Of Slings, Slack and Slang

If you are just getting interested in climbing, chances are you're feeling a little
overwhelmed. Nevermind coming to grips with the vertical world -- you can't even
understand half of what your more experienced friends are talking about. In the
spirit of increasing your comfort level, Rock + Ice Online has developed a very
basic introduction to climbing terminology. 

Bear in mind, this list would be endless if we had tried to make it comprehensive.
There are new terms and slang that develop on a near-weekly basis, and each
subset of climbing culture has its own very technical terms that outsiders rarely hear.
Nevertheless, this list will get you off the ground. Peruse it in the privacy of your
own home, and before you know it you will be surprising your friends, spewing tales
of heinously epic offwidths with the best of them. 

We welcome your additions and encourage off-the-wall slang. If you have
something to add, you can submit a term. 



The Glossary

A vue -- French for "onsight" 

Abseil -- British equivalent of rappel. Rappel is a French word meaning "to
retrieve," which you would do to your rope after you slide down it - if you want to
use it again. Abseil is from the German and means "to rope down." 

Aggro -- Aggressive. 

Aid climbing -- Climbing in which the climber ascends or rests by making use of
the rope or gear to support his/her weight. 

Alpine style -- An approach to climbing peaks in which the ascent is made in one
push, usually by traveling as light as possible. 

Anal Flossing -- A fall in which the leader falls onto the portion of the rope below
him such that it slides through his butt cheeks. Not recommended for those that
follow common hygiene techniques and schedules. 

Anchor -- Any tree, block, nut, bolt, Friend, Camalot or other protection device
that holds a climber or team to a wall, slope or cliff with rope, slings and carabiners.

Ascender -- A piece of gear (e.g. Jumar) that enables a climber to ascend a rope.
Attached to the rope, it will grip in one direction (down), slide in the other (up). 

Back-clean -- Removing protection from a section of a pitch that has already been
climbed for use on the upper section of the pitch. 

Back-clip -- Improper method of clipping rope into a carabiner such that the rope
could more easily unclip itself. 

Barn-dooring -- When a climber swings out (like a door) as a result of being
off-balance; as from a lieback position. 

Belay -- An old sailing term, meaning to secure. The use of a rope to stop a
climber's potential fall. 

Bergschrund -- The uppermost crevasse on a glacier, where the glacier separates
and flows away from the snow/ice field that feeds it. 

Beta -- Advice on how a route should be climbed-as if the no-longer-marketed
Sony Betamax were used to video-tape 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." 

Bivi -- To bivouac. To spend the night out, usually with minimal gear. 

Bloody tips -- The condition of having raw and bleeding finger tips from rough
holds. 

Bomber -- an anchor system or placement that is very solid and can be trusted
100%. 

Bobpoint -- (slang) a new style of ascent in which an ascent is not actually made. It
is merely enough to know that you were capable of doing the route. I propose this
as the technical term for every joker who says: "I could've done it," "Ran out of
time," "Too hot," "Holds too greasy," "Didn't rest enough," "Didn't eat enough," etc.
Many actual ascent claims by well-known, sponsored climbers are actually
bobpoints. 

Brain Bucket -- Slang for a helmet. 

Bucket -- A very large incut hold that you can wrap your fingers over. 

Burly -- Powerful or strenuous. 

Butterfly or backpack coil -- Quick method of coiling a rope, in two sets of
bights of doubled rope, so that it may be easily transported, tied to the back like a
pack. 

Carabiner -- An aluminum, steel or titanium snap-link used for holding the rope
and connecting it to gear. 

Chalk -- Made from magnesium carbonate. Gymnasts, weight lifters and climbers
have used chalk for decades to counteract sweaty hands and improve grip.
Nevertheless, white chalk marks are often unsightly and don't wash off the rock
unless exposed to frequent precipitation. 

Cheese Grater -- The act of taking a large fall, while leading on less than vertical
rock, that results in sliding down the rock and usually causes abrasions to the knees
and/or hands and elbows. Also, a crack that can shred unprotected hands. 

