Reading University Mountaineering Club - RUMC

Pages: Club terminology - Climbing equipment - Outdoors kit - Rock type/features - Climbing terminology - Climbing techniques - Other stuff

Page 2 : Climbing equipment

Bentgate A snapgate karabiner with a bent gate to allow the rope to be clipped more easily and quickly. Used on the rope end of a quickdraw.

Bolt
Fixed protection. A hole is drilled into the rock and a bolt is either glued in or an expansion bolt is fitted.

Belay plate /device
A small device used by the belayer to connect the rope to themselves and the climber. The device allows the belayer to easily hold the weight of the climber and falls to be caught safely.

Cam(s) More correctly known as spring loaded camming devices ( SLCDs), the invention of these revolutionised climbing. They will go were no other gear will go, in parallel-sided or flared cracks. They consist of 3 or 4 lobes ( cams) that are spring loaded and connected to a trigger, that you pull to contract the device and insert it into a crack. Releasing the trigger allows it to grip, and any pull on the device increases it's grip. They are expensive, but you will learn to love them when they are the only thing between you and the ground!

Climbing Shoes
Close fitting foot wear designed to enable the wearer to 'feel' the rock. Probably the single most beneficial item of gear for climbing as rock shoes can add several grades to your ability in trainers. It is generally acknowledged that these should be worn tight but not so tight that your feet bleed after an hour. Rock shoes generally have a rubber sole and leather / fabric shoe and come in either laced or velcro fashions. Different styles are availiable for different forms of climbing.

Crampon(s)
A set of metal spikes that attach to boots to give grip on ice and hard snow.

Double rope(s)
A system used frequently in Britain for trad climbing. Two thin ropes (7.8-9mm) are used but always clipped into independant gear placements. This allows routes that are not straight up to be climbed safely without encountering problems of rope drag. It also allows 50m abseils to be made in case escape is necessary.

Dynamic rope
Climbing ropes are dynamic, or stretchy, so that they absorb some of the impact in a fall, reducing the force on the gear, the climber and the belayer. Never climb using a rope that is not dynamic.

Dyneema
This is ultra high molecular weight polyethylene used to make very light and skinny slings. It is very very strong, allowing thinner slings to be made. Unfortunately dye won't stick to it so it is mixed with nylon in climbing equipment. The white threads are dyneema and the coloured ones are nylon.

Expansion bolt
A variety of bolt that grips the bolt hole by expanding outwards.

Friend(s) See ' cam'.

Gate
Refers to the part of a karabiner that hinges to allow the rope to enter/exit the krab. Can be solid or made out of wire and may have a locking device such as a screw gate to prevent it from opening accidentally.

Gear
A general term for climbing hardware such as nuts, hexes, cams etc, used to protect a route.

Half rope(s) See ' Double rope'

Harness
Consists of a waistbelt and legloops connected by a belay/ abseil loop. A climber wears this to attach themselves to the rope and to carry the gear they need on gearloops attached to the waistbelt.

Hex(es) These are larger versions of nuts and normally have slings threaded onto them but can also be on wire. They are eccentric hexagons (hence the name) which allows them to fit into a variety of different sized cracks and also allows them to be placed in parallel cracks by camming them.

Hexcentrics See ' Hexes'

HMS A large karabiner with a wide top designed for belaying or tying multiple strands of rope into at a belay. HMS stands for Halbmastwurfsicherung - the German word for an Italian hitch.

Kleimheist See ' Prussik'

Krab ( Karabiner/Carabiner/Crab) These are metal clips used to attach gear to the rope. They come in many varieties - HMS, screwgate, snapgate, straightgate, bentgate, wiregate etc. They consist of a roughly C shaped ring of alloy with a hinged gate that allows the rope to be clipped in.

Lower-off
Usually two bolts, sometimes linked by a chain, that are at the top of a sport route for the climber to attach themselves and the rope to, before lowering back to the ground.

Micros
The name for a class of very small nuts for very small cracks. Obviously they are not as strong as full size nuts but are better than nothing!

Nut(s) Also known as wires or rocks (the brandname of the originals), these are metal wedges attached to wire that a climber uses to protect climbs by wedging them into constrictions in cracks.

Nutkey A metal hook used by the second to extract gear that is hard or awkward to get out.

Peg
These come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but have the general form of iron spikes with a ring on the end. The peg is permenantly hammered into a crack and left behind when the team have climbed past. They are not used in summer any more as they damage the rock, but you may come across old specimens on routes, especially in the mountains. They are still used occasionally in winter climbing when nothing else will fit.

Pro(tection) see Gear

Prussik (knot) A variety of knot that is tied in a loop of cord and used to grip a climbing rope to aid in emergency or hauling situations. Prussik loops will move along a rope when they are loose, but grip tightly when loaded. They have applications in abseiling, rescue, rope ascent and escape situations. Can also be used as a verb - to ' prussik up a rope' is to use a pair of prussik loops to ascend a rope. There are several types of prussik knot, including the prussik, the French prussik and the Kleimheist.

Prussik loop(s)
In normal usage generally synonymous with ' prussik', strictly speaking ' prussik loop' refers to the loop of cord in which a prussik can be tied when required.
See: ' Prussik'

Quickdraw / QD Two karabiners linked by a sling. They are used by a lead climber as a link between a place of protection and the rope to reduce rope drag and prevent gear being pulled out by the rope. Usually they consist of a straightgate krab at the gear end and a bentgate krab at the rope end for easy clipping, or two wiregate krabs. The slings are from 10cm for sport climbing to 30cm for trad climbing where routes are often not straight so longer QDs help reduce drag.

Rack
A collective noun for the gear a leader carries to protect the route with.

Rock Shoes See ' Climbing shoes'

Rockcentrics See ' Hexes'

Rocks See ' Nuts'

Rope
Many different kinds of rope are used in clibbing. See:
half rope, twin rope, single rope, static rope, static cord

RP(s)
Small brass nuts for small cracks.
See also: ' Micro'

Screamer
A shock absorber. Not in frequent use, but is sometimes employed to reduce the sudden loading of marginal protection in the event of a fall. They also have industrial access applications.

Screwgate A karabiner that has a metal ring that can be screwed up over the gate opening to ensure that it cannot come undone.

Single
A variety of dynamic climbing rope. Its name indicates that it is suitable for use on its own (as opposed to half ropes or twin ropes, which are used in pairs). Normally used for top roping or sport climbing.

SLCD(s) See ' cam'.

Sling(s) These are the most basic piece of climbing gear, and also the strongest! They are simply a length of nylon or polypropylene (or a combination of both called dyneema) tape that is sewn into a loop. They are used to thread holes in rock, put on spikes or around trees, to extend gear placements and to construct belays. Commonly used sizes are 60cm and 120cm (this is their length/diameter of the loop). Also used are 240cm and even longer versions for making belays.

Snapgate (see ' krab' image)
A simple karabiner that has a springloaded gate.

Straightgate (see ' krab' image)
A snapgate karabiner with a straight gate for general use.

Static rope
More correctly called semi- static. It is low-stretch rope so is ideal for abseils and linking the gear in top-rope belays where stretching could lead to the rope rubbing and wearing through. You must never climb using a static rope, it is not safe or suitable for the purpose.

Twin rope(s)
A rope system where two very thin (7-8mm) ropes are both clipped into every piece of protection. Not commonly used in Britain.

Wiregate A more recent development. These karabiners use wire instead of solid metal for the gate. This makes them lighter and less prone to the gate sticking.

Wires See ' Nuts'

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