WHAT
DID YOU JUST SAY?
Climbing Terms Used at the Lindseth Climbing Wall
Aid
climbing: Climbing in which the climber ascends or rests by making use
of the rope or gear to support his/her weight.
See "Free climbing".
Anchor:
Any tree, block, nut, bolt or other protection device that
holds a climber or team to a wall, slope or cliff with rope, slings and
carabiners.
Backstep:
To stand on the outside edge of the foot (pinky toe side
instead of big toe side).
Barn
Door: An unbalanced position in which gravity tends to rotate the
body around a hand and foot as if they were hinges; can usually be stopped by
matching hands or feet, or flagging.
Belay:
The use of a rope to stop a climber's potential fall.
From an old sailing term, meaning to secure.
Beta:
Advice on how a route should be climbed. As if a Sony Betamax (an old type of VCR) were used to
videotape a climber doing the moves and the video were replayed for learning the
moves.
Big
wall: Extremely long, multi-pitch routes which usually cannot be
climbed in a single day.
Bight:
A bend in a rope.
‘Biner:
Short for "carabiner".
Body
tension
– A technique where the abdomen is flexed and the body is made rigid to
prevent slipping off footholds.
Bomber: An anchor system or
placement that can be trusted 100%. (As in “bomb-proof”).
Bouldering:
Climbing close to the ground so that you don't need a rope.
Generally this involves hard, powerful moves, and well planned excuses
for failure.
Bucket:
A large hold. See
"Jug".
Carabiner:
A metal snap-link used for holding the rope and connecting it
to gear.
Chalk:
Made from magnesium carbonate.
Used to counteract sweaty hands and improve grip.
Many climbers use an excessive amount to give them a purely psychological
boost -- i.e. White Courage.
Chimney:
A crack big enough to get your entire body inside and small enough to allow
opposing force on both sides.
Clean:
Remove
protection placed by a lead climber.
Crack:
Any crack in the rock. Crack
climbing takes significantly different technique than face climbing.
Crimp:
A grip that inverts the first knuckle on each finger.
Usually used on small edges. See
“Open Grip”
Crimper:
A small edge in the rock which requires a crimp grip.
Often known for causing finger tendon injuries.
Crossover:
A movement technique where a hand or foot is placed on a hold
on the opposite side of the body.
Crux:
The hardest part of a climb or pitch.
Deadpoint:
The top of a swing or controlled lunge, when upward motion has
stopped but downward fall has not yet begun.
Deck:
Slang for falling and hitting the ground.
Climbers tend to try very hard not to do this.
Directional:
A
piece of protection intended to direct the rope along a certain route for
following climbers or when anchoring a rappel.
Dyno:
A dynamic move. Any
climbing move which relies on momentum. Opposite
of “static”
Edging:
Using the edge of your shoe to get your weight on something
really small.
Epic:
An adventure that didn't happen the way you wanted it too.
While these really suck when you're struggling through one, they tend to
make great stories.
Face
climbing: Using the features that protrude from the rock face (instead
of a crack) to climb.
Fall
factor: In lead climbing, the ratio of the length of a fall to the
length of rope between the belayer and climber.
Figure
Four: A
particular type of stacking, where an arm is used as a foothold.
Finger
lock: A
jam that utilizes just the fingers.
Flag/Flagging:
A technique in which the body is brought into balance by
extending one part in the opposite direction of the move the climber is trying
to make.
Follow:
After one climber leads a pitch, a “second” (or third or
fourth, ad inf.) will climb it
while the leader belays them from above.
Free
climbing: Using only natural features to support the climber's weight
during an ascent (ie: not
"aid-climbing")
Free
solo: To free-climb without a rope and therefore without needing a
partner. This used to be more
popular, but most of the advocates of it are now dead.
(Surprise!)
Grout:
Term specific to the Lindseth
wall. Small features in a face that can
be used as footholds when there aren’t any others, or that can help with
smearing.
Hangdog:
To learn or practice the moves of a pitch while hanging from
the rope.
Heel-hook:
Placing the heel of your shoe on a hold well above your waist.
Hueco:
A type of hold common at Hueco Tanks, TX.
A pocket in sandstone with a rim around the outside.
The two largest pockets on the Lindseth Climbing Wall are huecos.
Innie:
Term specific to the Lindseth wall. A hold that goes into the wall.
See "outtie".
Jam:
To wedge a body part into a crack. A surprisingly powerful move.
