A
Abseil – To descend a rope by sliding down it using a device such as a figure of 8 or belay device. Can also be done by wrapping the rope around your body to form a classic abseil. Often used as a method of entry into difficult climbing areas such as zawns and as an activity for outdoor centres.
Adze – The flat cutting end of the head of an ice axe
Aid Climbing – The method of climbing up the rock using items of protection to make progress. The protection could be either fixed or places by the climber
Aid Route – A route which can only be climbed using aid climbing techniques
Alcove – A belay ledge that is surrounded on all sides by rock. Sometimes known as a sentry box.
Alpine Start – Getting up early to start a route. This technique is employed by Alpine climbers to get the best of the snow and ice conditions and make the most of light on the route during short winter days.
Alpine Butterfly – A butterfly knot allows a three way pull on the rope.
AMS – Acute Mountain Sickness
Anchor – The point where the rope is attached to the rock. This could be via placed or fixed protection.
Angel dive – a foreword abseil
Arête – A narrow ridge running vertically up the rock
Armchair – the place to talk about climbing and epics
Ascenders – Devices used to ascend a rope e.g. prusik loop or jumar
ATC – Air Traffic Controller belay device made by Black Diamond
Avalanche – Movement of snow and ice down the mountain.
B
Back & foot – A technique for climbing chimneys. place you back against one wall of the chimney and push your feet out against the other wall.
Barn Door – To swing away from the rock when all the holds are to one side of your body. Very common when climbing arête’s.
Ball lock – a type of locking karabiner where the gate is secured with a sleeve operated with a ball button.
Belay – The place where you attach yourself to the rock. This can either be during a pitch where an item of protection becomes a running belay or at the top of a pitch where you use multiple pieces of protection to generate a solid anchor.
“Belay, On” – The act of protecting another climber by preventing the rope slipping during a fall. Usually through the use of a belay device
Belay Device – An item of equipment used to control the rope and provide friction while belaying. Examples include the gri-gri, sticht plate, ATC and Reverso
“Below” – Shouted to alert others when an object is dropped from the cliff such as a piece of equipment or loose rock
Bent Gate Karabiner – A karabiner where the gate is bent to make it easier to clip a rope. Usually found on one end of a quickdraw
Bergschrund – The crevasse at the top of a glacier or snowfield where it joins onto the rock or snowfield of the mountain side.
Beta – Inside information about a climb e.g. trick moves or protection
Beta Flash – To lead a climb with no falls but with the benefit of some information from a previous ascent.
Big Wall – A climb that is so long that it may take several days such as on Baffin Island or Yosmite
Biner – American nickname for a karabiner you have to hate this..
Bivouac – A sleeping place on a route. Could be a large comfortable ledge. Or a cold uncomfortable night hanging from a stance.
Bivi – Short for Bivouac
Black Ice – Old ice that has been exposed to extremely cold temperatures
Blue Ice – Very dense ice with few bubbles and a watery hue
Bluff – A cliff with a broad face
Body Belay – To perform a belay by wrapping the rope around the body.
Bold – Guidebook speak – usually referring to routes that have little or no protection
Bolt - Type or permanent protection common on the continent. Generally only used in the UK on sports routes.
Bomber – A solid piece of protection that you can hang your granny off
Bombproof – The assumption that an anchor is bomber
Bong – An extra wide piton. Rarely seen
Bouldering – An increasingly popular element of the sport, where the individual climbs un-roped on boulders at the bottom of crags. Usually to a height that is safe to jump off unless highballing.
Bouldering Mat – A crash mat placed at the bottom of bouldering routes to protect the climbers fall
Bowline – A type of knot used by some climbers to tie into their harness. Has similar uses to a figure of eight and is easier to untie after loading. It is however a lot easier to tie incorrectly
Break – A horizontal crack in the rock
Bridge – To climb a wide chimney or groove by applying equal pressure with feet and hands on opposite sides of the rock feature
Bucket – A huge hold that the whole hand can grasp also known as a jug.
Bulge – A protrusion =, bulge in the rock!
Buttress – A large protruding face or area of rock that stands away from the mountain face.
