Lingo

"Biner: See "karabiner"
Ab, to: See "abseil"
Abseil Device: See "descender"
Abseil, to: Controlled descent of the rope using the friction generated by the belay device or descender.
Adze: The thin, arched blade used for cutting, at the other end from the pick on an ice axe head.
Aid Climbing: Climbing a route using deliberately placed artificial protection to aid the ascent.
Aid Route: A route that can only be climbed using aid-climbing techniques.
Aider: See "?trier"
Alcove: A belay ledge that is surrounded by vertical rock on all sides.
Alpine Butterfly: See "butterfly"
Anchor: The protection to which the belayer and his equipment are attached.
Anchor: A naturally occurring or specially constructed attachment point by which the climbers can secure themselves to the cliff. A set of anchors together is sometimes called "a Belay".
Anchored, to be: To be tied on to one or more anchor points and secured to the cliffs.
Angle: A steel piton folded lengthwise.
Approach: The route to reach the technical portions of a climb, often a lower graded climb.
Ar?te: A sharp ridge of rock or snow and ice, either vertical or horizontal.
Ascender: A mechanical sliding and braking device used to move up a rope.
ATC: "Air Traffic Controller", belay device made by Black Diamond.
Bail, to: To give up on a rock climb or summit attempt for reasons that range from the legitimate (weather, lateness, injury, fatigue) to the suspect (hunger, thirst, discomfort, job obligations, waiting wives, husbands or significant others).
Ball Nuts: Thin crack protection utilising a sliding ball and ramp construction.
Barn Door, to: To lose the foot and hand holds on one side of the body. Usually causes the climber to swing like a barn door.
Bathook: A small pointed hook that is set into a shallow drilled hole or on a small ledge. Bathooks are used in place of rivets, dowels and bolts for climbing blank sections of rock.
Belay: A safe stance consisting of an anchor, a rope, and a belayer.
Belay Betty and Belay Bob: The girl or boyfriend of an addictive rock climber.
Belay Device: Any mechanical device used for belaying or any device that the rope passes through and then linked to a karabiner, usually creating a series of bends and thus creating the friction needed for an effective belay.
Belay On! On belay!: When the belayer is ready to belay the climber up, he shouts, "Belay on!" (Climb when ready!);
Belay Slave: One who can be persuaded by any means (promises, deception, love, coercion) to stay on the ground and provide a safety belay for a procession of climbers.
Belay, to: Belaying is the term given to the paying in or out of rope through a belay device. The belay device acts as a one-way brake so that when used properly it can arrest the motion of the rope during a fall, but will allow the belayer control over the friction generated.
Belay, to: Belaying is the term given to the paying in or out of rope through a belay device. The belay device acts as a one-way brake so that when used properly it can arrest the motion of the rope during a fall, but will allow the belayer control over the friction generated.
Belayer: The person at the belay station securing the climber.
Belayer: The climber who belays the rope.
Below!: Used to warn for impending impact with objects coming from above, (e.g. falling rock).
Below!: Warning of impending doom.
Bent Gate Karabiner: Karabiner with the gate bent to accept the rope more easily.
Beta: The inside scoop on a route. The beta on a route will be a description ranging from the gear needed to the sequence of movements needed to ascend successfully.
Beta Flash: Leading a climb with no falling or dogging, but with a piece of previous knowledge hints on how to do those crux moves. Even seeing someone do the climb already classifies as "previous knowledge".
Big Wall: Rock climb that is so long and sustained that a normal ascent lasts several days.
Bivouac, Bivvy, Bivvi: The lightweight, waterproof, sleeping bag.
Bivouac, to: To spend an overnight in the open or in a snow hole on a mountain without a proper tent.
Bleausard: Someone who frequents "Bleau", or Fontainebleau.
Boiler Plate: A thin slab or flake of rock that usually doesn't offer much confidence in its strength.
Bolt: A bolt or screw permanently fixed into the rock to be used as protection.
Bolted Routes: A route that has been purposely protected by affixing anchors to the wall or rock, so that quickdraws can be clipped on easily and quickly to allow sport climbing without carrying a rack of protection.
Bomber or Bomb-Proof: The ultimate expression of security, as in a totally bombproof or solid anchor. Also used to describe brilliant placement of protection.
Bong: An almost extinct species of extra wide pitons. Now, large chocks are usually used instead.
