What is wall climbing called slang Deep water soloing: (often abbreviated to DWS) rock climbing without a rope above deep water. Bouldering’s got its own language, a kind of secret code that binds climbers together. Usually well Oct 29, 2020 · A spray wall is a wall where a tonne of holds are bolted on without any specific routes/colors being set. Choss – Terrible rock quality. Rock Climbing Terms for Holds Bucket aka Jug See full list on rei. Aug 2, 2024 · Big wall climbing: A form of multi-pitch climbing that takes place on routes that typically require at least a full day, if not more. Climbing shoes are made out of sticky rubber to help you stay on the wall. They have a close fit and a smooth, sticky rubber sole to maximize grip on the rock. The list below will get you up to speed on all the climbing lingo you need to know! Commonly used climbing slang. g. As a beginner stepping into one of these gyms for the first time, you'll likely hear climbers tossing around terms that sound like a foreign language if you've never set foot on a wall before. Climbing gym-Specialized indoor climbing centres. Essentially a jump. Anchors can be natural, like trees or rocks, or manufactured, like bolts. Bouldering during a climbing competition. Named by degrees rotated) Landing in a hang on wall - arm jump (heard it also referred to as cat hang) So ‘wall run to 180 arm jump’ You may not find tutorials for every specific set of moves you need to do. A simple type of plywood wall that features a combination of either bolt-on holds or screw-on holds. xeno. Understanding the lingo can help make the sport feel more approachable, but it is also essential to your safety in many situations. project: a set climb that requires more than 1 day's work to complete Sport climbing: Climbing a bolted rock route (sport route), a type of climbing with some of its own terminology. Angles may vary, but in climbing an arete is typically between 5 and 120 degrees in their angles. Sandy, covered in vegetation etc. Climbing shoe-Footwear designed specifically for climbing. move see Pitch. He has a follower base of over 28K on TikTok, where he creates informative videos on the intersection of AI and Education, offers incisive commentary on social trends, and produces explainer videos on modern slang, social Sep 24, 2024 · Origins of climbing beta. Thus a simul-climbing “pitch” can be 1,000 feet on rock, or even 10,000 feet on the face/slope of a mountain. Feature Wall. n. Here's what to know about "TACO," tariff negotiations and the "Trump Collar. Final Thoughts. moat the gap between snow and ice and a rock wall. Half ropes are primarily used for multi-pitch A A-grade Also aid climbing grade. Usually, these terms will be used when you are asking how to complete a problem. Especially with the start of Sender One LAX’s Bouldering League, you may need to know some of these words just to understand the rules! Climbers use and say so much slang, climbing pretty much has its own language. Arete – An arete is an exposed corner, sticking outward from the main wall. Oct 10, 2012 · Trad Climbing (Traditional Climbing): A type of climbing in which the leader places his or her own protection (cams, stoppers, etc. In a climbing gym, this refers to the holds placed which are required to be used to complete Mar 23, 2018 · Whether you’re new to the sport or well versed in climbing, there may be some words you may not understand. Note, dyno could be added here, as well as some other terms higher up. A dynamic movement where the climber launches up to a hold (or holds) with both feet leaving the wall before the hands reach their destination. As mentioned, this means holes have been drilled into the rock and expansion bolts installed at reasonable intervals to protect a lead climber from serious injury in the event of a fall. The process of managing the rope to protect a climber during ascent or descent. Great Climbing has its own set of terms and slang and we’re breaking down some of the essential terms for you in this handy glossary. Roof – An overhang or section of one that’s gone a full 90°. Bloc – This is another name for a boulder problem. See gym climbing. Wearing Climbing Shoes Outside Of The Climbing Area. Some more helpful climbing jargon when talking about beta is: Hand-foot match: Using your hand and foot on the same hold. But what does Wall Street jargon really tell us about the markets? There's truth behind every Wall Street cliché, but investors shouldn't