C
Cam – Generic term for a spring loaded camming device (SLCD). Examples include Wild Country Technical Friends or Black Diamond Camalots
Camalot – designed by Black Diamond these SLCD have a large camming range due to twin cams.
Camming – Method by which Friends and Hexes grip the rock. As weight is applied then an outward pressure is generated by the device which grips the rock. This is usually generated by rotation of all or part of the Hex, Friend, Torque nut or Tri-cam.
Campus Board – A wooden training board found at climbing walls to improve finger strength.
Carabineer – American spelling for a karabiner
Car Cape – A sign of an individuals act of bravery, mounted to the rear of a car.
Chalk – Used by many climbers to improve the friction between the hands and the rock or wall.
Chest Harness – Extension to waist harness to provide a higher tie in point. Useful when wanting to avoid inverting in a fall. An example of this would be glacier travel when wearing a rucksack, where a fall into a crevasse could result in the rucksack turning you upside down. Something which is less than desirable!
Chimney – A wide crack which a climber can fit inside. Requires special climbing techniques such as bridging or back and foot.
Chock stone – A stone wedged into a crack. Can be any size from a small pebble to a huge boulder in a chimney.
Choss – Loose scary rock often found on the north coast of Devon.
Chute – A very steep gully. A very common site for rock falls so beware!
Cirque – French for corrie
Classic Abseil – An abseil performed without a descender by wrapping the rope around the body to cause friction. Only used as a last resort as can be very uncomfortable!
Clean – To climb a traditional route without falling or an aid route without the use of a hammer or To remove protection, loose rock or plant life from a route to make it easier or safer to climb
Cliff – A vertical section of rock
Clip – The action of attaching the rope to a piece of protection, usually through a quickdraw or karabiner.
‘Climb when ready’ – a term used to inform climbing partner that they are ready to climb
Clove Hitch – An easily adjustable knot. Useful for attaching the rope to a karabiner
Col – A pass high in the mountains
Cord – Thin static rope (less than 7mm diameter). Often used to make prusik loops
Corner – The opposite to an arête, similar in appearance to the inside of the spine of an open book.
Corrie – A dead end valley situated high on the mountain side. Usually has steep sides and attracts and holds snow during the winter
Coulior – A steep gully which could contain snow or ice. A very common place for stone fall in the Alps.
Crack – A split or fissure in the rock. Horizontal versions are commonly referred to as breaks. Wide cracks are otherwise known as chimneys or off widths
Crag – An outcrop of rock on which climbing takes place.
Crampons – attach to boots to allow an individual to walk or climb ice attachments vary from straps to ratchet systems.
Crank – To pull on a hold as hard as possible
Crest – The top of a ridge or arête
Crevasse – A crack within a glacier. Can be near or on the surface and as such a danger to climbers. Can range from a few inches to tens of metres deep!
Crimp – A very small hold
Crux – The hardest move on a route. Usually described by the technical grade on a UK traditional climb
Cwm – Welsh spelling for corrie
D
Daisy Chain – A sling with a series of loops that can be used to easily adjust its length. Often used in aid climbing
Death Knot – the American term for joining two ropes with an overhand knot, pa what do the yanks know!
Deep Water Soloing (DWS) – Climbing a cliff route above the sea without placing protection or the use of the top rope. The deep water beneath the cliff provides the protection with the climber landing in the water if they fall.
Disco Leg – The jittery leg that comes about when a climber becomes nervous. Also know as Elvis or Sewing Machine
Descender – A device used to provide friction on the rope during an abseil. Examples are a belay plate and figure eight device
Double Fisherman’s Knot – A knot used to join 2 ropes together. The knot is secured by the opposing forces of the two ropes pulling against each other. Also used for tying the two end so of a piece of cord together to form a prusik loop
Double Rope – Used as a pair with the rope clipped into alternate pieces of protection. Thinner than a single rope so more prone to damage from sharp edges. Useful in reducing rope drag on UK routes with one rope clipped to left hand items of protection and the other to the right hand ones.
Down climbing – The process of climbing down the rock face. A useful technique when climbing ridge routes and when setting up an abseil isn’t necessary. Also used when above protection on a climb and needing to descend back to a place of safety
Dynamic Belay – The art of allowing the rope to slip through the belay device during a severe fall. Has the benefit of reducing the impact force on the system but the risk of killing the leader if not done properly.