Bootie, Booty: Gear that was left behind on a climb by the previous party.
Boulder, to: Climbing unroped on boulders or at the foot of climbs to a height where it is still safe to jump off.
Bounce, to: To fall from such a great height, that you bounce. Usually lethal.
Bowline: Sailing knot, (not to be used for climbing, unless backed up with a second knot).
Bucket: See Jug.
Builder, to: Bouldering on buildings!
Butterfly: Interesting but rarely used climbing knot.
Buttress: Where the ridge of a mountain ends abruptly, forming a large nose of rock.
Cam: A device featuring parts that rotate or wedge against one another that is used as a protection device in cracks or holes.
Camalot: Black Diamond's name for a camming device.
Campus: A dyno executed using the arms only. Comes from the campus board where the people who do this move get the muscle to do it.
Campus Board: A training board usually made of wood, with finger ledges used for increasing finger power and agility. They are hung at an angle of about 14 degrees. (They somewhat resemble the old washboards used for washing clothes by hand.) They are typically about the size of a half sheet of plywood.
Carabiner: See "karabiner"
Chalk: Powdered magnesium carbonate used by climbers to dry sweaty hands.
Cheese Grater, to: To slide down a slab while scraping the knees, hands, and face.
Chest Harness: Bra-like looking harness (to be used with waist harness)
Chickenhead: A protruding lump found in granite that provides excellent handholds or foot placements.
Chimney: A crack or fissure in the rock wide enough to wedge a climber's body inside. Using opposition between upper and lower body, hands and legs, the climber makes his or her way up.
Chimney, to: A climbing technique used to conquer chimneys. Usually requires the use of the back and feet, arms, head and other body parts.
Chipped Hold: A hold created with a hammer and chisel by a moron incapable of doing the climb as it is.
Chock, Chock stones: Stones found wedged in a crack or placed there specially to support a running belay, or belay. Also used to refer to manufactured wedges, stoppers and nuts.
Choss: The dirt and vegetation found in cracks.
Chute: A very steep gully. The word chute is French for fall and refers to the rock fall that is very common in a chute.
Cirque: The French translation of corrie.
Class: A number designating the overall technical level of a route in the YDS system.
Clean: Climbing without falling or dogging.
Clean: Aid climbing without hammering.
Clean, to: To remove the protection from a route. Usually done by the second.
Cleaning Tool: See "nut key"
Cliffhanger: A small hooking device used to aid climb up small ledges and pockets.
Climb When Ready!: A call from the belayer to the climber that they are ready to start belaying.
Climbing Roped: When climbers rope together on treacherous or difficult ground for safety, and can either all move together or move one at a time, so that one member of the team is constantly belayed.
Climbing Shoes: Light, tight shoes designed to grip the rock. Made in a variety of styles for different types of climbing.
Climbing Wall: Where you head on rainy Tuesday nights!
Climbing!: What the climber shouts after the belayer shouts, "Climb when ready!"
Climbing!: Climber informing the belayer they are starting to climb.
Clip, to: The reassuring action of putting your rope into a karabiner or quickdraw to protect yourself.
Clove Hitch: A useful, easily adjustable climbing knot usually used to tie the rope into a karabiner. A figure of eight knot used to tie off a line.
Col: A steep, high mountain pass.
Coombe: See "cwm"
Copperhead: A malleable chunk of metal (once made of copper, but now often aluminium), swaged (attached) to a flexible wire loop that can be hammered into small depressions in the rock for protection in aid climbing.
Cord: Thin static rope (5, 5.5 or 6 mm.)
Corner: The shape made by two faces of the rock meeting at an acute angle. Interesting to climb.
Corrie, Coire: A deep and steep-walled basin enclosed by ridges on a mountain usually forming the blunt end of a valley.
Couloir: An open, steep gully, usually containing ice or snow.
Crab: See "karabiner"
Crack: A gap or fissure in the rock varying in width from nail to body width.
Crack Climb, to: A special set of moves used to lodge or wedge a climber's body, hands or feet in cracks in the rock. El Capitan in Yosemite features many off-width cracks requiring the placement of protection when ascending.
Crag, Craig: An outcrop of rock.
Crampons: Attachments for the underside of mountain boots with sharp points to aid grip on hard snow and ice. The "front points" face forward and are used to aid climbing.
Crank, to: To pull on a hold with maximum force.