Jug:
A large hold. (Same
as "bucket".)
Layback:
A technique in which the climber uses a sidepull to pull up to
the next hold. Usually involves a hip against the wall, and using the feet to
push while pulling with the hands.
Lead
climbing: Style in which the first climber (the leader) places
protection as he/she climbs and is belayed from below.
The only way to climb a cliff taller than a single rope length.
Lock-off: A technique of pulling
your body in close to a hold, usually with the elbow fully bent (locked off), so
that the other hand can make a long reach, clip a bolt, etc.
Mantle: To push down on a hold.
Often compared to the technique used to get out of a swimming pool.
Match: A movement technique
where one hand or foot is switched with another on a hold.
Mono:
A small, one-finger pocket. Pulling
hard on these is a good way to injure a finger.
Off-width:
A crack that is too large for fist jams yet too small to
accommodate the whole body.
Onsight:
To lead climb a route you have never seen before with no falls
and with no beta.
Outie:
A hold that comes out of the Lindseth Climbing Wall.
See "innie".
Open
Grip: A grip that keeps the fingers in their natural orientation.
See “crimp”
Overhang:
Any part of a climb which is more than vertical.
Pinch:
A type of grip on a hold.
Pinching the hold between thumb and fingers.
Pitch:
One rope length, from the ground or one belay station to the
next belay.
Pocket:
The rest of the world's term for "innie".
Protection:
The gear that connects the rope to the rock.
Quickdraw:
A short piece of webbing and two carabiners.
It's used to attach the rope to protection in lead-climbing.
Rack:
The collection of gear a lead climber takes up the climb.
Rappel:
To self-lower from the top of a climb using a rope.
Redpoint:
To lead a climb, placing protection, without falling or
weighting any protection on the way up.
Ringlock:
A
type of finger jam where one or more fingers are arranged with the thumb into
the shape of a ring.
Roof:
A part of a climb that is horizontal. Would be a ledge if gravity were reversed.
Runout:
Description of a climb or section of a climb in which
protection is spread out far enough to make the prospect of a fall long and
especially frightening.
Sandbag:
A climb that is technically more difficult than someone's
stated numerical rating would imply.
Second:
After the leader, the next person to climb a pitch.
“To second” means to follow a pitch.
Sidepull:
A hold in which you pull to the side instead of pulling down.
Slab:
A less than vertical face with very small holds.
Slack:
Extra rope. As a belay command, it means the belayer should
feed some rope to the climber.
Slings:
A loop of nylon or Spectra/nylon, webbing or cord.
Sloper:
Any hold that is angled downward.
Friction must be used on the hold.
Smearing:
Using friction from the sole of the climbing shoe. As opposed
to "edging".
Snake: Term specific to the
Lindseth wall. A shallow horizontal crack.
Sport
climbing: Climbing routes on which pre-placed bolts are used for
protection. See
"traditional-climbing"
Spot:
To protect a climber by preparing to prevent their head from
hitting the ground if they were to fall. (Useful
in bouldering.)
Stack: Use of a stable body
part as a climbing hold.
Static:
A move not requiring momentum.
Can be paused or reversed. Opposite
of “dyno”
Stemming:
Technique in which the hands and/or feet are used in
opposition to each other to the sides. Most commonly used in a corner or chimney
of opposing rock faces.
Stick:
A game played at the wall in which one person points out holds
that the climber is allowed to use. (Traditionally,
a stick is used to point out the holds.)
Take:
To hold the climber tightly with the rope.
Tension:
To hold the climber tightly with the rope.
Three-point: Static movement
technique where one hand or foot is moved at a time, while the other three are
stable on holds.
Toe-hook: To place a toe on or in
a hold well above your waist, usually wedged between holds.
Toprope:
Any situation in which the belay anchor is above the climber.
Traditional
climbing: Climbing routes on which removable gear is placed for
protection by the leader as he/she ascends.
The second removes the gear. Usually
abbreviated "trad".
Traverse:
Climbing
horizontally.
Twistlock: To extend the reach of
an arm by twisting the torso and shoulders.
Often used with a backstep to keep the body in a stable position while
making a long reach.
Two-point: Movement technique more
dynamic than three-point, where only one foot and the (usually) opposite hand
are on holds while moving to a new position. Generally involves flagging the
other foot.
Undercling:
A hold in which you pull from below instead of pulling down.
Would be a really great hold if gravity went the other way.