M N O P R S T U V W Z
M
Manky:
Bad, heinous, atrocious, dreadful, ghastly. Usually applies to a piece of protection, but can refer to anything that is generally worthless, disgusting and/or offensive.
Mantel:
A technique wherein a climber grasps a hold waist-level and powers the body upward with minimal assistance from the feet. (From "mantelpiece.")
Match:
To grasp a hold with both hands, or to place the feet side by side on the rock.
Mixed Climbing:
Ascending a route by a combination of methods, e.g. mixed free and aid climbing; also, ascending a route wherein both rock and ice, and sometimes snow, are encountered.
Moraine:
An accumulation of stones and various debris pushed into a large pile by a glacier.
Multi-Pitch Climb:
A climb that is longer than a single rope length, necessitating the setting of anchors at progressively higher belay stations as the climbers ascend.
Munter Hitch:
A belay knot through which the rope slides when pulled in one direction and brakes when pulled in the other.
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N
Nailing a route:
A descriptive term that refers to aid climbing with pitons, which are hammered into a wall's cracks to provide protection.
Névê:
Permanent granular snow formed by repeated freeze-thaw cycles which is found above the head of a glacier.
Nubbin:
A small rock protrusion, often a crystal, that can be utilized as a hold.
Nut:
A metal wedge with a wire loop that is inserted in cracks for protection.
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O
"Off Belay!":
Vocal signal from a climber who has reached a safe stance and no longer requires protection from his or her partner.
Off-width:
A crack, dreaded by most rational climbers, that is too wide for a hand or fist jam and too narrow to "chimney." Generally awkward and strenuous to climb, and difficult to protect.
"On Belay?":
Ritual query from a climber to verify that his or her belayer is ready to belay the climber.
On-sight (or "On-sight Flash"):
Leading a climb with no falls and no "dogging" (hanging on the rope) on the first attempt without any prior knowledge (beta) of its features or difficulties.
Open Book:
A dihedral, or right-angled inside corner.
Overhang:
Rock or ice that is angled beyond vertical.
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P
Pecker:
A thin piton resembling a bird's beak.
Pendulum:
To swing on a rope across a rock face to gain a distant anchor point.
Pitch:
A section of rock between two belay points, no more than the length of one climbing rope.
Piton:
Metal spike or peg of various shapes and configurations that can be hammered into the rock for protection, primarily in aid climbing.
Pocket:
A hole formed by a depression in the rock. Usually measured by the number of fingers that can be crammed in it.
Portaledge:
A lightweight device consisting of stretched nylon over a metal frame which can be hung from a vertical rock face to provide a place to rest/sleep on big wall climbs.
Protection (or Pro):
Any anchor (such as a nut, chock, camming device, piton or stopper) used during a climb to prevent a fall.
Prusik:
A sliding friction knot used to ascend a rope; to ascend a rope by means of such a knot.
Pumped:
A condition of severely depleted strength and lactic acid burn caused by overworking the forearm muscles while climbing.
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R
Rack:
The collection of protective devices that a climber carries on a route, attached to harness loops or on a sling slung across the shoulders.
Ramp:
An ascending ledge.
Rappel (or "Rap"):
To descend a fixed rope by means of mechanical braking devices.
Redpoint:
To lead a route from bottom to top while placing one's own protection, without falling or hanging on the rope.
Rime:
A thin crust of icy snow which accumulates on the surface of rocks.
Rivet:
A short metal stud which is tapped into a drilled hole and connected to a short sling or hanger. Rivets are used as protection on aid routes and hold the body weight of a climber, even in very shallow holes.
Roof:
An overhanging rock ceiling.
Rotten Rock:
Unreliable rock which has a tendency to break off under a climber's weight.
RP:
The original brass nut or taper, a small and effective form of protection for clean aid.
Runout:
An uncomfortably long and often dangerous distance between two points of protection.
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S
Saddle:
A high pass between two peaks.
Sandbag:
To deliberately underestimate the difficulties of a climb in order to get a climber in over his or her head, often with hilarious or tragic results.
Scrambling:
Easy, unroped climbing.
Screamer:
A long fall.
Scree:
Small loose rocks that gather on the slope at the base of a cliff.
Scumming (or Scuzzing):
To gain purchase on the rock with body parts other than the hands or feet, however tenuous or aesthetically displeasing.
Second:
The climber who follows a lead up a pitch, belaying from below while the lead advances, then ascending to the end of the pitch.
Serac:
A pinnacle or tower of ice, usually unsafe and unreliable in nature, and prone to toppling in warm weather.
Sewing Machine Leg:
An embarrassing climbing condition caused by panic and/or fatigue which is manifested by an involuntary vibration of one or both legs. Also known as "Elvis Presley Syndrome."
Sharp End:
The top, or leader's end, of the rope.
Siege:
To mount an extended assault on a mountain by moving laboriously upward through a series of progressively higher camps. Siege tactics include the use of oxygen, previously cached equipment dumps, and high-altitude porters to do the heavy lifting.
Sherpas:
An ethnic group of Tibetan origin living below Mt. Everest in the Solo Khumbu area. From the Sherpa's effective monopoly as high-altitude porters, the name has come to be applied generically to all who work in that profession.
Sirdar:
The head Sherpa on an expedition.
Slab Climbing:
Climbing a smooth sheet of rock that lacks large handholds by holding the body out from the rock and using friction and balance to move around and up the slab.
SLCDs:
Spring-loaded camming devices, such as Friends or Camalots.
Sling:
A length of nylon webbing which is either sewn or tied into a loop and is used in conjunction with the rope and anchors to provide protection. Also called a runner.
Smearing:
A technique of applying to a rock slab as much of the sticky sole of the climbing shoe as possible to achieve maximum friction.
Spindrift:
Loose, powdery snow.
Sport Climbing:
Ascending routes of extreme gymnastic difficulty protected by closely spaced bolts.
Spur:
A rock or snow rib on the side of a mountain.
Static Rope / Line:
Special climbing rope used ( usually 8 or 9 mm in diameter ) as fixed rope / line for jumaring or rapelling that does not stretch.
Stem:
To bridge the distance between two holds with one's feet; to push against adjacent or opposing walls with the feet.
Stopper:
A trapezoidal metal wedge of varying size attached to a loop of flexible wire which is fitted into cracks and depressions in the rock to provide protection for an ascending climber.
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T
Talus:
An accumulation of rocks and boulders that have fallen from a crag or face to form a steeply sloping fan at the base.
Top Rope:
A climbing rope that is anchored from above.
Topo:
A sketch of a route showing its line, bolt placements, belay stances, crux and rating.
Toucan:
A thin piton resembling a bird's beak.
Traverse:
Moving sideways across a section of terrain instead of directly up or down.
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U
Undercling:
A usually awkward and tenuous hold that requires applying upward pressure on a downward facing hold.
"Up Rope":
Command shouted by a climber when he or she desires a tighter, more secure belay.
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V
Verglas:
A thin coating of ice on rock which makes for extremely dicey climbing conditions.
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W
Webbing:
Flat nylon tape or tubing used for slings.
Weighting:
To delicately rest one's weight on a piece of protection to test its security.
Windslab:
A type of avalanche which occurs when a snow layer compacted by wind settles insecurely atop old snow; when it detaches it falls in large slabs or blocks of snow.
Wired:
To have a route totally figured out.
Woodie:
A homemade climbing wall.
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Z
Zipper Fall:
A fall of such length and velocity that the climber's protective devices are ripped from the rock in rapid succession.
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