Chickenhead -- A protrusion of rock, so named because of its resembance to the
head of a chicken. These holds often make good anchors to sling. 

Chock -- An artificial chockstone wedged into a crack for protection by hand
without the use of a hammer. 

Choss -- Loose, rotten or otherwise crappy rock. 

Classic -- A term that refers to a climbing route which is reknowned, usually locally
and nationwide. 

Cleaning -- removing protection while seconding or rappelling. 

Coldshut -- Steel rod bent into a loop and usually, but not always, welded shut.
Used for bolt hangers. 

Copperhead -- A blob of copper swaged to a cable and pounded into cracks or
depressions for body-weight aid placements. 

Cordelette -- An 16-20 foot length of 6-8mm kernmantle cord tied in a loop and
used to equalize several belay anchors. 

Cornice -- Overhanging lip of snow, formed by wind, on the top of ridges. The lip
overhangs in the leeward direction. IF you're on or underneath it when it breaks... 

Couloir -- Snow- or ice-filled gully. 

Counterbalance -- 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. 

Crater -- to hit the ground before your rope catches you. 

Crevasse -- A deep crack in a glacier. 

Crank -- To pull up hard on a hold. 

Crimper -- A small feature or hold which only your finger tips can contact. 

Crux -- The hardest part of a climb or pitch. 

Daisy chain -- A series of carabiners or loops sewn into a piece of webbing so
that there are many places to clip into it. 

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. As in, "Did you see that guy deck?!
Is he ok?!" 

Dirt me -- "Lower me to the ground; I'm done with the pitch and have put the rope
through the anchors at the top." 

Draw -- Short for "quickdraw." 

Dyno -- a dynamic move or lunge 

Edging -- Technique in which the climber places his/her feet on narrowly protruding
edges. 

Elvis -- A bad case of the shakes, as in "Look at that guy on the BY doin' the
Elvis!" We've also been using it to mean large camming devices, like a #6 Friend or
#5 Camalot. 

Epic -- Slang term for a climbing adventure that was long, arduous or somehow
much more than you bargained for. 

Equalized -- Usually used in reference to anchors set in such a way that the weight
of the climbing team and/or the force of a fall is distributed equally among all the
pieces that are part of the anchor. 

Expedition style -- An approach to climbing big peaks in which the ascent is made
by shuttling gear and establishing a series of camps that eventually puts the climbers
in a position to make a summit bid. 

Face climbing -- Using the features that protrude from a rock face (rather than
cracks in the face) to climb. 

Fecofile -- probably the most elegant way to talk about a device for disposing of
human waste while climbing a big wall (a.k.a. shit-tube, big-wall john, poop-tube). 

Finger stack -- A method of jamming in which the fingers are stacked on top of
each other in a thin crack. 

Fixed line -- A rope left attached to an anchor so it can be readily used for
ascending or descending. Used to avoid releading part of a climb or to enable a
relatively quick, safe descent during storm or darkness. 

Flag -- A move in which a foot is placed off to one side, not necessarily on a hold,
in order to prevent barn-dooring. 

Flash -- redpoint ascent, first try on lead, utilizing prior inspection, information or
beta from others. 

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. 

Free-solo -- To free-climb without a rope and therefore without needing a partner. 

French Angle -- The act of counter-balancing a barn-door or swing by holding a
leg out behind you. "When you get up to that arete, you gotta pull this heinous
french angle." Some people improperly use the term "flag" for this technical climbing
maneuver. See Flag for clarification. 

Friends -- The original spring-loaded camming device with a trigger to retract the
cams. 

Gaston -- Pulling with both hands in opposite directions and away from each other.

Glacier travel technique -- In order to prevent an injurious fall into a crevasse,
partners must walk roped together. Prusik knots should already be attached to the
rope so that the climbers can prusik out of a crevasse or set up a pulley system to
haul the victim out if he/she cannot prusik out. 

