Climbing Terminology

Climbing is filled with a lot of jargon. Some of the terms in particular define key concepts for mountaineering so getting your head around them can be quite fundamental.

Below are a few useful bits of terminology.

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This is an edited excerpt from the How To Climb An Unclimbed Mountain chapter of my new book: How To Get To The North Pole And Other Iconic Adventures.

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Protection

General mountaineering term for equipment used to secure yourself to the mountain. You can gain some security in the event of a fall by attaching yourself to this equipment with a rope. Also called ‘pro’ or ‘gear’.

Anchor

Something to which you can attach a rope to take your weight. This could be, for example, a spike of rock or a piece of protection that you have placed.

Belay

This is both an act and a position:

The act of paying out a rope to a climbing partner, ready to lock off the rope should they fall. You might say: ‘I climbed whilst my partner belayed me’.

The configuration of ropes and anchors from which someone carries out the act of belaying. This involves the belayer attaching themselves to the mountain so that they are secure enough to take the weight of a falling climber. In this instance, you might say: ‘I set up a belay at the top of the mountain’.

Pitched climbing

Any climbing which involves belaying. It results in climbers taking it in turns with one person belaying while the other climbs.

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How to Get to the North Pole:

and Other Iconic Adventures

Newly published for April 2012

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