metres 160 ft 1 2 piton nbsp Piton Also angle beak bong knifeblade lost arrow A flat or angled metal blade of steel for protection that incorporates a clipping hole for a carabiner or a ring in its body that is hammered into cracks comes in a wide range of designs and types for different crack types and widths common in aid climbing big wall climbing and alpine climbing 1 2 See also RURP piton catcher A clip on string fastened to a piton when inserting or removing so as to avoid loss plunge step An aggressive step pattern for descending on hard or steep angle snow poop tube A PVC tube shaped container for carrying out human feces during multi day or big wall climbs 55 portaledge nbsp Portaledge A lightweight foldaway tent platform used in big wall climbing to create a rest point on a sheer rock face positive A hold or part of a hold with a surface facing upwards or away from the direction it is pulled facilitating use A positive hold is the opposite of a sloper pressure breathing Also Whittaker wheeze Forcefully exhaling to facilitate O2 CO2 exchange at altitude problem Also bouldering problem or boulder problem Used in bouldering to describe the sequence of moves to be overcome 2 progress capture device Also PCD A mechanical climbing device that allows the rope to move through it in only one direction examples being the Petzel Micro Traxion or the Camp Lift PCDs are used in pulley hauling and in top rope solo climbing 56 57 See also Self locking device project Also projecting An attempt over time to climb a new worldwide or personal route or boulder problem as a project protection Also pro Also gear nbsp Carrying protection Equipment for arresting lead climber falls or to create anchors for abseils or belays Examples are passive bolts copperheads hexcentrics ice screws nuts quickdraws and skyhooks and active cams friends tricams 1 2 Prusik A knot used for ascending a fixed rope named after Austrian Karl Prusik who developed this knot in 1931 2 pump Also pumped The accumulation of metabolic waste products in the forearm s so that holding a basic grip becomes impossible 2 Q Editquickdraw Also quickie draw and extender A piece of climbing protection that is used to attach a running rope to an anchor or a bolt See permadraw 1 2 quicklink Also maillon and maillon rapide A screw type oval shaped stainless steel carabiner which is smaller than the normal carabiner R Editrack nbsp A traditional climbing rack on a harness nbsp A rack 1 The set of protection equipment carried by a lead climber up a climb 1 2 2 Type of heavy duty descender consisting of bars on a U shaped chassis used in caving rappel See abseil rating See grade rebolting The replacement of older bolts on an existing bolted sport climbing route redpoint Also redpointing Free climbing a route by leading it after having failed it or practiced it beforehand e g by hangdogging headpointing or top roping A route climbed on the first ever attempt and no practice it is an onsight or a flash See first free ascent 1 2 removable bolt Also RB A removable protection bolt similar in concept to a sliding nut but shaped to fit into a drilled hole popular in aid climbing rest step An energy saving mountaineering technique where the unweighted uphill leg is rested between each forward step by locking the knee of the rear leg retro bolting The addition of bolts to a route that has already been ascended using traditional climbing protection The technique is controversial with ethical debate on the issues of improving climber safety versus protecting the integrity of the original traditional climbing challenge 58 59 ripped Term to denote when a piece of protection failed and ripped out of the rock See zipper fall 2 rivet hanger nbsp Rivet hanger Also plate hanger wire hanger or cinch hanger A piece of aid climbing equipment used by the lead climber to attach to bolt runner rivets in the rock rock hammer Also wall hammer A lightweight hammer with a short handle used for inserting pitons bolts and copperheads in aid climbing and big wall climbing See also ice hammer rockover move A rock climbing technique where the body weight is transferred or rocked over to the raised up hill leg to reach a higher hold 2 rodeo clipping To clip into the first piece of protection from the ground by swinging a loop of rope so that it is caught by a pre placed carabiner 60 roof nbsp Climbing a roof An overhang that is so steep it becomes horizontal 2 rope drag See drag 1 rope jumping Jumping a full rope length from the top of a rock face with the rope attached to a fixed anchor like a bungee cord rope team See simul climbing rose move A move in which the crossing arm goes behind the other arm and is so far extended that the body is forced to twist until it ends up facing away from the rock It was introduced by Antoine Le Menestrel fr to climb a route in Buoux called La rose et le vampire 8b 5 13d in 1985 61 route See climbing route RP A small protection nut on a wire for tiny cracks with marginal holding power named after Roland Pauligk 2 runner 1 In the US a sling is made from nylon blend materials used by climbers for a multitude of purposes 1 2 In the UK any item of protection placed by the lead climber to reduce the