Glissade -- A quick method of descending a snowfield, in which the climber sits,
crouches or stands, with an ice axe ready for self-arrest, and slides down the slope.
In the sitting or crouching position, the tail of the axe can be used as a rudder to
control direction and speed. 

God-Save-Me -- (Australian) A type of hold, usually large. When a climber is
completely gripped and lunges wildly for an unknown hold, only to find that it is so
good that they couldn't possibly fall off it, it is referred to as a "god-save-me." The
term refers to the emotional plea made just as the climber commits to the move. 

Goldline Rope -- The brand name of a laid (twisted), sheathless nylon rope. It was
the most widely used climbing rope in the US in the '60s. 

Grade -- The difficulty rating attached to a climb. 

Greenpoint -- To flash a route on toprope. 

Gripped -- Scared. 

Hangdog -- To learn or practice the moves of a pitch while hanging from the rope. 

Hanging belay -- To belay hanging from bolts or gear placed in cracks, without a
substantial ledge on which to stand or sit. 

Hueco -- a hole or pocket in the wall/rock. 

Heel Hooking -- Placing your heel on a hold while climbing and using it for
leverage or balance. You can use this maneuver effectively to rest or pull off of with
holds that are above a roof or overhang. 

Heinous -- An extremely difficult or dangerous. 

Hex -- Short for Hexentric. A hollow, nut-like, hexagonal-shaped type of
protection. 

Icefall -- The fractured, tumultuous, unstable part of a glacier, where it flows over a
relatively steep drop. Analogous to a river rapid. 

Jam -- To place a body part in a crack and use it to gain leverage. 

Jiggery-Pokery -- Shady tactics used to complete a climb, such as stick-clipping
or pre-placing gear. 

Jug -- A large hold. "To jug" means to jumar. 

Knee-bar -- Knee-foot counterpressure (with one leg), such as between two
stalactites on an overhanging climb, that may allow the climber to let go with both
hands and rest. 

Knee Clamp -- Using the knee instead of the foot to climb. If I witness you doing
it, you owe me a beer. 

Lead climbing -- Style in which the first climber (the leader) places protection as
he/she climbs and is belayed from below. 

Lithuanian Elbow Clamp -- A rest position used just before committing to a
strenuous mantel, developed by Jonas Grina at Rotary Park, Horsetooth Reservoir
near Fort Colins, Co. The upper arm is placed on the ledge and the hand of that
arm is wedged under the chin to establish this wonderful rest position. 

Manky -- A piece of protection that is questionable; it may or may not hold a fall. 

Mono pocket -- A hole into which only one finger can fit. 

Nut -- A chock. The first artificial chockstones were threaded hexagonal nuts
picked up along railroad tracks on the way to British crags. A sling was put through
the hole and a krab (karabiner) attached to the sling. 

Off-width -- A crack that is too large for fist jams yet too small to accommodate
the whole body and be climbed like a chimney. 

Onsight -- Redpoint ascent of a route, pitch or boulder problem with no beta or
prior knowledge of the moves. 

Over-the-shoulder -- See Sling. 

Pinkpoint -- Same as a redpoint, but with pre-placed protection or draws. 

Pitch -- One rope length, from the ground or one belay station to the next belay. 

Protection -- The gear that a climber attaches the rope to as he/she climbs. 

Prusik knot -- A loop of cord or webbing is wound around a rope of larger
diameter. When the knot is properly tied and weighted, it should not slip; when
unweighted, it can slide up or down the rope. 

Quickdraw -- A short piece of webbing and two carabiners, usually sewn in. 

Rack -- The collection of gear a lead climber takes up the climb, usually on a gear
sling and/or attached to his/her harness. 

Rage -- A superlative description of a strong, well-executed, powerful or any other
good move. As in, "Woah, I thought that guy was gonna biff, but when he got to
that super-slopey crux he walked it. Man, he raged." 