Crater, to: Climber's wry description of a horrendous fall in which a climber lands on the ground or other solid surface, forming a crater from the impact.
Crest: The very top of a ridge or ar?te.
Crimp: A very small hold that accepts only the finger tips.
Crimp, to: To hold on to fingertip-width holds by crimping, (bending) the fingers and putting weight only on the fingertip.
Crux: The most difficult move or section of a pitch or route.
Cwm: The Welsh translation of corrie.
Daisy Chain: A nylon sling sewn into loops. Also used to provide supplemental security at belay stations.
Dead Hang: To hang from a handhold with arms straight so the skeleton rather than arm muscles support body weight. Allows a climber to recover.
Dead Point: A dynamic move where the next hold is grabbed at the very top of the motion (if you lunge upwards, that is just before you start falling again). By grabbing a hold in its "dead point", you place the smallest possible loads on the holds.
Decimal System: The American system used for rating the difficulty of route or pitch.
Descender: Device used for abseiling.
Dihedral: See "corner"
Direttissima: The most direct natural line up the rock.
Dog, to: See "hang dogging"
Double Fisherman"s Knot: Solid knot used to tie two ropes or pieces of webbing together, (Aka grapevine knot).
Double rope: The technique for using two half ropes.
Down Climb, to: To descend a mountain or a rock face without weighting a rope. Often accomplished without protection, and hence potentially the most dangerous part of a climb.
Dynamic Belay: A belay method in which some rope is allowed to slip during severe falls. A dynamic belay can severely reduce the impact force from a serious fall, but can also severely kill you if not done properly.
Dyno: Short for "dynamic." A gymnastic upward leap for a distant hold.
Edge: A sharp edge on a rock face.
Edging: Foot placement technique where one uses the edge of the climbing shoe to stand on small footholds. The opposite of smearing.
Elvis, to: The nervous twitching of your legs when half-seated. Normally happens after pumping out on a route. Named after "Elvis, the King," who suffered from this problem when singing before a crowd of screaming women.
Enchainment: The act of stringing together two or more hard routes as a single enterprise. Made possible by accelerating the descents in between climbs - by skiing, for example, or by paragliding to the base.
Epic: The story of a well-planned climb that turned into a gruelling adventure that turned out well in the end. As these stories are told over and over again - and they always are - the details get stretched to supernatural proportions for dramatic effect.
Etriers: Portable "step ladders" usually made of nylon webbing clipped into protection and used to progress upward on steep, featureless rock in aid climbing.
Exposure: The sensation felt when you suddenly realise that there is nothing around you. Does not necessarily make a climb more difficult but it can add to the perceived difficulty, making some people rate the Adjectival grade of a climb more severe.
Face: Any near vertical part of the mountain. Usually featureless. Great for climbing!
Face Climbing: Ascending rock that is predominantly made up of finger pockets and thin edges.
Fall factor: The length of a fall divided by the amount of rope paid out.
Fall, to: A dynamic retreat from a climb (free solo abseil). Note that it is never the fall that kills; it's the landing.
Falling!: Yelled when a climber is (about to) fall.
Feet: Footholds on a route.
Fifi Hook: The fifi hook is attached to the climber's harness and serves as an emergency or temporary method of clipping in to a piece of gear.
Figure of Eight: A light, metal abseiling and belaying device shaped like the number eight. Figure eights can be used in a number of ways, depending on how you tie them in with the rope.
Figure of eight: The basic climber's knot. When retraced, it is used to attach a climber's harness to the rope.
Finger Lock: A crack climbing technique wherein the fingers are wedged (often painfully) into a crack for purchase on the rock.
Fisherman"s Knot: Simple knot to tie two ropes together. The double fisherman knot, however, is more popular.
Fist Jam: Similar to a finger lock except that the entire fist is wedged into a crack.
Fixed Protection: Any type of protection that may be found on a climb, left over from previous attempts. Use at your own risk.
Fixed Rope: A rope anchored to a route by the lead climber and left in place for all who follow. May also be left by an unknown climber for an unknown length of time. Used to ascend and descend the route when the climbers want to sleep on the ground or are shuttling gear up.
Flail, to: To become very unsure and sketchy. When the flailing goes into frantic grabbing for holds, a fall is not far away.
Flake: A thin slab of rock attached to the main wall or lying against it. Flakes can vary from slim outcrops appropriate for finger and footholds to big slabs requiring a whole multi-pitch route.