just take these sayings at face value. Dihedral – A dihedral is a contained corner, nestled inward from the main wall. ” Boss – A rounded lump protruding from the rock that can be used as a hold. I included aid climbing even though I’ll probably never do that because I wanted to clear up the difference between free-climbing and free-soloing. Spur: A rock or snow rib on a mountain, a lateral ridge. Aaron Makelky is an Influencer and Content Creator based in Casper, Wyoming. Aug 1, 2019 · In sport climbing, when you climb a route but hang on the rope to take a rest at one point during the ascent, it is called a one-hang. Many indoor climbing gyms have special bouldering walls. Like many activities, climbing has a language of its own with terms to describe sub-genres of the sport, body movements, ways of holding on to the rock and styles of ascent. With gravity working directly against you, climbing a roof requires a lot of strength and endurance. Some climbers wear specific shoes called “approach shoes” for this. A mechanism or system that securely locks without having to manually lock it. That’s climbing above deep water with no gear. Big wall style refers to siege tactics; multiple nights spent on Feb 9, 2020 · Speed Climbing – In competition climbing, refers to a timed ascent of a standard route. Sep 30, 2014 · Here is a list of slang words/climbing terms that I might use in this blog. Jan 27, 2022 · Big Wall: Refers to both objective size and climbing style. While this is my absolute pet peeve, there are serious health reasons why climbing shoes should remain on the mats and climbing walls only. Tufas A limestone rib. A bolt is a closed ring made from strong metal. Turning the Lip The process of getting from hanging from the lip of a roof to standing on the lip. [71] Competition combined climbing. Bomber – Rock solid 6 days ago · The new acronym is gaining popularity among Wall Street investors, much to the president's disdain. Common climbing slang terms Woody. Sport climbing is a type of rock climbing where you ascend a natural or artificial rock wall that has fixed protection points that you can clip quickdraws into. It can be easy to be bamboozled by the seemingly impenetrable climbing-babble you sometimes hear at the crag or climbing wall. May 3, 2022 · Sport Climbing is a type of lead climbing where the climber clips bolted hangers permanently fixed to the rock as they climb to protect them from falling to the ground. A hold appearing to be composed of a different type of rock than the surrounding rock face. Climber Jack Mileski was a prominent climber from Texas who spent a ton of time in the Shawangunks (the Gunks) of New York. A homemade climbing wall. With so much rock climbing slang and funny climbing terms, it can be hard to understand anything that a climber says at first. Aug 2, 2022 · These range from climbing techniques, to equipment, to specific common injuries. Traverse. such as world record and women's record times). Biner. A long route that takes many pitches, or lengths, of rope to ascend is called a big wall. neve consolidated granular snow. Trad climbing is placing your own gear as protection instead. Competitors race-off in pairs on a standardized 'speed climbing wall' using a top rope with an auto belay for protection, in the shortest time possible. The information presented here does not describe all of the risks associated with climbing and is not intended to replace or supersede expert instruction and training. An artificial wall usually found in climbing gyms to mimic the look of an outdoor climb. Like a roof. Deep water soloing. Needless to say, many, many terms have been coined to describe the holds and body positions required to do some. These Climbing: The act of ascending vertical or near-vertical natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. Big Wall. com May 12, 2023 · Climbing slang. Arete. In Paris, the overhanging lead wall is 45 feet high. In sport climbing, a pitch can be as miserly as 15 . Jul 21, 2023 · If you watched Alex Honnold climbing nearly 3,000 feet of sheer granite without a rope, but you weren’t completely certain what he was talking about half of the time, or if you just got into climbing and you’re looking to improve your crag-slang skills, or even if you’re just curious whether climbing slang is as weird as the words you use in your hobby, then this glossary is for you. Dec 13, 2022 · A large section of this might be called a cave, and these