Rappel -- To self-lower from the top of a climb using a rope. 

Redpoint -- To lead a climb you have fallen or hung on before, placing protection,
without falling or weighting any protection on the way up. 

Ring-jam -- Also know as a finger-stack or thumb-stack type of jam. Can you say
"inch-and-a-quarter?" 

Runners -- Traditionally, a "running belay," so called because it extends the belay
to each piece of protection (as long as the protection doesn't fail). American
climbers often refer to any sling they carry for protection (or extending protection)
as a "runner." 

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. 

Screamer -- A long fall. 

Scumming -- Common crack-climbing technique of using some body part
frictioned against the rock (i.e. hip scumming, butt scumming, etc.). Full-body
scumming can be helpful when manteling onto a ledge with no useful holds above. 

Scuz -- The act of smearing a part of your body, other your hands or feet (shoes),
against the rock. 

Second -- After the leader, the next person to climb a pitch. "To second" means to
follow a pitch. 

Send -- To redpoint a route. 

Serac -- Building-size blocks of glacial ice, such as those found in an icefall. Seracs
can collapse spontaneously and wipe out anything below. 

Sewed-Up -- A reference to a climb in which the leade has placed protection
extremely close together, usually levery 5 feet or less. 

Sewing-machine -- When a tired climber's legs begin to shake up and down. 

Sketchy -- Featureless and therefore difficult and hard-to-protect rock. 

Slack -- Extra rope. 

Slings -- A sling of nylon or Spectra/nylon, webbing or cord. Usually carried over
one's shoulder -- single, doubled or tripled, depending on the length of the sling. 

Sloper -- A hold which is sloping, not incut. 

Smearing -- Technique in which the climber gains purchase on the rock using
friction from the sole of the shoe. 

Smedge -- To simultaneously smear and edge. 

Snot -- A very, very small hold on an indoor wall. 

Spectra -- A type of rope or cord that is strong and not elastic. 

Sport climbing -- Climbing routes on which pre-placed bolts are used for
protection. 

Spot -- To protect a climber by preparing to prevent their head from hitting the
ground if they were to fall. 

Stemming -- Technique in which the hands and/or feet are pressured in opposition
far out to each side, as in a dihedral or wide chimney. 

Stick-clip -- Using a device to attach the rope to the first bolt of a climb from the
ground. Doing so protects the climber from hitting the ground if they should fall
before the first bolt. 

Swinging leads -- On a multi-pitch route, the pattern of alternating the roles of
leader and follower. 

Take -- To hold the climber tightly with the rope. 

Tension -- To hold the climber tightly with the rope. 

Testpiece -- A climb that is representative of the hardest, best climbs in an area. 

Thank God Ledge -- A ledge found few and far between on an otherwise blank
big wall. Thank God refers to the appreciation of the lead climber who reaches the
ledge in desperation. 

Toe Hooking -- The same type of maneuver as a heel hook, only executed with
the toe. 

Toprope -- Any situation in which the belay 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.

Vapor lock -- Climber or climbers (typically beginners) who forget to use their
brains while climbing, and who freeze in place. This is much like an automobile with
the same problem. 

Walk -- Climbing a route with such ease and finesse that you make it look quite
easy. "After I came screaming off that route, a passing local sandbagged me and
walked it." 

Webbing -- Flat profile nylon. 

Wigged -- The feeling of an extreme adrenaline rush that follows a tough ascent or
long fall. "After the crux, I was wigged." 

Winger -- A long lead fall. See screamer. 

Wired -- Knowing a route so well that you can, without much thought or effort,
complete it perfectly. 

Y.D.S. -- Yosemite Decimal System for rating climb difficulty (ranging from 5.0 to
5.14). 

Z-Clip -- Clipping the highest point of protection with a section of rope pulled up
from below the last piece you clipped. This a dangerous practice, and should be
avoided. 

Zipper -- A series of protection placements that pop out in sequence when the
leader falls. 

HOME