Dynamic Rope – A rope that stretches when loaded as opposed to a static rope which does not. Often a multi coloured sheath.
Dyneema – A brand name of Kevlar cord similar to Spectra
Dyno – A dynamic move towards an out of reach hold
E
Edge – The line which you do not want to cross without a rope.
Edging – Climbing using the edge of the foot on small holds
Epic – The descriptive name given to a climb that starts well but turns into a hairy adventure. Usually heard time and time again in the pub and are some of the best climbing stories. Normally associated when climbing with James
Escape route – generally a lower grade route that will provide an exit to an area.
Exposed – A position where you are suddenly aware of how high you are above the ground. Can be very exhilarating but can sometimes result in disco leg, especially if you are miles from any protection.
Extender – Another name for a quickdraw
F
Fall – What you would expect, to fall from a climb. Not to bad if on a top rope, can be quite worrying if in the lead.
Fall Factor – Calculated by dividing the length of the fall by the amount of rope paid out.
False Summit – is a point on a hill or mountain which appears to be the summit but isn’t!!!
Figure of four – A dynamic climbing technique used to gain height on lips of overhangs.
Figure Eight – Metal device used to provide friction on the rope during an abseil
Figure of Eight – Common knot used by climbers to attach the rope to their harness
Figure of Nine – Similar to a Figure of Eight but with an extra turn (slightly stronger)
Finger lock – Strenuous technique where fingers are wedged into a crack to form a hold. Not for the faint hearted!
Fisherman’s Knot – Simple knot for tying two ropes together. The double fisherman’s is recommended.
Fissure – An open crack in the rock
Fixed Protection – Items such as bolts and rings that are permanently fixed to the rock face to use as protection. Can also included immoveable items of protection such as cams and nuts. Although classed as fixed there is no guarantees and they are used entirely at the climbers own risk
Flag – The process of sticking a foot out to one side to provide balance. This is an especially useful technique when trying to stop oneself from barn dooring
Flake – A thin slice of rock that is partially detached from the rock face. Care must be taken as it could be loose
Flared – A crack or chimney where the two sides are not parallel
Flash – To climb a route first time, with out fall. Beta may have been acquired before the ascent.
Flask – a metal container where the tea and coffee are kept warm
Flexible Friend – A camming device with a flexible stem, allowing it to bend when under load.
Following – What a second does when ascending a climb after somebody else has led it
Free Climbing – Climbing only using natural holds for hands and feet. Ropes and protection can be placed but must not be used to help the climber’s progress
Free Solo – As with free climbing but without the use of a rope or protection. Very dangerous as a fall could result in death!
Friend – The trademark used to describe camming devices manufactured by Wild Country. Can be sometimes used a generic term to refer to all camming devices
G
Gardening – The act of cleaning vegetation from a route to aid progress
Gaffa tape – Black waterproof tape used for fixing anything and everything.
Gate – The section of a karabiner which opens
Gear – Another name for items of protection
Glacier – A slow moving permanent body of ice found in high mountain areas. A wet glacier is covered by snow and is the most dangerous type with the crevasses hidden. A dry glacier has no snow on it with the ice and crevasses exposed.
Gnarly – Used to describe hard or difficult climbs or moves
Grade – A value expressing the difficulty of a climb in relation to others. There are numerous grading systems used around the world to describe snow, ice and rock routes.
Gri-gri – A belay device made by Petzl which automatically grips the rope when its loaded. Handy when the leader falls but less so when they are after some slack rope for a difficult move
Gripped – When a climber moves beyond the disco leg stage and is practically paralysed by fear
Groove – A long shallow indentation in the rock face that is not deep enough to be called a crack or defined enough to be referred to as a chimney
Gully – A wide but shallow ravine that runs down a mountainside. Can produce some interesting climbs in the winter.
H
HACO – High Altitude Cerebral Oedema. This is when liquid starts to form on the brain as a result of being at high altitude.
Half Rope – are used in a double rope system. See Double ropes. Indicated with a ½ in the id label.