Flapper: A piece of skin torn off your hand that creates a bloody wound. Usually happened when holding on too hard when gravity is winning.
Flared: A crack or chimney with sides that are not parallel, but instead form two converging planes of rock.
Flash, to: To lead a climb with no falls or dogging and with no previous attempts on the climb. Two variations exist; the on sight flash (where the climber has never seen the climb before) and the beta flash (where the climber has studied the climb before or has seen someone do the climb).
Flute: A usually insecure fin or flake of rock.
Follow, to: See Second.
Fontainebleau: Bouldering site near Paris, offering some fantastic climbing.
Free Climbing: To climb using hands, feet or body parts only. In free climbing, the rope is only used for safety and not as a means to move up or rest.
Free Solo: Free climbing while using no ropes for protection. You fall - you die.
Friend: A trade name for camming devices, though it is often used more generically.
Gate: The part of the karabiner that opens.
Gear: Term used to denote anything used by a climber, (Karabiners, rope, slings, protection, beer...)
Gendarme: A sharp pinnacle of rock on a ridge.
Gerry Rail: A hold large enough for the most senior climbers.
Gobies: Flesh wounds on the hands resulting in ugly scabbing, generally incurred during crack climbing.
Grade: The grade of a climb denotes its seriousness, technical difficulty and occasionally the availability of protection. There are many systems in use around the world.
Grapevine knot: See "fisherman's knot"
Grease, to: Not being able to hold on to a particularly slick hold, due to the presence of sweat, lactic acid or sand. Not uncommon in overused crags.
GriGri: Trade name for a belaying device with an "automatic" braking system.
Gritstone: ?
Grounder: A fall where the kinetic energy is not absorbed by the rope and pro, but rather by mother earth itself. Can hurt badly.
Half rope: A rope used together with a second rope when leading a climb.
Hand Jam: A technique of wedging a hand in a crack in order to use it as a hold.
Hand Traverse: Climbing laterally on rock where there are no footholds.
Handle: Big banana-shaped hold often found in indoor walls. Great for waving hello to admiring bystanders. It may sound bizarre, but I've never seen one of those outdoors?
Hang Dog, to: Resting on the rope and protective gear while climbing a sport route.
Hanging Belay: A generally uncomfortable belay stance on steep rock where there is no place to stand.
Harness: Climbing harnesses are constructed of various types of webbing (fitting around the legs and waist) and are designed to distribute the force generated on the climber's body in the event of a fall. They also provide a repository for gear.
Haul bag: Large and robust bag used to haul food, water, climbing gear, sleeping bag, television, satellite dish, and other essential equipment that is required, up a big wall.
Headwall: Where the face of a mountain steepens dramatically.
Helmet: Like a cross between a bicycle helmet and a hard-hat, a climbing helmet is designed to protect the head from falling rock and debris, falling climbers, and inverted falls (not recommended). Can be worn with or without a headlamp for night or cave climbing. When searching for a climbing helmet, you want to consider weight, comfort, fit and ventilation. It's a good idea to try on a climbing helmet both with and without a hat, since you may wish to use it both ways, depending on circumstances. Climbing helmets are usually secured to your head with either foam, or webbing. UIAA ratings are given to helmets that meet ventilation and materials standards. The UIAA ratings are not based on strength or fitness for a particular purpose.
Hex: See Hexentric
Hexcentric: An eccentrically and hexagonally shaped nut attached to a flexible looped wire, which is inserted into a rock crack as protection.
HMS: Karabiner with one wide side used for belaying with a munter hitch (aka pearabiner). From the German term for munter hitch belay: "Halbmastwurfsicherung".
Hold: Anything that can be held on to.
Hold!: Shouted when the climber is about to drop like an elephant from a needle.
Hooks: Small metal devices used to grip tiny ledges or small holes as very precarious protection.
Horn: Spike of rock that can be a great hold or not so great protection. The same as a chickenhead.
Hueco: A beautifully shaped pocket with a positive lip named after these incredible features found at the Hueco Tanks bouldering area in Texas.
Hueco: Grading system originating in Hueco, Texas.
Ice Axe: Device used for ice climbing, glacier crossing, or scaring away burglars.
Incut: A hold or depression indented in the wall of a climbing route.
Italian Hitch: See Munter Hitch
Jam Crack: A crack that is wide enough to accommodate a hand, fist, arm, foot, or elbow (or combination thereof).
