Reading University Mountaineering Club - RUMC

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Page 5 : Climbing terminology

Aid climbing
Climbing a route by placing gear and pulling on it. This is rare in Britain but used on big walls abroad.

Anchor
Another word for a gear placement, particularly used when describing belays.

Artificial climbing See ' Aid climbing'

Back clipping
A very dangerous practice, because of the potentially very serious consequences combined with the fact that it isn't immediately obvious why it is wrong. A krab is 'back clipped' if the rope from belayer to climber runs from the front to the back of the krab instead of the correct back side (ie, rockface side) to the front. In the event of a fall it can result in the rope falling across the gate of the krab, causing it to unclip itself.

Belay See also ' Belay plate'
Two meanings depending on context:
1) (verb) The process by which a climber's partner keeps them safe while they are climbing, through use of the climbing rope and a device such as a belay plate.
2) (noun) A stance (generally off of the ground, mid route or at the top) where a belayer has made theselves safe and can belay for their climber.

Belayer
The person controlling the climber's rope to keep them safe.

Big Wall(s)
Any cliff face that requires many many pitches (and possibly several days) to climb. These are often aid climbed. Good examples are found in Yosemite and Patagonia.

Bouldering
Climbing short pieces of rock with no rope and no protection apart from a bouldering mat. This form of climbing focuses solely on difficulty without danger.

Crux
The hardest part of a route.

Fontainebleau
Bouldering mecca about an hour south of Paris, France.

Free climbing
Opposite of aid climbing. Refers to climbing where the climber climbs the rock to make progress, instead of placing gear and then standing on it to progress. Despite common confusion, the term free climbing has no connection to climbing without ropes.
See also: ' Soloing', ' Aid climbing'

High Ball Bouldering
Refers to bouldering of tall problems, generally where the top is high enough to pose a risk of serious injury. The line between this and soloing a short climb is rather blurry.
See also: ' Bouldering', ' Soloing'

Industrial access
Refers to work that takes place in situations where ropes are required, either for safety or for gaining physical access to the area. Not really a profession in itself, it is more an extra qualification that might be useful for electricians/plumbers/construction workers.

Italian hitch
Also known as the Munter hitch. A method of belaying that uses just a karabiner and the rope. It is well worth learning for that time when you are 50 metres up and drop your belay plate...

Lead climbing
Ascending a sport or trad route and clipping in the rope to bolts / protection as you ascend. Your last anchor point is always below you, so there is a potential for a fall that does not exist with top roping or seconding.

Marginal
When a gear placement appears to not be very good and may well come out if actually loaded. A bad thing, and climbers will only use marginal protection because it is better than no protection at all!

Multi pitch
A climb that is made up of two or more pitches (each separated by a stance) that are climbed in turn. Two or three pitches can sometimes be optionally climbed as one.

Munter hitch See Italian hitch

Pitch(es)
A section of climbing. A climb normally breaks up logically into a series of pitches. These can be as a result of the length of the route (a short route will normally be climbed in one pitch), the length of rope available (as the furthest a climber and belayer can be apart mid-climb is one rope length), or the terrain (routes that change direction a lot may be broken up into smaller pitches to reduce rope drag). Each pitch ends when the leader finds a safe place to set up a stance which allows them to belay as their partner climbs up to join them.

Placement
Anywhere where you may place (or have already placed) some gear.

Pop(ping/ped) See ' Rip'

Pumped
A term climbers use to descirbe those times when your forearms are burning and solid and you simply can't hold on much longer!

Rip
When gear comes out as the rope comes tight on it during a fall. Generally a bad thing.

Rope drag
This is caused by friction on the rope due to gear not running in a straight line. Usually this is just annoying but on a long pitch it can actually get so bad that the leader cannot move! Extending runners and using double ropes is the best way to avoid it.

Route
An indepentant way up a crag or cliff. Any crag will have several routes, all named and graded by the first ascensionist.

Runner
A piece of gear or bolt used by the leader to protect the climb. A shortening of 'running belay'.

Scrambling
A walk where somewhere between some of it and all of it requires the use of your hands. Generally graded 1-3 with 3 being the hardest. While the techical climbing is much easier on a scramble than a climb, you will generally have much more equpment with you and be wearing less suitable footwear, so do not underestimate the risks, especially in bad weather.

Scree running
A way of descending slopes of loose rock debris ( scree). Essentially involves running down the slope attempting to skip over the surface without getting bogged down in the scree. Because you don't spend your time fighting your loose footing and digging yourself out of the scree with each step it can actually be much easier than a walking descent, though with some obvious risks!

Seconding
Making the second ascent of a route which has been lead by the lead climber, unclipping the rope and removing the protection as your ascend.
See also: ' Lead climbing'

Single pitch
A climb that can be climbed in one pitch (normally limited by the length of rope availabe).

Solo(ing/er/ist)
Climbing with no ropes or protection. Official club position is that we DO NOT endorse soloing because of the obvious large risks involved.
See also: ' High ball bouldering'

Sport climbing
Climbing routes with permanent gear placements (bolts) drilled into the rock. This form of climbing allows you to focus on hard routes without the fear of gear failing.

Stance
Normally refers to a position at the top of any pitch of a multi-pitch climb from where a belayer can safely belay their climber.

Top-rope(ing)
Climbing with the rope anchored above the climber.

Trad(itional climbing)
Using only the natural rock to climb and only the natural cracks and features of the rock to place gear in. This is the predominant form of climbing in Britain.

Unzip(ped)
When each piece of gear rips in turn during a fall. Can be caused by the belayer standing too far out from the rockface, creating an outward force on the gear in the event of fall. Generally a very bad thing resulting in high speed climber/crag interaction.

Z-clipping
Refers to a situation where a climber has accidentally clipped some of their anchors in the wrong order - IE, not 'ground upwards'. Only possible when the anchors are very close together and two are in reach at once, and generally will be immediately obvious due to the massive rope drag it produces.

Words to define: