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Rock Climbing Terminology |
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Written by Spence Talbots
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Sunday, 15 July 2007 |
Rock climbing is considered an extreme sport and it is true. Once you get a taste of it, however, you will be addicted. To immerse yourself in the fun of hanging from vertical services, you need to know the terminology used.
A bivouac is one of those things you will only use when you become an advanced climber. It is a sleeping bad/tent that you use in the middle of a climb when night sets. It hands from the wall and is uncomfortable.
I and many people love Elvis. Rock climbers are no different and invoke his name. The Elvis is a term used most often for new climbers that get stressed and fatigued on a climb. The Elvis occurs when a leg starts to shake horizontally, much like Elvis dancing.
As with any sport, a bit of practice will help your climbing. For many, this means bouldering. Bouldering is simply climbing on boulders or other surfaces that provide interesting challenges, but are not particularly high and thus fairly safe.
At its core, free solo climbing is the sport at its most pure. It is literally you and the rock. No gear, no ropes, no nothing. You rely on your own skill completely. Of course, you have no safety element if you fall. Only to be done by expert climbers.
If you are going to do some serious ice climbing, your feet are critical. You need to anchor yourself on the ice with your toes, and rigid crampons are the answer. They fit snugly over the bottom of your boot and have spiked toes that anchor into the ice.
As your skills advance, you will advance to top rope climbing. Top rope is a form of climbing where the climb has a rope hanging from the top of the climb down. It allows you to get comfortable moving up vertical surfaces with plenty of safety.
When is freedom not free? When we are talking about free climbing. Free climbing sounds as though it would be done without equipment, but it is not. It actually refers to being on a climb, but not required to haul up gear, rope and what have you.
The finger lock is a common, but advanced climbing technique. It is essentially the cramming of multiple fingers in a crack on the climbing surface to create a hold. One has to be careful not to get the fingers stuck in the crack, which can happen given your weight.
Obviously, the above represents a small sampling of the terminology used by climbers. If you are getting into the sport, pick up a book and learn all you can. Of course, you’ll need to learn the slang on the climb.
Keep track of your climbs with rock climbing journals at NomadJournals.com. Click here for other unique rock climbing articles.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 15 July 2007 )
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Climbing