Jam, to: Wedging body parts in a crack.
Jug Hold: A handhold so luxuriantly secure that it can be grasped like a jug handle.
Jug, to: To ascend a fixed rope on a big wall climb.
Jumar: Trade name for a mechanical sliding/braking device used to ascend a rope.
Jumar, to: To ascend a rope using ascenders.
Karabiner: An aluminium ring with a spring loaded gate. Used to connect the climber's equipment and protection to a rope. Karabiners come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some have lockable gates by means of a screw. Tested to withstand a force of up to 2 tonnes (about 2 constipated elephants).
Kernmantle Rope: Modern climbing rope consisting of bundles of continuous nylon filaments (Kern) surrounded by a braided protective sheath (Mantle).
Knifeblade: Long thin piton used to fit into cracks too narrow for even the tiniest of nuts.
Knotted Cord: Piece of cord with a knot tied into the end that is used for protection (pretty much like a nut). The traditional method of protecting climbs, and still used in the Elbsandsteingebirge in Eastern Germany.
Krab: See "karabiner"
Largo: A climb or bouldering problem where the first move starts with a jump for high holds. Named after John Long (or "Largo');.
Layback: A climbing technique, usually used in a crack with offset edges, where the feet push against one surface while the hands and arms pull in the opposite direction against another surface.
Lead, to: To be the first climber up a pitch, placing protection in the rock along the way while being belayed by a partner from below.
Leader: Person who leads a climb.
Ledge: Flat bit on a rock, (can be miniature or gigantic).
Limestone: Type of rock found in abundance in southern France (usually white and full of pockets and holds).
Lock-off, to: To hold on to the rock with one bent arm while using the other arm to reach up for the next hold or to place or clip protection. Lock-offs on small holds will get you pumped in a hurry.
Locking Karabiner: A karabiner whose gate can be screwed or locked tight for increased security.
Lost Arrow: Very thin piton.
Lower, to: Being lowered to the ground by a belayer.
Lowering: To descend something or somebody.
M.I.A.: Mountaineering Instructors Association.
Manky: Term used to describe any protection found on a route that is in a less than desirable state. Use at your own discretion.
Mantle, Mantelshelf: A climbing move from a face onto a narrow ledge.
Match, to: To grasp a hold with both hands, or to place the feet side by side on the rock.
Mixed Climbing: Climbing with a combination rock and ice climbing methods.
Multi-Pitch Climb: A climb that is longer than a single rope length, necessitating the setting of anchors at progressively higher belay stations as the climbers ascend.
Munter Hitch: A belay knot through which the rope slides when pulled in one direction and brakes when pulled in the other.
Nailing a Route: A descriptive term that refers to aid climbing with pitons, which are hammered into a wall"s cracks to provide protection.
Needle: Rock with a characteristic pointed shape. Also known as pinnacle, aiguille, gendarme, etc.
Notch: A small col.
Nubbin: A small rock protrusion, often a crystal that can be utilized as a hold.
Nut Key: The tool used to extract protection placed on a route, when they need more than a polite request to detach.
Nuts: Originally nuts with the thread drilled out, but progressed to alloy wedges. Used in cracks to support belays.
Off Belay!: Yelled when the climber no longer requires a belay (e.g. because she/he has reached a stance). Once the belayer hears "off belay!" he/she removes the rope from the belay device and yells "safe" or "belay off!"
Off Belay!: Belayer to climber to inform the leader that they are no longer on belay.
Off-Width: A crack, dreaded by most rational climbers, that is too wide for a hand or fist jam and too narrow to chimney. Generally awkward and strenuous to climb, and difficult to protect.
OK!: Acknowledgement that the person is about to start climbing.
On Belay!: Leader to second to let them know it is safe for them to start climbing. Commonly used in England, also - "Climb when ready".
On Belay?: Ritual query from a climber to verify that his or her belayer is ready to belay the climber.
On-Sight, On-Sight Flash: Leading a climb with no falls and no dogging on the first attempt without any prior knowledge, (beta) of its features or difficulties.
Open Book: See "corner"
Outside Corner: See "ar?te"
Over-Cam, to: Compressing a cam to its absolute minimum size during placement, effectively eliminating the possibility of extraction.
Over-Kilned: A boiler plate or flaky rock.
Overhand Knot: A simple, (but solid) knot in a double rope.
