AID CLIMBING
Aid Climbing is a form of climbing that uses all sorts of gear and techniques to “aid” the climber in upward progress. In aid climbing, it is common practice to pull up on gear and use sky hooks, webbing ladders, or aiders to create foot placements. When it comes to aid climbing, almost any means of making upward progress goes. This is the fashion that most climbers used before Free Climbing gained popularity in the 1970s. It is still a common style used especially in big wall climbing.
ANCHOR
An anchor is a point of connection to the rock. It can be as simple as a single point of protection or as complex as a system with multiple points of protection. Examples: A bolt, cam, or tree can be a simple anchor, while a two, three, or more-piece system joined by a sling or chord can be used to create a more robust system for anchoring a team to the rock.
APPROACH
An approach is simply the term we use to describe the hike to a particular climbing location. Most of the time an approach is just a hike, but other times it may have a technical element requiring specific systems to keep the party safe. In cases of the latter, the approach would be deemed 3rd or 4th Class, meaning there are additional risks on the journey to the specific climb.
ASCENDER
An ascender is a device used for rope ascension or protection. Usually an ascender has a toothed camming device that allows one-way movement on a rope.
BELAY
Simply put, the word belay means to secure. Specifically in climbing, we use the term belay to mean securing someone on the end of our climbing rope. To belay, in our case, means taking in the slack on our rope as our partner climbs while using a belay device that creates friction to help us hold our climber securely.
BETA
Beta is a term used to describe specific details about how to climb or protect a route.
BOLTS
A bolt is a permanently fixed anchor that requires drilling into the rock. Sport climbs, and even some trad (mixed) climbs, will have bolts already placed in the rock before you climb it. Typically, bolts are self-anchoring expansion bolts or glued in.
BOULDERING
Bouldering is climbing small rocks that don’t require a rope. Much of the time, these climbs don’t exceed 10-20 feet in height, making the risk of bouldering somewhat comparable to that of climbing a tree. When bouldering, foam pads, called “crash pads,” are often used as protection from uneven ground, objects, or anything else that could cause additional injury while falling. Bouldering is the most accessible form of climbing in the sense that you can do it with minimal gear, knowledge of systems, etc. It also has the highest actual risk of any form of climbing because every time you fall, you’ll hit the ground!
CAMMING DEVICE (CAM)
A spring-loaded camming device is a form of rock climbing protection consisting of three or four camming lobes on a single or double axle. As the camming device is loaded, the lobes are forced outward generating holding power by metal-to-rock contact. This type of protection is one of the most common in traditional climbing.
CHALK
Magnesium carbonate and other various compounds used to dry sweaty hands. Akin to gymnastics chalk.
CHIMNEY
A wide, often vertical crack large enough for a climber to fit their entire body inside. Chimney or chimney-ing is also a type of body movement done by using the opposing forces from pushing hands and feet in opposite directions, or various body parts similarly. Think, climbing a door frame!
CLASSES
1st Class: A hike or walk never requiring the use of hands.
2nd Class: A hike with some steep incline or scrambling. Little risk of a serious fall and requires some use of hands.
3rd Class: A hike with scrambling and some exposure. Higher risk of a long fall but often does not require a rope.
4th Class: A scramble with high exposure and serious fall consequences. A rope is often used to prevent a serious long fall that could result in injury or fatality.
5th Class: Technical rock climbing requiring the use of a rope and belay. High risk of injury or fatality from a long fall without the use of a rope. 5th Class is further broken down into subcategories with the Yosemite Decimal System.
CORDALETTE
A cordalette is a 5-8 mm nylon accessory cord that’s 15-20 ft in length depending on the intended use. A cordalette is used to join anchor components into a master point.
CRACK CLIMBING
Crack climbing is a style of climbing where one follows crack features in the rock and utilizes crack climbing technique. Crack climbing is generally classified by the width or size of the crack and the appropriate technique used to climb it.
CRAG
A crag is a climbing area. The term can describe a general climbing area or a specific cliffline within a larger climbing area. You may also hear the term “cragging,” which refers to single-pitch climbing in a more fun, casual style.
CRUX
The crux is the most difficult section of a climbing route. There can be one crux or multiple cruxes.
FIGURE 8
Figure 8 or Figure 8 Follow Through is the knot generally used in climbing to fix the climber to the end of the climbing rope by threading the knot through one’s harness. This knot is easily identifiable making it a preferred choice for this application.
FINGER CRACKS
Finger cracks are cracks that are finger sized and use finger locking technique.
FOLLOW
To follow means to be the second person who climbs a route cleaning all of the protection on the way up. Also known as seconding, or cleaning a route.
