Climbing Terminology

Jug- the holds that feel like HEAVEN and are very easy to grip
Crimps/Crimping- small, narrow holds that require the use of your fingertips; they are like holding on to a door frame or thin edge
Sloper- an open-hand hold that requires the friction of your skin against the rock; round holds that put your hand in a similar position like when you try to hold onto a soccer ball with one hand
Undercling- a hold that is pulled from above. most holds turned upside down will become underclings. Some holds turned upside down become hellish unusable holds.
Sidepull- a hold that is pulled from the side.
Pinch- a hold that is gripped by pinching it with your fingers on one side and your thumb on another
Pocket- A hold that does not use all of your fingers when grabbing it.

Dyno- a climbing move that requires a jump to the next hold(s)
Smearing- climbing technique when a climber uses his/her/their climbing shoe against the flat wall/rock to provide friction to ascend (stepping on the nothingness of the wall in a super sketchy feeling way that makes you feel really vulnerable but you just have to trust your feet and the rubber the climbing shoe company put on your shoes)
Flagging- a climbing technique where a climber puts his/her/their leg to some position when making a move to balance the body
Heel Hook- a climbing technique where a climber places his/her/their heel on a hold, weights it, and uses it as leverage to make the next move
Toe Hook- a climbing technique where a climber places his/her/their toe on the wall/a hold, weights it, and uses it as leverage to make the next move
Flash- finishing a route/boulder from top to bottom without falling in one try
Knee Bar- the act of wedging your knee in between two holds to allow you to make the next move
Dynamic Moves- climbing moves that require power; opposite of static
Static Moves- climbing moves that require strength, balance, flexibility, and patience; opposite of dynamic
Crux- the hardest move in a boulder/route
Mantling- the same kind of motion of getting out of a pool on the edge
Gaston- a movement where the hold is positioned that you are pulling away from the center line of your body instead of towards the center line.

Route- the path up a specific rope climb
Arete- an outward facing corner of a rock (if you were to climb the edge of the spine of a book when it’s on propped up)
Crag- the term for a climbing area
Pitch- the height of a climb that one rope can reach

Flapper- a big flap of torn skin on your hand or finger caused from climbing
Getting “Pumped”- the tight, burning sensation that occurs in your forearms as they develop fatigue during a climb.
Dab/Dabbing- accidentally touching the ground, crashpad, spotter, or an incorrect hold on the wall
“Send it!”- the phrase said when you want someone to finish/crush a boulder or route
Beta- A specific way to climb a route or boulder. Beta can be different for different body types or different people. If someone is asking for beta they are asking for a way that someone has seen or done a move or climb.

Crash Pads- portable cushions used when bouldering so we don’t get boo boos
Carabiner- metal loop used to connect climbing gear
Harness- a belt with a leg-loop system that climbers wear to rope climb
Grigri- a belay device that has an auto-lock
ATC- a belay device that does not have an auto-lock
Quickdraws- a piece of gear that connects a climber to the wall’s bolts when lead climbing
Bolts- metal loops on the wall used for “clipping-in” to the wall with a quickdraw when rope climbing

Spotting- the technique of making sure a climber does not fall in a harmful way off a boulder. The main part of spotting is preventing the climber’s head from being endangered during the fall.
Belaying/Giving a Catch- the process of helping a climber from falling to the ground when rope climbing, specifically through friction on a rope; the process includes the rope, anchors, a belay device, and the belayer
Lowering- when a belayer lowers his/her/their climber to the ground
Slack- the looseness of a rope when climbing. If a climber says slack, they want the rope to be looser.
“Take!”- a word that is yelled when a rope climber is requesting all the slack from the rope to be removed; this prevents the climber from falling the length of the slack of the rope
Daisy Chain- a method that is used to tie a rope (the looped pattern you see the ropes constantly in at the SRC)