Overhang: Rock that is angled beyond vertical.
Party Ledge: A somewhat larger ledge used to rest, (and party!) during a particularly hard or long climb. Sometimes used to refer to the belay station on a multi-pitch climb.
Pecker: A thin piton resembling a bird"s beak.
Peg: See "piton"
Pendulum, to: A swing on the rope, either intentional to gain a distant anchor on big wall climbs or unintentional when falling during a traverse with not enough protection in place.
Pig: See "haul bag"
Pillar: When a column of rock is found superimposed on a face. Otherwise, two ar?tes, side by side.
Pimp, to: To do a short semi-dynamic lunge for a hold. It"s not quite a dynamic move, but it's also not quite static. It's the happy medium.
Pink Point: To red point a climb where the protection and runners have been pre-placed.
Pitch: A section of a climbing route. Pitches are rated individually and can vary in difficulty. A pitch is usually half the length of the standard rope.
Pitch: The distance between stances. (Also described as one rope length, approx. 50m).
Piton: Metal spike hammered into a crack.
Plastic: The term used for indoor climbing on artificial climbing walls.
Pocket: A hole formed by a depression in the rock. Usually measured by the number of fingers that can be crammed in it.
Portaledge: A lightweight device consisting of stretched nylon over a metal frame that can be hung from a vertical rock face to provide a place to rest/sleep on big wall climbs.
Pro: See "protection"
Protection: The number and quality of running belays employed to make a pitch safer and psychologically easier to handle.
Protection: Any anchor (such as a nut, chock, camming device, piton or stopper) used during a climb to prevent a fall.
Protection: Refers to the equipment used to provide safety for a climber. There is a large variety in the shapes and sizes of protective equipment. This equipment is used in cracks and fissures that occur naturally in the rock.
Prusik: The name given to the configuration of the cord during Prusiking.
Prusik, to: A technique for climbing rope. Prusik knots were invented by Karl Prusik many years ago and can slide freely when unweighted but won"t slip when weight is applied to it. The term is now used to describe rope climbing with ascenders.
Pulley: A mechanical device for smoothly feeding a rope, or used to increase a climber"s mechanical advantage. A careful combination of pulleys makes it possible for a small amount of force to lift a large body.
Pumped: A condition of severely depleted strength and lactic acid burn caused by overworking the forearm muscles while climbing.
Pumpy: Describes a climb that will leave you pumped.
Quickdraw: Short sling with karabiners on either side.
R.D.S.: Rapid Deceleration Syndrome. Military term for the very sudden illness that happens at the end of a long fall.
Rack: The collection of protective devices, key rings, kitchen sinks and good-luck charms that a climber carries on a route, attached to harness loops or on a sling slung across the shoulders.
Rack, to: To sort the rack before engaging on the next climb or pitch.
Ramp: An ascending ledge.
Rappel Device: See "descender"
Rappel, to: See "abseil"
Rating: A number denoting the technical difficulty of a climb.
Red Point, to: To lead a climb without falling or dogging after a number of attempts. This is different from on sight, where the climb is lead without falling or dogging on its first attempt.
Resident Protection: Fixed protection such as bolts.
Resin: An alternative to chalk. Resin (or "pine tree resin" to use its full name) is made from the yucky stuff that sticks to your hands when you touch a pine tree. Because resin is mostly colourless, it is preferred to chalk in some areas. But caution: don"t let the colour fool you. Resin can do permanent damage to the rock and in fact is banned in many places for that reason.
Rib: A slender buttress. Something between a buttress and an ar?te.
Ridge: The line of a mountain extending out from the summit.
Rime: A thin crust of icy snow that accumulates on the surface of rocks.
Ring: A large (2 inch diameter) ring that is cemented in the rock as a bolt. Rings are very common in Germany and France and are excellent for abseiling and hanging belays.
Rivet: A short metal stud that is tapped into a drilled hole and connected to a short sling or hanger. Rivets are used as protection on aid routes and hold the body weight of a climber, even in very shallow holes.
Rock!: Scream let out to warn people down below that a piece of rock has been overcome by gravity. The loudness, number of repetitions, and/or panic in voice with which this word is uttered is often an indication of the seriousness of the rock.
Roof: A section of a climb that is so overhung that it forms a (more or less) horizontal plane.