FREE CLIMBING
Free Climbing simply means climbing without aid. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean climbing without a rope. Many people confuse the term “free” climbing with “solo” climbing. When free climbing, you use your hands and feet alone to assist you in upward progress. Free climbing uses ropes and various gear to protect the climber from the consequences of a fall.
FREE SOLO CLIMBING
Free Solo Climbing is “free climbing” but without the use of a rope for catastrophic protection. Free soloing is simply using your hands and feet to climb walls or cliffs that typically are high enough to result in death or serious injury. This form of climbing is often referred to by climbers as “soloing.”
GUIDE BOOK
A crag-specific resource indicating approaches, route beta, gear beta, and other pertinent information related to a climbing area.
HAND CRACKS
Hand cracks are cracks that are hand-sized and utilize hand-jamming technique.
HARNESS
A harness is the safety device used to attach a climber to the rope and to secure a belay device for belaying. A harness is designed with a waist belt and leg loops. Most harnesses consist of 2 hard points for tying in and a belay loop that is threaded through both hard points for attaching a carabiner, belay device, or any number of safety applications.
KILONEWTON
A kilonewton (KN) is a measure of force roughly equivalent to 225 lbs. When climbing equipment is manufactured, it is given a KN rating to indicate its fall load potential. For example, many climbing carabiners are rated at 22 kilonewtons (or roughly 4,950 lbs of force) when properly loaded.
LEAD CLIMBING
Lead climbing is the act of climbing, starting with our rope on the ground. The “leader” is belayed from the ground, trailing their rope while placing protection on their climb upwards. There are two primary forms of lead climbing: sport and traditional. Sport refers to climbing routes with bolts added for protection. Traditional refers to climbing routes that are protected by cams, nuts, and other forms of “pro” as we call it. You may also hear folks refer to this as “trad” climbing. Lead climbing has more risk than top roping due to the fall potential.
LOWER
To lower is to descend via a climbing rope controlled by the belayer. One can lower or be lowered. Typically, this is done after a climber has reached the top of a climb, but lowering can be a useful application in many climbing situations.
MULTI-PITCH
A multi-pitch route is a climb that is taller than a single rope length. They often require multiple transitions (belay/follows) on the way up and multiple rappels on the way down.
OFFWIDTH
Offwidths are cracks that are larger than hand size but smaller than your body width. Techniques used for this style of climbing include hand stacks and chicken-wings. This is the most physically demanding form of crack climbing.
ON-SIGHT
To completely climb a route on the first try without prior knowledge of how to climb it.
PROBLEM
A problem is a climbing route on a boulder. In bouldering the routes are typically much shorter, harder, and take longer to “solve.”
PITCH
A pitch is a section of a rock climb where one begins and ends, such as one rope length or partial rope length up to the top of a cliff. A pitch can vary in length and difficulty.
PROTECTION
Protection is any equipment placed in the rock to minimize a climber’s fall potential via a belay. Protection comes in many forms including traditional gear (cams, stoppers, and trees) and quickdraws clipped to fixed bolts.
QUICKDRAW
A quickdraw is a piece of equipment used to clip one’s rope to a fixed piece of protection such as a bolt or through traditional protection to allow the rope to freely run over the rock. A quickdraw consists of two carabiners joined together by a rigid material called a dogbone.
RACK
The equipment needed for a specific climb or climbing area. Terms like “standard rack” are often used to describe what traditional protection or number of quickdraws you need to climb in a traditional or sport climbing area.
RAPPEL
Rappelling is a way of descending a rock face using a rope, which is often fixed or fed through rings at the top of a cliff. A rappel device creates friction that controls the speed of the descent.
RATINGS
Climbing ratings are broken up into three different categories: class, difficulty, and grade. Class refers to the level of risk, difficulty refers to the challenge, and grade refers to commitment.
ROUTE
A specific rock climb.
SPORT CLIMBING
Sport climbing is a form of free climbing in which the climber uses fixed hardware, typically “bolts,” that have been placed in the rock prior to their ascent.
TOP ROPE CLIMBING
Top rope climbing is when you start climbing with the rope coming from above. This form of climbing allows one to be more secure, with less consequence when falling rather than lead climbing because there is much less slack in the system. “Top roping” is the best style of climbing for beginners or for working moves at your limit. You can simply say “take,” and once your belayer has you tight by taking out all of the slack, you can sit back in your harness right where you are at any given point and rest.
TRADITIONAL “TRAD” CLIMBING
Traditional climbing is a form of free climbing in which the climber uses removable gear to protect their ascent.
YOSEMITE DECIMAL SYSTEM (YDS)
5th Class rock climbing is further divided into subcategories ranging from 5.0 to 5.15. Once the climbing difficulty reaches 5.9, it is further classified by a letter grade, such as 5.9a or 5.11d. Currently, the YDS maxes out at 5.15d. This system of climbing difficulty rating is fluid and changing.