length of a fall 2 runout nbsp A long runout In a term in lead climbing for the distance between points of good protection in the grading of climbs routes with long runouts have higher adjectival E grade British system or an R Xor even X suffix American system See ground fall 1 2 RURP nbsp RURP A miniature postage stamp sized chrome moly square piton tied to a wire or rope and hammered into cracks created by Yvon Chouinard in 1960 for extreme aid climbing routes in Yosemite acronym for realized ultimate reality piton 62 R X A suffix used in the yosemite decimal system for traditional climbing routes that have poor possibilities for protection where any fall could be serious e g Master s Edge See X S EditS grade Also deep water soloing grades Part of the deep water soloing system for grading the objective danger difficulty of DWS climbing routes which goes S0 S1 S2 and S3 See also X saddle A high pass between two peaks larger than a col sandbag A rock climb with a much lower official climbing grade than probably deserved sometimes due to a trick move at the crux that once learned does make the route easier or due to overly conservative grading 2 scrambling A type of climbing somewhere between hiking and graded rock climbing involves climbing the easiest grades screamer 1 A nylon webbing structure consisting of one large loop sewn in multiple places to make a shorter length 2 A British term for a large whipper fall 2 scree Small loose rocks at the base of a cliff or slope distinguished from talus screw on Also foot chip chip or micro A small climbing hold screwed onto the wall on a climbing wall second nbsp Lead climber right and second left A climber who follows the lead climber often acts as the belayer self arrest Using the pick of an ice axe to arrest a fall or to control a glissade self belay Also self belaying The act of using a mechanical device for belaying in solo climbing See self locking device self locking device Also SLD nbsp Self locking device A device used in solo climbing and particularly rope solo climbing to automatically arrest falls Examples include Wren s Silent Partner See also progress capture device Compare automatic belay self rescue Actions taken by a climber s to execute their own rescue or recovery from a difficult or dangerous situation send To free climb a route via an on sight flash or redpoint 2 1 serac A large tower of ice on the surface of a glacier falling seracs are a serious hazard to mountaineers SERENE Acronym for building anchors stands for Strong Equalised Redundant Efficient No Extension See also ERNEST sewing machine leg Also scissor leg Elvis legs or disco knee The involuntary vibration of the leg due to fatigue and or panic and stress 2 shadow match A rock climbing move to quickly switch hands on a hold that can only fit one hand at a time sharp end The end of the rope that is attached to the lead climber to denote the more serious activity they are undertaking compared to the belayer 2 short fixing An advanced big wall climbing technique where the lead climber fixes the rope at an anchor to allow the second to ascend using jumars while the leader climber then continues to ascend in a rope solo climbing fashion unlike simul climbing neither is belaying the other 63 64 side pull nbsp A side pull A vertical hold that needs to be gripped with a sideways pull towards the body 1 2 11 simul climbing Also running belay An advanced technique in which two climbers move simultaneously upward with the leader placing protection that the second removes as they advance A protection capture device PCD may also be used 64 single rope technique The use of a single rope where one or both ends of the rope are attached to fixed anchor points See fixed rope sit start Also sit down start or SDS nbsp A sit startBouldering term for a route that must be started from a seated position on the ground with hands and feet on proscribed holds acronyms are SS sit start SDS sit down start or assis french concept invented by John Yablonski 65 skyhook nbsp Skyhook A metal hook inserted on a horizontal hold for protection in traditional climbing or in aid climbing slab A low angle significantly less than vertical rock face that requires slab climbing techniques 2 slab climbing A type of climbing on slabs that usually emphasizes balance footwork and smearing slack In lead climbing and in top rope climbing it is the amount of additional rope that the belayer has allowed slack increases the distance of any fall before the protection begins to hold the rope but is needed to reduce rope drag or aid 66 sling A closed loop of webbing 2 sloper nbsp Sloper hold A hold where the surface slopes down toward the ground with very little positive surface or lip 1 2 12 smearing To make use of friction on the sole of the climbing shoe in the absence of good footholds 1 2 12 snarg A type of tubular ice screw that is inserted by hammering with an ice hammer snow cave A temporary shelter constructed by digging out snow to form a cave snow fluke nbsp Snow fluke An angled aluminum plate attached to a cable or rope that is buried into the snow to create a deadman anchor solo climbing When the climber is alone with no second if also without protection is free