are generally found in bouldering or lead climbing areas. The term ‘beta’ comes from ‘Betamax’, the most common video format in the 1980’s before VHS took over. Do people really use these slang words from my textbook? Nov 8, 2023 · Rock Climbing Lingo: Common Rock Climbing Slang & Terminologies. Points are assigned based on how high each competitor climbs within their allotted 6 minutes. ABD Also assisted braking device. It can make discussions about routes and techniques easier, and it helps you feel more connected to the community. The edge of a wall that is at an acute angle like that of a corner of a building. If you rested twice during the ascent, it could likewise be called a two-hang. Plus, knowing the slang can make climbing feel more fun and Aug 25, 2022 · Arete– A climbing feature where two faces meet at an exterior angle. Auto-lock. Undercling: A type of hold. A type of climbing in which you use only your hands and feet to ascend a rock face. ). Someone else already explained the origins of Beta, but "problem" makes perfect sense. Apr 13, 2012 · n. Slab – Opposite of an overhang, where instead the wall is at a positive angle. "Send" is a super common sports term too, that's not climbing specific Jan 10, 2021 · Stemming: Climbing technique where an individual pushes out against the wall on either side of them, as in a chimney or dihedral. Specifically called such because of the wooden panels (usually left unpainted) used to attach the climbing holds. Dynamic Climbing: Dynamic climbing is moving your body in a swinging motion, often letting go of a hold before you can grab the next one. Often specifically a hybrid between a climbing wall and a fingerboard. Competition climbers are given a fixed time to inspect the route as a group before the competition, but once the climbing begins, they must remain in the isolation zone away from the climbing wall, to prevent them learning more beta from watching fellow competitors attempting the route. Body Tension – The ability to keep your feet on the wall when climbing a steep boulder. Webbing: Nylon tape used to make a variety of climbing accessories, such as slings. TYPES OF CLIMBING BOULDERING Bouldering is the most straight forward and most accessible… Trad Climbing Climbing a route protected by gear that has been placed by the leader. Half Rope. Sport climbing is lead climbing outside with bolts to protect you. Whipper: A very long fall. Always risky. The climber is attached to one end of Jan 4, 2024 · Sport climbing . Crimping is rock climbing slang that Jan 1, 2024 · Overhang – A wall or section of a wall that hangs out and over the bottom of the same wall. Feb 13, 2025 · Learn all about climbing terms and slang that help you understand this exciting sport! Rock climbing and bouldering come with specific terms that climbers need to know. Mar 14, 2021 · Rock climbing being a team sport, you need to have a grasp of the basic lingo to be able to seamlessly (and safely) communicate with other climbers. Even if you feel like a “gumby” (inexperienced climber) on the wall, you can show other enthusiasts you’re not by using these climbing slang terms. Jun 24, 2024 · A critical safety feature in rock climbing, where the climber attaches the rope to a secure point on the rock or wall to prevent a long fall. Climbing Terrain Terms . Usually the holds fill basically every bolt hole (similar to Korean and Japanese climbing walls) rather than a more spaced out set. 3 days ago · This article was co-authored by Aaron Makelky and by wikiHow staff writer, Luke Smith, MFA. Mar 11, 2025 · Knowing climbing slang helps you communicate on the wall. Because the speed climbing wall is standardized in all competitions, time records are chronicled (e. Also known as a double rope, a half rope is a thinner rope (less than 9 mm) used as a pair, allowing the climber to clip each rope independently. Type of hold where the usable side consists of a flat, often 90-degree angle. An indoor wall that is designed to resemble real rock. Used in the context of the climb throwing the climber off. In Climbing a wall or rock that’s between 15 and 40 feet high without a rope is considered highballing. " Feb 10, 2024 · Indoor rock climbing has exploded in popularity over the past decade, with modern climbing gyms popping up in cities across the country. For example, where the outside walls of a square building meet. Dec 8, 2023 · To execute this technique, the climber pulls on one side of the feature while