Hand Jam – Similar to a finger lock but in wider crack where the whole hand can be wedged to produce a hold. Needs practice but when mastered can be very useful on grit stone routes
HAPO – High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema. This is when liquid starts to form in them lungs due to exposure to high altitude. Can quickly lead to HACO if descent is not immediately made to lower altitudes
Harness - A combination of a waist loop and two leg loops which are used to securely attach the climber to the rope. Used by all climbers except those soloing.
Head point – A trad route which is led free but after practice using a top rope. Protection could also have been pre placed, especially around the harder moves. This is the trad equivalent of a red point.
Heel Hook – The act of hooking your heel over a hold or ledge and using your legs to pull yourself up. Excellent technique for using holds that could not otherwise be reached with your hands.
Helmet – A solid device worn on the head to protect the climber from hitting their head during a fall or from falling items from above
Hex – Shortened version of Hexentrix. A large nut with a hexagonal shape which also has camming properties.
Highball – A boulder problem which extends into the realms of climbing, a fall would result in potential serious injury.
HMS – A type of large karabiner. Useful when using an Italian/munter hitch. it is named after the German word for a munter hitch belay which is ‘Halbmastwurfsicherung’
Hold – Anything that can be held onto while on a climb
I
Ice Axe – Used for climbing, glacier crossing or building anchors on winter climbs
Ice Screw – Item of protection used on ice climbs. They come in various styles and lengths and can be screwed into ice and then clipped to.
Icelandite – a volcaninc rock
Ignimbrite – a fragile volcaninc rock
Interesting – Often used to describe a difficult section of a climb.
Italian Hitch – A type of note used to provide friction and generally used in conjunction with an HMS krab. Useful for belaying or lowering a second. Also known as a Munter Hitch
Ijolite – a very rare silica – under saturated plutonic rock
J
Jamming – The action of inserting part or all of your body into a fissure in the rock. Can be as small as a finger lock to off width cracks which take whole arms and legs
Jug – An extremely large hold which your whole hand will go around.
Jugs – American term to describe ascenders such as Jumar’s
Jumar – A type of ascender
K
Karabiner – An oval shaped metal loop with spring loaded gate. Used to attach the rope to items of protection. They come in numerous forms: HMS, screwgate, snap link, wire gate, offset D & oval
Kern mantle Rope – A modern dynamic climbing rope. The name comes from the components of the rope which are a bundle of continuous nylon fibres making up the core (Kern) surrounded by a protective sheath (Mantle).
Kevlar – A super strong material with low stretch, high heat resistance and abrasion resistance.
kN – Abbreviation for kilo Newton and seen on climbing gear. Used to define the breaking limit of an item of gear.
Knife blade – a very thin piton
Krab – Short for karabiner
L
Layaway – A technique for improving the grip on a hold by leaning away from it
Layback – A technique used to climb features such as arête’s and cracks using the hands and feet in opposition i.e. the hands pull on the crack using a layaway, while the feet push.
Leader – The person first up the climb who places the protection as they go
Lead – The act of leading a climb placing protection to safeguard ones climbing
Ledge – A flat area of rock. Can be very narrow or large enough to park a car on. Useful for belays and bivi’s
Lock off – A technique where you hold onto one hold with a bent arm while reaching for another. Can lead to pumped arms very quickly!
Lowering – The act of control the descent of somebody.
M
Mantelshelf – The technique used to climb onto a ledge. Similar to that used by swimmers getting out the side of a pool
Micro Nut – A very small nut
Mixed Climb – A climb which is tackled using a variety of techniques. These could be free and aided or rock and snow & ice.
Mountain Rescue – The voluntary organisations (in the UK) which come to your assistance when in difficulty.
Multi Pitch Climb – A climb that requires one or more intermediate stances/belays before it is completed.
Munter Hitch – A type of note used to provide friction and generally used in conjunction with an HMS Krab. Useful for belaying or lowering a second. Also known as an Italian or Friction hitch
Munro – A Scottish mountain. There are 284 in total.
N
Needle – Rock structure with pointy shape. An example in the UK would be Napes Needle in the Lake District
Névé – Well consolidated snow that has been formed by repeated freeze thaw cycle. Usually found in areas which have permanent snow fields or which hold the snow for long periods of time.