solo climbing See rope solo climbing speed climbing A competition climbing discipline where competitors race in pairs up a standardized climbing wall 1 spinner In indoor climbing a hold that is not secure and spins in place when weight is applied splitter nbsp A splitter crack A crack with perfectly parallel sides often in an otherwise blank face sport climbing A style of lead climbing where the protection is via pre placed fixed bolts opposite of traditional climbing 3 Confusingly competition climbing which includes bolted lead climbing but also free solo bouldering and top roped speed climbing is sometimes called sport climbing 2 3 spotting People standing beneath a lead climber or bouldering climber ready to absorb the energy of a ground fall 2 sprag A type of hand position where the fingers and thumb are opposed in a tiny crack 2 spring loaded camming device Also SLCD A type of active protection device See cam 2 static rope A non elastic rope used for abseiling or jumaring as a fixed rope but not lead climbing Compare dynamic rope 2 26 stein pull A technique in mixed climbing and dry tooling where the ice axe is inverted and the blade wedged into a crack above the climber s head who then pulls down on the handle of the axe to gain upward momentum See also undercling pull 67 stemming nbsp Stemming Technique for climbing opposing corners by pushing in opposite directions with the feet and hands 1 2 12 11 step cutting Scooping steps out of snow or ice with the adze of an ice axe step kicking Scooping and stamping steps out of soft snow with the feet Sticht plate A belay device consisting of a flat plate with a pair of slots named after the inventor Fritz Sticht 2 stick clip nbsp Using a stick clip A long pole with a quickdraw that can be clipped into the first bolt of a route from the ground 1 stopper 1 A wedge shaped nut made by Black Diamond 2 A knot used to prevent the end of a rope from running through and detaching from a piece of gear 1 2 sure footedness Sure footedness is the ability when hiking or mountain climbing to negotiate difficult or rough terrain safely 68 T Edittat Term to describe pieces of webbing or cord left on a climb e g I found some old tat often as part of an irretrievable anchor point that was part of an abseil station 69 take Also take in The act of taking the slack out of a rope also a climbing command by a lead climber to the belayer 1 talus nbsp Talus rocks An area of large rock fragments on a mountainside where the rocks are stable and not loose like scree tape nbsp Applying tapeAlso climbing tape and second skin Adhesive tape that is wrapped around the fingers and hands to protect the skin particularly useful in crack climbing technical grade See grade testpiece A route that is representative of the hardest climbs in an area at a particular grade e g Action Directe for grade 9a tie in Also tying in To physically attach the harness to the climbing rope usually via a figure eight knot See clip in thread A runner created by threading a sling around a jammed block or through a hole in the rock 2 toe hook nbsp A toe hook Act of pressing the upper side of the toes under a hold to pull the climber inwards used on overhangs 1 12 topo The graphical representation drawing or photograph of a climbing route with the main obstacles marked top rope climbing nbsp Top roping Also top roping To belay from a fixed anchor point above the climb if the climber falls they just hang See hangdogging 2 1 3 top out To complete a route by ascending over the top of the climb to safety 2 torque pull A technique in mixed climbing and dry tooling where the ice axe is wedged into a crack and twisted to generate torque to aid upward momentum See also undercling pull and stein pull 67 tracking See feet follow traditional climbing nbsp Traditional climbing Also trad climbing or simply trad A style of lead climbing where protection is placed as the lead climber ascends opposite of sport climbing 2 3 trail rope Also haul line A big wall climbing technique where the lead climber carries an additional static rope in addition to their dynamic climbing rope that hangs or trails behind them as they ascend the trail rope enables the belayer to pass equipment to the leader during the ascent and for the leader to haul up equipment as the belayer ascends 20 55 traverse nbsp Traversing 1 A section of a route that requires progress in a horizontal direction 1 2 2 A Tyrolean traverse is crossing a chasm using a fixed rope anchored at both ends 3 A pendulum traverse is swinging across a wall suspended from a rope anchored above the climber 20 4 A tension traverse is a static version of a pendulum traverse where rope tension is used to control movement 20 tricam nbsp Tricam A simple camming protection device that has no moving parts e g it is passive protection tuberAlso tubular nbsp Tubers A type of belay device tufa nbsp Climbing on tufas 1 A limestone rib formation that protrudes from the wall which climbers can pinch grip 2 A plastic bolted on bouldering hold to replicate such a formation on an climbing wall twin ropes In lead climbing using two ropes that are even thinner than double ropes both of which need to be clipped in at each point of protection