Climbing glossary

This is NOT an organized glossary. I mean, it's organized by climbing terms that pop into my head. That's it.

Sloper: A hold that doesn't have a lot of positive surface. Imagine palming a basketball without any texture--holding a sloper feels kind of like that. They suck as handholds, but since they tend to be big, they're good footholds.

SCS: Stands for Sport Climbing Series. SCS is toproping and lead climbing. An SCS comp is a toproping/lead climbing comp.

Comp: Short for competition.

ABS: Stands for American Bouldering Series. An ABS comp is a bouldering comp.

Bouldering: climbing a short distance (up to twelve feet; beyond that is highball bouldering) above the ground without a rope. Somewhat easier (setting-up-wise) than toproping or lead climbing because you only need some crash pads and climbing shoes.

Crash pad: A big thick pad you put under your bouldering problem so that if you fall, it doesn't hurt quite as much. Also called crash mat.

Toproping: Climbing a wall with the rope anchored above you. Less scary than lead climbing, but generally for less experienced or very young climbers, like me. (I'm inexperienced, not young!) Can also be top-roping or top roping.

Lead climbing: As you climb, you clip into these things called quick draws, which look like carabiners connected by a thick-ish piece of tough cloth. When you lead climb, you have to take out slack to clip in to the quick draws. If you fall when you are clipping, or anytime really, you fall farther than you would on toprope because of all the slack. In case you hadn't guessed, the rope is on the ground, not in an anchor at the top of the wall.

Whipper: A lead fall, generally a big one. Scary. Just search "climbing whipper" in your web browser and you'll see what I mean.

Jug: A hold with a lot of positive surface that you can really get your hand into. Not found on a lot of hard routes.

Crimp: A small hold requiring a lot of finger strength to hold on to. In general, I like crimps better than slopers.

Jib: Like a crimp, but wayyyyy smaller. 99.99% of the time, jibs are used as footholds.

Pinch: A hold you pinch to hold on to it.

Undercling: A hold turned upside down so you have to use the underside. Often a jug, but can be anything.

ATC: I have no idea what this stands for, and I'm too lazy to look it up. It's the most common belay device. It has two slots (so you can use it with either hand, not so you can belay two people at once), and a thin but stable wire coming out of the top so you can hook it through a carabiner when you use it or when you need to carry it around. To let the person you're belaying down, loosen (don't release) your grip on the rope that's under your device.

Grigri: A bigger belay device than the ATC. Looks more complicated, though it isn't, and slightly heavier. It twists open so you can put the rope inside. Once you hook it through your carabiner, it stays closed. It locks automatically when the person you're belaying falls. The way you let the climber down is by pulling a lever. The ones I've seen can only be used with your right hand.

Belaying: Making sure your parent, friend, or kid you're babysitting doesn't die by pulling the rope through a belay device and paying attention. If the person falls, your hand isn't on the brake strand, and you're using an ATC, the climber will fall, hopefully not to his/her death.

Mantle/mantling: pushing down on a hold, usually a big one, and often a sloper.

Volume: A really big hold that you put smaller holds on.

Roof: A small overhang.

Flash: Climbing a route the first time you try it, but you get to see the route beforehand. 

Onsight: Climbing a route the first time you try it, but you don't get to see it beforehand.

Redpoint: Completing the climb on your second/third/fifth/hundredth time trying it. 

Sending: Cleanly completing a route.

Clean: Climbing something without resting on the rope.

If you're a professional climber and you think I got a definition wrong, please comment correcting me, and, you know, because it would be cool to have a pro climber comment on my blog.

Ciao! --Taryn