Rope: The rope is the single most important piece of equipment for aid climbing and should be selected with care and attention. A rope must be retired after a certain number of hours of use, or after several falls, depending on the length and weight of the fall. Climbing ropes are typically constructed from nylon with a certain amount of elasticity (called a dynamic rope). Ropes with less elasticity are called static ropes and are used in situations where falls are unlikely (like on climbing walls), or where fixed lines are being used. The sizes of ropes varies, but their diameter is typically around 10 or 11 mm. Thinner ropes are known as half ropes or double ropes (because they are generally used in pairs). A length of 50 meters is common. Take good care of your ropes, and never trust your life to one for which you do not have information about its previous history, or suitability for a particular type of climbing. See General Rope Info for more details.
Rope!: When the climber would like the belayer to pay out more rope.
Rotten Rock: Unreliable rock which has a tendency to break off under a climber"s weight.
Route: A certain path up a rock or mountain.
RP: The original brass nut or wedge; a small and effective form of protection for clean aid.
Runner: See Sling.
Runner: See "running belay"
Runner: Points of intermediate protection through which the climbing rope is run to limit any falls.
Running Belay: An intermediate anchor point located between the lead climber and the main belay, when the climbing rope runs through a karabiner attached to this anchor. This reduces the distance a lead climber would fall insuring more security and protection.
Runout: Distance between two elements of protection. A route is "runout" when the distance between those two elements of protection becomes uncomfortably long.
S.P.A.: Single Pitch Award.
Saddle: A high pass that looks somewhat like the horse wear. Not quite as steep as a col.
Safe!: Shouted out when the climber no longer needs the belayer, such as reaching the top of the pitch.
Safe!: When the leader has reached the belay stance at the top of a route and is anchored to the cliff. This indicates to the belayer that it is now safe to take the leader off belay. "Taking in" is sometimes used.
Sandstone: ?
Scrambling: Easy climbing, usually unroped.
Screamer: A very, very long fall.
Screamer: Special piece of equipment meant to reduce the impact of a screamer on the belay system.
Scree: Loose rocks and stones that cover the slope below a cliff. With every step, scree slides under your feet. Great fun!
Screwgate: A type of locking karabiner that can be locked off with a threaded barrel over the gate.
Scumming, Scuzzing: To gain purchase on the rock with body parts other than the hands or feet, however tenuous or aesthetically displeasing.
Second: The climber who follows a lead up a pitch, belaying from below while the lead advances, then ascending to the end of the pitch.
Second, to: To gain purchase on the rock with body parts other than the hands or feet, however tenuous or aesthetically displeasing.
Sewn-up: When so much gear is on a trad route that it looks like it has been sewn shut.
Sharp end: The end of the rope to which the leader is attached.
Short Roping: Technique where both climbers are tied close together into the middle of the rope. The rest of the rope is then carried over the shoulders in a coil.
Short Roping: Belaying technique where the belayer keeps the leader under tension in an attempt reduce the length of a fall.
Side Pull: A handhold that needs to be held with a horizontal, (sideways) pull.
Sit Start: To start a bouldering problem from a sitting position.
Sketch Pad: A cushion used for bouldering.
Skyhook: A particular type of hook used for aid climbing.
Slab: Flat and seemingly featureless, not quite vertical piece of rock.
Slab Climbing: Climbing a slab of rock that lacks large handholds by holding the body out from the rock and using friction and balance to move around and up the slab.
Slack!: Yelled when the climber needs more rope, (e.g. to clip into protection).
SLCD"s: Spring-loaded camming devices, such as Friends or Camalots.
Sling: A length of nylon webbing which is either sewn or tied into a loop and is used in conjunction with the rope and anchors to provide protection.
Slingshot: See "top roping"
Sloper: An extremely aggravating hold that slopes downward and can be very difficult to grasp, particularly when you dyno toward it thinking that it will be a huge bucket.
Smearing: A climbing move that uses the friction of a climber"s soft rubber shoe against smooth footholds on unbroken rock face. Smearing is not as precise as edging but is necessary on certain terrain.
Snaplink: See "karabiner"
Solo: Climbing alone, without the protection of a rope.
Sport Climbing: Climbing routes that often require significant gymnastic and athletic ability, but that do not require extensive training in the placement of protection. Sport routes usually have closely spaced bolts that a leader may clip so that she can concentrate on completing the difficult moves rather than securing herself against a potential fall.