sometimes used in long alpine climbing routes with major abseiling descents 26 twist lock A climbing move where the hips twist perpendicular to the wall the inside arm is locked on an upper hold the outside arm holds the body against the wall and the feet press down to propel the body higher U EditUIAA Acronym for the international governance body for mountaineering and other types of climbing UIAA also regulates competition ice climbing 1 See also IFSC UIAA grade Also UIAA scale The UIAA grade system for rock climbing which goes VI VII VIII IX X XI to XII is less common than the French grade system or the American YDS grade system but still used in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe 6 UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty See Alpine grade 6 undercling Also undercut A downward hold which is gripped with the palm of the hand facing upwards 1 2 11 undercling pull After a stein pull is completed the undercling pull is a mixed climbing technique for continuing to use the hold to gain upward momentum by using the hold to pull into the rock requires a lot more energy than a stein pull 67 undercut See undercling V EditV grade Also Hueco scale A grading system for bouldering problems invented by John Sherman which goes V0 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 to V17 The V scale and the French font scale are the most common boulder grading systems in use worldwide 1 6 V thread Also Abalakov thread A type of abseiling point used especially in winter and in ice climbing verglas A thin coating of ice that forms over rocks when rainfall or melting snow freezes which is hard to climb on as there is insufficient depth for crampons to have penetration See also clear ice and glaze ice via ferrata Also Klettersteig nbsp Climbing a via ferrata An alpine route where protection is from permanent steel fixed ropes or chains with progression aided by artificial steel steps or ladders commonly found in the Dolomites See also lanyard and energy absorber volume hold nbsp Volume holds A large hollow bolted on hold for indoor climbing walls it may itself contain individual holdsW EditWI grade Also ice climbing grades Part of the ice climbing system for grading the technical difficulty of ice climbing routes which goes WI1 WI2 WI3 WI4 WI5 WI6 and up to WI13 4 See also M grade webbing nbsp Round webbing A 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 Any time a rope sustains the weight of the climber e g weighting the rope 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 nbsp Climber on a whipper A large fall by a lead climber as they were well beyond the last piece of protection See screamer 70 wire brushing Cleaning a rock climbing route with a wire brush before an attempt has ethical issues due to rock damage and possible chipping 2 wired See dialled 2 wires See nuts 2 X EditX A suffix used in the yosemite decimal system for highlighting traditional climbing routes that have poor or even no possibilities for protection where any fall could be fatal e g Indian Face and Gaia See R X and chop route Y Edityaniro French term for a figure four move which came from American climber Tony Yaniro fr s use of it on Chouca 8a 5 13c 71 yo yo A free climbing term pre redpointing where a falling lead climber returns to the ground to restart but leaves their rope clipped into the protection in redpointing the rope is pulled free from all protection before re starting the climb 2 Yosemite Decimal System American system for grading walks hikes and climbs the rock climbing 5 x goes 5 7 5 8 5 9 5 10a 5 10b 5 10c 5 10d 5 11a 5 14a 5 14b 5 14c 5 14d 5 15a etc and with the French grade system is the most widely used grading system worldwide for sport climbing 6 Z Editz clipping While lead climbing clipping into protection with a segment of rope from beneath the previous piece of protection resulting in rope drag 1 10 z pulley nbsp Z pulley system A system of rope anchors and pulleys is typically used to extricate a climber after falling into a crevasse zawn nbsp A zawn in Wales In Britain a deep narrow inlet in a sea cliff that is filled by the sea at high tide 2 zipper fall Also gear rip out A traditional climbing ground fall where all the protection gear fails in sequence i e opens like a zip 2 72 zone hold nbsp Zone hold In competition bouldering a hold roughly halfway up that counts towards scoring formerly up to 2017 bonus hold See also EditClimbing equipment Glossary of caving and speleology List of climbers and mountaineers Mountaineering The Freedom of the HillsReferences Edit a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu Climbing Staff 4 May 2022 What s A Redpoint And What Do Other Climbing Terms Mean Our Climbing Dictionary Has The Answers Climbing Retrieved 3 March 2023 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj ck cl cm cn co cp cq cr cs ct cu cv cw cx cy cz da db dc dd de df dg dh di dj dk dl dm dn do dp dq Bate Chris Arthur Charles et al 8 May 2006 A Glossary of Climbing terms from Abseil to Zawn UK Climbing Retrieved 29 April 2018 a b c d e f g h i Andrew Bisharat 6 October 2009 Sport Climbing From Toprope to Redpoint Techniques for 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