Nut – A small metal wedge which is threaded with a steel wire. These are placed into crags and are the simplest form of protection
Nut Key – An essential item to remove nuts that have become jammed in the rock
Niche – Same as an alcove
Nylon – A man made material used to make slings and ropes
O
Off width – Refers to a crack that is too wide to hand jam and to narrow to climb as a chimney. Usually involves sticking whatever body part into it that you can (arm or leg or both) and struggling to the top
On sight – Similar to flash climbing a route but without the benefit of any beta. Probably the purest form of climbing.
Over cam – When the cams on a friend are compressed to their smallest size. If the cam has been placed this usually results in a trip to the gear shop as it’s unlikely to come out.
Overhand knot – A very simple and solid knot. Can be used to join two ropes together (two knots and with plenty of tail) in what is referred to as the European Death knot by Americans. Does has the benefit of giving a knot with a flat underside which when pulled, is less likely to get caught on edges during retrievable abseils than a double fisherman’s.
Overhang – Any rock or ice face that is more than vertical
P
Pass – A low point between two mountain summits
Panic belay – a basic belay set up on the lead. Formed by clipping an anchor and brining this into a clove hitch on a HMS clipped into the tie in point. This is repeated 2-3 times to form a secure belay stance.
Peg – Another name for a piton
Pendulum – Supported traverse using the rope from above.
Pitch – A section of the route between the ground and a belay or two separate belays if on a multi pitch route.
Pink point – To climb a bolted route after placing quickdraw’s on all the bolts and possibly practicing the more difficult sections.
Piton – A piece of metal hammered into a crack to provide protection. These are generally used in cracks that are either to big or small to take a nut and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Pinch grip – a hold where pressure is applied to opposing sides of a hold
Placement – The section of a rock face into which an item of protection can be placed
Pocket – A hole in the rock face that can be used as a hold
Protection – Items that are placed during the climb to act as anchors in the case of a fall
Power move – A single move requiring great strength and technique such as a dyno, just ask Nigel!
Prusik – Length of narrow rope or cord that when wrapped around the rope will grip it. Used to safe guard an abseil, to ascend a rope or in rescue techniques.
Pumped – The feeling found in overworked muscles when climbing hard or hanging around on marginal holds trying to place protection.
Q
Quickdraw – A sling with a karabiner at each end, which is used to connect the rope to an item of protection
Quadcam – A model of SLCD designed by HB. Operates on a twin wire axle with a finger trigger.
Quartzite – a metamorphosed sandstone composed of quartz (typically >95%)
R
Rack – The climbing gear that is carried during a climb
Rake – A groove/ shallow gully
Ramp – An ascending ledge
Rappel – American word for abseil
Red point – Similar to pink point but without the pre placed quickdraw’s
Reverso – a belay device which can be used conventionally or as a self locking guide plate.
Rib – Similar to an arête but slightly less well defined
Ridge – A high dividing point coming away from a mountain
Rock over - Climbing move involving pushing body weight over one raised knee to allow a hold that is out of reach to be accessed. Very complex!
Roof – Significantly overhanging part of a climb which could be horizontal
Rope – Used to attach climbers to each other and to protection. Rope can be either static or dynamic.
Route – The way up a rock face which has been previously climbed and recorded
RP – A tiny version of a nut designed to fit the thinnest of cracks
Runner – An item of protection through which the rope can run as the leader or second climbs
Run out – The distance between the leader and the last runner.
Runner – The term given to a piece of protection placed on the lead such as a nut clipped with a quickdraw or bolt clipped.
S
Saddle – A high pass in the mountains. Same as a col
‘Safe’ – A call used to inform a climbing partner that the top has been reached or that they are safe.
Sandbag – A route that’s grade hides its difficulty This could be because it’s under graded or that it needs a trick move to beat the crux.
Scrambling – Easy climbing generally relates to mountainous areas.
Screwgate – A karabiner whose gate can be locked with a screw
Scree – Pile of rubble and sediment that collects at the foot of a mountain range or cliff.
Second – The climber that follows the leader up a climb
Serac – A tower of ice on a steep glacier or an ice fall. They are very dangerous and gravity can cause them to fall at anytime.