leaning their body weight away from their hands. munge dirt and vegetation that fills a crack. DWS. Climbing routes are called routes and Boulder routes are called problems. May 4, 2022 · BOULDERING Climbing ropeless on boulders as opposed to climbing on cliffs. See C-grade. During a time-limited pre-competition inspection, climbers May 5, 2022 · Still, it wasn’t until the 1970s and 80s that the modern version of sport climbing was born in France and the USA. X Back to contents . At equal route difficulty, sport climbing is much easier than trad climbing, as the climber need not worry about carrying or placing artificial protection. Y Back to Mar 6, 2025 · Chimneying, also called stemming, is the technique of climbing by pressing against opposite walls with hands, feet, back, and even elbows or knees. A problem that travels predominantly horizontal rather than vertical Run up a wall - wall run Push off and turn around - 180 (if turning in a half circle. (Usually just called a 'climbing wall' in Britain). A term Jul 11, 2023 · Once you’ve got your climbing shoes and a chalk bag or bucket, learning the lingo, language, slang, etc is the next step any prospective rock climber should take. So what does Beta mean in climbing? Let’s take a look… Problem is, most climbing terminology feels like jargon and at my advanced intermediate level of german (B2), I don't have the skill to say "Focus on keeping your foot on when you drop knee" So I thought it could be cool to list a bunch of common phrases here and have people translate them into their language, when people know english and another. From essential safety words like “belayer” (the person controlling the safety rope) to movement-based terms such as “crux” (the hardest part of a climb), these phrases May 19, 2014 · A home made climbing wall. Most climbing gyms offer roped-climbing routes, bouldering problems, or a combination. Pressure is applied on the underside of a hold as a climber pulls on it. Oct 8, 2024 · But the vocabulary is part of what makes the climbing culture so great! They use strange verbiage, enjoy wrestling funky-colored walls, and are covered in chalk 90% of the time. In addition to technical rock climbing terms, there’s lots of slang that climbers can use. Spotting. It can be used in phrases like “Do you want the beta?” or “I’ll use his beta”. Climbing command - A short phrase used for communication between a climber and a belayer. The gear is either passive gear that slots into a crack (nuts, hexes) or active gear that you place inside of a crack in the rock (cams/spring-loaded camming devices). Jun 21, 2022 · If you’re new to climbing or bouldering, you’ll be hearing a lot of new terms in the climbing gym as well as from videos that you might consume. Climbing Slang. Typical of any sport or subculture, rock climbing has its fair share of vocabulary that may seem intimidating at first. nailing an ancient term used to describe direct-aid climbing with pitons. Here are the basic climbing terms to get you going, in alphabetical order: 1 Feb 18, 2025 · Why is it important to understand climbing slang? Understanding climbing slang helps you communicate effectively with other climbers and enhances your climbing experience. CLIMBING TERMINIOLOGY Climbing is dangerous, it involves inherent and other risks and cannot be made safe. A spotter is a person who stands below the climber with their arms raised to help guide them towards the crash pad if they fall. Short for “carabiner. The whole goal of climbing is to discover the physical movement of ascending a vertical wall. Feb 16, 2024 · It is used to keep you close to the wall on an overhang. An undercling allows you to utilize your entire arm span when Apr 4, 2017 · If simul-climbing (the alpinist’s day out in the mountains), a pitch can be climbing before the leader stops, builds a belay, and brings up his second so they can exchange roles. 