Spur: Sloping ridge on a mountain that usually ends in a buttress.
Stack: To place the rope in an orderly pile such that the end tied to the leader is on top. This helps to keep the rope free of knots and kinks so that it will feed smoothly.
Stance: The location where a climber makes his belay, typically somewhere comfortable to stand or sit and take in the view?
Static Rope: Special climbing rope that does not stretch used as a fixed rope for ascending and abseiling.
Stem: A position on the rock where both legs are spread wide apart between two holds.
Sticht Plate: A belay device consisting of a plate with two slots in it. Named after Franz Sticht.
Stopper: A trapezoidal metal wedge of varying size attached to a loop of flexible wire that is fitted into cracks and depressions in the rock to provide protection for an ascending climber.
Take In!: Climber to belayer to ask them to take up any slack in the rope.
Taking In!: Heard often in British crags, meaning the climber is off belay and about to pull up the slack between him and the belayer.
Talus: Large blocks of rock. A coarse variation of scree.
Tape knot: A threaded overhand knot used in tape or webbing.
Tension traverse: Climbing sideways with the aid of a rope.
Tension!: Yelled out to the belayer to make sure he really takes in the slack. Usually "tension!" is used by a climber who is ready to pop off. The progression of severity usually goes "up rope!" "tight rope!" "tension!"
That"s me!: Part of the climbing dialogue. Courtesy call to the belayer to indicate that the slack in the rope is all taken up and that further pulling is pointless.
Threaded Overhand: Solid but not fail proof knot also known as a water knot, tape knot or ring bend when used on webbing.
Thrutchy: Requiring a whole lot of strength, (and enthusiasm in a way).
Tick Marks: Little smears of chalk used to locate holds when bouldering.
Tie in, to: The attachment of a rope to the climber"s harness.
Tight Rope!: Or just "Tight!" Urgent request to the belayer to take the slack out of the system. Somewhat stronger than "up rope!"
Toe: The bottom of a buttress.
Top Out, to: Completing the very last pitch of a route. Cause for celebration!
Top Rope: A climbing rope that is anchored from above.
Top Rope, to: System of climbing where the climber is always protected by the belayer from above, either anchored from above, or doubling back and belayed from below, beside the starting point of the climb, (sometimes Bottom Roping).
Topo: See "topographic chart"
Topographic Chart: A short drawing of a route. Good topo"s will allow you to spot the line right away, show the placement of protection and belay stances, indicate where the crux is and what grade it has.
Toucan: A thin piton resembling a bird"s beak.
Trad: See "traditional climbing"
Trad Fall: A fall during a trad climb, sometimes accompanied by the popping sound of protection succumbing to the temptations of gravity. See also "crater" and "screamer".
Traditional Climbing: Climbing characterized by the placing of protection, (cams, nuts, etc.) in cracks and pockets. Trad also includes multi-pitch routes often with long runouts.
Traverse: Horizontal climb.
Tunnel: A tunnel through or hourglass shape in the rock that allows a runner or cord to be fed through for protection.
Twistlock: A locking karabiner where the gate is locked with a spring-loaded barrel.
Undercling: A hold that would be a perfect bucket if gravity were upside down. As it is, underclings are usually awkward holds that require layback type moves.
Up Rope!: Yelled by the climber when she/he wants a tighter belay.
Verglas: A thin coating of ice on rock that makes for extremely dicey climbing conditions.
Watch me!: Call to indicate the climber is about to do something stupid - like fall!
Water Knot: See "tape knot"
Webbing: A flat strip of very strong nylon, some of which are hollow, that comes in various widths. It is tied in loops to create slings and runners.
Weighting: The delicate placing of weight on a piece of protection to test it after placing.
Whipper: A particularly long or sudden fall where the climber takes a violently quick descent to the end of the rope and is snapped back like a whip.
Y.D.S.: Yosemite Decimal System. The North-American grading system.
Yabo Start: A sit start. Named after John Yablonski - a southern California climber, who was nicknamed Yabo.
Yard, to: To pull on a piece of protection. Strictly speaking aid climbing.
Z-Pulley System: Complicated rope setup that allows you to hoist heavy weights with relatively little force. Excellent for rescuing or hauling bags.
Zawn: A deep and narrow fold or inlet in a sea cliff.
Zipper: A fall where the protection pulls out one after the other as the leader succumbs to gravity, making a pleasant unzipping sound.