Sentry Box – same as an alcove
Sharp end – The leader’s end of the rope
Shield – used to describe large flakes and bulges in the rock
Short Roping – Technique used when climbers want to move over easy ground together climbing at the same time. Both climbers are tied into opposite ends of the rope with the climbers carrying a proportion of the rope as coils around each of their shoulders. It can also refer to technique where a leader keeps a second on a short tight rope to prevent a fall.
Side pull – A hold that has to be used from the side
Sit Start – The starting of a bouldering problem from a seated position
Single Rope – exactly what it says. Normally between 10m-11mm thick indicated with a ‘1’ on the id label
Slab – easy angled section of rock
Slap – a reach for a hold often at ones limit.
Sling – A length of tape that is sewn or tied into a loop
Smearing – Foot technique where the largest part of the sole of the climbers shoe is pressed against the rock to create friction
Snap link – A karabiner
Soloing – The art of climbing without a rope or protection.
Spectra – A brand name of a Kevlar cord similar to Dyneema
Sport Climbing – Climbing routes which use bolts
Spot – To protect a climber during a fall by catching or deflecting them and reducing the momentum of the fall. This technique is only possible when the climber is close the ground and is therefore only really relevant to bouldering and on the initial stage of a route.
Stance – A constructed belay while on a route.
Stake – A piece of metal hammered into the ground to provide a belay anchor, should always be tested and treated with suspicion!
Static rope – Generally used for abseiling and setting up belay systems for top/bottom roping. Often single solid colour sheath.
Sticht Plate – A style of belay device originally designed by Franz Sticht. It consists of a metal place with two holes, through which the rope is passed and clipped through a karabiner.
Stopper Knot – A knot which is tied in the tail of rope to stop another knot from slipping and potentially coming apart.
Summit – The top of a mountain
Super Cam – Metolious innovation on the SLCD dramatically increasing the camming range.
T
‘Take in’ – the term used to indicate to climbing partner to take in the slack on a rope
Tarn – A small lake found in the Lake District
Tape Knot – A rethreaded overhand knot used to attach two ends or separate pieces of tape
Tail – The length of rope left after a knot has been tied.
Tat – Old rope or tape either left on a route – use with extreme caution! Can also refer to old rope that you take onto a route to form slings for abseil anchors
Thread – A hole in the rock which can be used to create runner by threading a sling or nut through. Could also be created by a chock stone.
Thrutch – A climbing technique employed in chimneys and off widths. Basically brute force and determination. Not pretty!
Toe – The lowest point at the bottom of a buttress
Topo – A drawing or picture found in guidebooks showing the line of routes up a crag.
Top Rope – Free climbing a route with the security of a rope from above
Tor – Granite outcrops and intrusions on the moors of the south west.
Twin Ropes – Twin rope refers to a rope which is specifically designed to be used in a pair. Both strands are treated as one, both being clipped into each runner/ anchor. Indicated by a circle with two overlapping smaller circles inside it.
Trad – Same as traditional
Traditional – A climb where the leader places the protection as they go
Traverse – A horizontal section of a climb or a climb as a whole
U
Undercut – See under cling
Under cling – A hold that is usually only worth using from above by grasping its underside. Normally requires some form of layback to use and can be quite difficult.
V
Vertical – steep rock
Vector Angle –
Verglace -
Via Ferrata – is the name commonly used to describe the high level footpaths found in the Alps that use fixed cables for protection and steel ladders to surmount difficult sections (another name is Klettersteig).
W
Wall – A flat vertical section of rock
Wanger – A huge fall
Warthog – A spike that is hammered into frozen turf or poor ice. Popular on mixed winter routes.
Water Ice – Ice formed directly by frozen water. May have water running through it and contains very few air bubbles. Very clear and can be brittle
White Ice – Made from melted snow and contains lots of air bubbles
Wire – Another word for a nut
Wired – To have a route ‘wired’ is to have it sused out!
X
Y
YO-YO – A method of working a route from falling off the gear is left in place and re cimbed.
Yoga – exercises to make the body more subtle and calm the mind
Z
Zawn – is a West Cornwall dialect word for ‘sawan’, which means ‘chasm’. Zawn rinney are The great zawn examples of this.
Zone – To be in ‘the zone’ the perfect mental state!
