Rock Climbing Slang

You probably already know this if you’ve been to a rock climbing gym even once or twice, but climbers tend to have very vivid rock climbing slang. Climbing has experienced phenomenal growth over the past three decades, and as a result, a distinct climbing subculture has emerged, replete with its own vocabulary. Here is a cheat sheet that will assist you with translating a selection of frequent climber words so that you do not come off as an amateur.

Another article for your grip strength, don’t forget to check!

• Approach: From the parking spot to the bottom of the cliff, you have to walk for however long it takes.

• Arête: The outermost point of the rock known as the arete can have a pointed or rounded appearance.

• Back Clipped refers to the situation in which the leader threads the rope through the carabiner that is attached to a point of protection in such a manner that the rope can unclip itself in the event that the climber falls. Back Clipped

• Belay is the process of controlling how much slack there is in the rope system in order to catch a climber in the event that they fall.

• A Belayer refers to the person who is standing on the ground and is in charge of managing the rope.

• Beta: Detailed information on the climb that is written down. 2) Instructions are given verbally by other climbers to one another on how to complete a route.

• A Bight is a fold in the rope that is created when knots are tied.

• Biner is a carabiner.

• Boink: Sport climbers frequently employ a technique known as the “boink” or “bounce.”The climber makes his way up the rope just halfway, which results in a slight amount of slack being created. When the climber releases their grip on the rope, the belayer is given the opportunity to remove part of the slack from the system. This procedure is continued until the climber gets near enough to the wall to start climbing once more and is in a position to do so safely.

• Bomb: Awesome.

• Treasure Trove: discovered equipment that was obviously left behind.

• Bouldering: Climbing without the use of ropes on rocks or walls that are boulder-sized is called bouldering.

• Bucket: 1) Helmet. 2) A jug of enormous proportions

• Bumping: The act of transitioning from one hold to another with the same hand is referred to as “bumping.”

• Cam: A cam is a type of protection that expands within a crack or constriction in order to increase the amount of force that is applied to the rock when more force is applied to the protection.

• Campus Board: To ascend a challenge or path without using one’s feet.

• Crack: A crack is a continuous break in the rock that provides both grips and spaces to put protection. Cracks are ideal for traditional climbers since they offer all of these features.

• The Crag is a generic phrase that is used to denote a climbing area that is located outside.

• A Crimp is a form of tiny hold in which just the finger pads are used for support.

• Crux: The most challenging section of the route is known as the crux (there may be several cruxes on a climb).

• Doubled Back: For further protection, the tail ends of the harness straps are doubled back and inserted back through the buckle.

• Drag: A rope’s drag is the cumulative effect of several points of friction along its length.

• Dyno is an abbreviation for the phrase “to conduct a dynamic motion,” which means “to leap to the next grip.”

• Heel Hook: A heel hook is a technique that involves placing the heel on top of or on the side of a hold in order to increase leverage for the move that follows.

• Jug: The jug is a form of a hold that may be readily gripped with the hand open and the fingers curled together.

• Layback: Using a move called the “layback,” a climber can gain height by putting all of their weight on a big side pull and using a foothold as a lever.

• Lead Climbing is a style of rock climbing in which the climber pulls the rope up with them as they travel along the route and clips onto protection as they go. Lead climbing may take many different forms, including classical climbing and sports climbing.

• To Match means placing both hands simultaneously on the same hold when climbing.

• A Multi-pitch climb is one that is too long for the leader’s rope and is broken up into several shorter climbs, or “pitches.”

• The word “Noob” is used to describe a new climber who doesn’t know much about the culture and rules of rock climbing.

• On-sight means that a climber climbed a lead route for the first time and sent it without falling, going off course, or knowing the route beforehand.

• A rock face or piece of rock that has an angle that is more than ninety degrees is said to have an overhang.

• The Pinch is a sort of grip in which the thumb and the other fingers are pushed together to create pressure.

• Protection is any gear that is fixed or installed on a lead climb and could stop the climber from falling.

• Pumped: When a climber’s muscles (often their forearms) are full of lactic acid, the climber is said to be “pumped,” and this makes it harder for the climber to hang on to holds.

• Rack: A traditional climber’s collection of protective gear that they bring with them on a climb. This gear may include cams, slings, hexes, and stoppers.

• Rappelling is a form of self-belaying that involves using both sides of the rope while descending a rock face.

• Red Points: A climber earns a red point on a sport climb when they install their own quickdraws and finish the route without falling or straying off the route. Red points are worth three points.

• Roof: A stretch of horizontal rock that drapes back over the road is referred to as the roof.

• Sandbag means giving a lower rating to a route than it truly deserves.

• The Second is one that follows the leader and typically cleans any gear that the leader has put.

• Send: To solve the problem or complete the path.

• Slab: A rock face that has an angle of fewer than ninety degrees is called a slab.

• Slack is the term for an extra rope that is used in a rope system.

• Sloper is a term for a rounded hold that requires the climber to apply friction with their entire hand and fingers.

• Smear refers to the technique of climbing in which the climber relies on the rubber and surface area of their climbing shoes to push off against smooth rock that lacks any discernible foot holds.

• Soloing: Climbing above 15 feet without the assistance of a partner, a rope, or any other kind of protection is known as soloing or free soloing.

• Stoppers, sometimes known as nuts, are a form of passive protection that is used in traditional climbing. Stoppers are metal wedges that are inserted into fractures or constrictions of a container.

• Sports Climbing on established bolted routes is what is meant by the term “sport climbing.”

• Trad Climbing is a type of climbing where the leader is responsible for placing his or her own protection (cams, stoppers, etc.).

• Top Rope: When the rope is tied to an anchor system at the top of the wall, this climbing technique is referred to as top rope.

• Undercling refers to a specific kind of hold that is designed to be grasped from beneath. With an undercling, you can use the full length of your arms to reach the next hold on a climbing route.

• The V-scale is a ranking system that determines how challenging boulder issues are.

• Whipper: A large lead fall acquires a great amount of velocity or motion in the sideways direction.

• Z-clip — This is when the leader of the climb grabs the rope from below their previous clip and uses it to clip into the next piece of protection.