52. Outdoors, speed climbing usually refers to climbing big walls very quickly. canvas: climbing using only your hands and arms. To help you newcomers avoid sounding like a total kook—and you trad dads brush up on the latest lingo—I’ve gone ahead and outlined 47 essential climbing terms you need to know The purpose is to use no feet therefore strengthening the arms and fingers by jumping up the slats and climbing back down. A climber ascends an arete. Boulders are typically 10 to 20 feet high, but can be much higher or shorter. Instead of feeling lost in translation when you hear terms like “gaston the side-pull,” get ready to dive into the exciting world of rock climbing lingo. Mar 16, 2020 · Other Rock Climbing Terms – Types of Moves. Wider aretes (greater than 90 degrees) are often referred to as blunt aretes. Completing the route without falling gets you the maximum 100 points. Jun 7, 2024 · Part of the reason climbing is fun is that it must be figured out. Jul 23, 2023 · An indoor climbing facility with artificial walls. Corner. Training Board A small, steep wooden climbing wall (AKA woodie). Other types of rock climbing terms that boulderers use are in relation to movements, or types of moves they should be engaging in. mixed climbing either a combination of free and aid climbing; or a combination of rock, snow, and ice climbing. Route: a pre-planned way of reaching the top of a climb. That’s why they’re called boulder “problems. Undercling: A type of hold meant to be gripped from underneath. #2 Belay. A type of anchor used in abseiling especially in winter and in ice climbing. You can also “boulder” along the base of a cliff. Climbing Gym: An indoor facility equipped with artificial rock walls designed for climbing. The technical difficulty grading system for aid climbing (both for "original" and an adapted version for "new wave"), which goes: A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5 and up to A6 (for "new wave"). ” Bolt. Advanced climbers should master technical terms and grip terminology. Apr 11, 2014 · Climbing area - A region that is plentiful with climbing routes. Bouldering Glossary. Aid climbing 6. The climber then pushes their feet against the opposite wall, creating counter pressure. Edge. Abalakov thread Abalakov thread Also V-thread. (Photo: Getty Images) Once reaching the top of a problem the finish happens by mantling over the top of the wall. Climbing without gear (other than shoes and chalk bag). Traverse A problem that travels predominantly sideways. Also called outside corners. Feb 7, 2023 · Wall Street slang provides handy soundbites and helps distill complicated financial market subjects into a widely understood language. When you keep your shoes on to move around different locations, your shoes Lost my feet: having your feet slip off of a hold so that the responsibility of keeping you on the wall falls solely to your hands. It's a problem, you need to find the solution to finish the route, perfectly logical. All the styles of climbing listed above are types of free climbing. AFAIK: "Escalada" covers both mountain climbing and bouldering, "alpinismo" is mountain climbing. One of the most common climbing terms is ‘beta’. To the dismay of some, I did not include anything about alpinism or ice climbing because I will never do those things. If you rest on every bolt of the entire route, it is called climbing bolt-to-bolt. The opposite of a corner where the face protrudes at the joining of both wall planes. First Feb 16, 2022 · Beta is a specific, blow-by-blow description of a sequence or climb. A problem that rests inside of a corner of a wall - literally, ha. Climbing Shoes: Specialized footwear designed for rock climbing. Pinkpoint and redpoint refer to the degree the route has been set up. [link: speed ascents of the nose] Spit Off – To fall off a boulder problem or route. Beginners should learn basic climbing words first. Any wall approximately 1,000 feet or higher can be called a big wall. Similar to a crimp, but usually deeper (at least to the first knuckle) and more flat. Jul 29, 2024 · lead climbing: Climbing on a rope, clipping into protection points as you go to secure a potential fall. Top Rope: When the rope is attached to an anchor system at the top of the wall. The route you take to walk/run/skip to the base of the climb. More generally, it refers to information about a climb or climbing-related (or any) topic. Free climbing. X X (Protection Rating) A rating from the Yosemite Decimal System given to climbs that have very poor or no protection. In some cases, there are artificial highball climbing walls set above a large net or mat, but highball climbing is rare to find unless it’s done on rock. Top rope: the kind of climbing often found at a gym or on an artificial wall. There are unlimited slang terms that different people use in different types of climbing. Specifically called such because of the wooden panels (usually left unpainted) used to attach the climbing holds to. ygm jndfr mqsmq ereqm nzuxi pkv zwti vysta qbnl kiz