Climbing

Panel 21 -- Glossary

TABLE OF CONTENTS of this chain:

21/ Climbing glossary < this panel >
22/ Song
23/
24/
25/
26/ Climbing Humor
27/ Legal issues
28/ Alternative ways to read rec.climbing
1/ DISCLAIMER
2/ Previous topics
3/ Beginner's (climbing) post
4/
5/ Access
6/
7/ References
8/
9/
10/
11/
12/ Ratings and grades
13/
14/ In memoriam
15/
16/
17/
18/ Climbing GIFs
19/
20/ Weather

Climbing Glossary
Needs lots of editing and restructuring

For your next trip to any rad sportclimbing area... Here's a brief
list of terms to allow you to converse freely with the species known
as the "sportclimber"!


Aggro = Aggravation


(some of these were plagerized from the Sport Climbing Connection)

To put this matter to rest, definitions by John Long and Russ Walling
in John's excellent book "Face Climbing",
which recommended to all aspiring hard-persons:

Onsight Free Solo

Angus MacGillicuddy has never been to Mt. Hogwash.
Walking along the base, Angus spots a line of bolts
up an overhanging schist intrusion. He fancies the
look of the route, laces up his boots, blows his nose,
chalks up and gapes at several girls from the Swedish
Sport Climbing Team, who are limbering up and changing
into bright-colored tights. Psyched, Angus winks, spits
into his palms, then solos up the schist intrusion.

Free Solo

Angus has been to Mt. Roughage several times.
On two occasions, he's climbed The Watercloset,
a difficult route that follows a basalt intrusion
via chancy dynamics. Angus has it in mind to solo
The Watercloset. Now at the base, he laces up, touches
his toes, exhales hard, then solos the route.

Worked Solo

Angus has been coming to Mt. Peatmoss for 11 years.
He's lead Compost hostinghosting times, toproped it 70 times,
and, also on a toprope, has worked the crux bit over
and over till he knows it better than the hair on his palms.
Now he plans to `solo' Compost, an intricate razor job
up a monzonite intrusion. At the base, he flexes his guns,
flexes his back, flexes his loins, jumps onto Compost and solos it
in six minutes.

Onsight Flash or A Vue

1. a vue / onsight flash: climb the route without any falls, without having
tried it before, without watching anybody do it, and without any special
knowledge (beta) on how to do the moves.

Angus has never been to Mt. Basura. One route, The Offal,
takes a loose line up a steep albeit trashy intrusion.
Angus racks up and leads The Offal straight off,
placing all the gear. He takes no falls, nor a single
rest on the line.

Beta Flash

2. flash: no falls, without having tried it before. Usually with some
knowledge of the moves gained by watching people or instructions on how to
do the moves.

3. flash with running beta: no falls, first try, but with somebody telling
you how to do the moves as you progress.

This is Angus' first trip to Mt. Gismo. At the local pub,
Angus runs into Jack Nastyface, the local hardman. Since
Angus is buying, Jack describes down to the last pinky lock
the sequence for climbing The Honest Indonesian, an improbable
Mt. Gismo test piece following a sketchy dun intrusion.
With the sequence memorized, Angus flashes the route
the next afternoon.

Deja Vu

It's been some years since Angus was last at Mt. Tallywhacker.
He remembers trying the Chamfered Luby -- and failing miserably.
The successive lunges along the scarlet intrusion notwithstanding,
he remembers little about the route. But Angus is a better climber
than he was 7 years ago, and the next morning, he manhandles
the Chamfered Luby on his `first' try.

(all three flash terms can be applied to a toprope ascent, but the terms
below apply only to leading)

Red Point

4. redpoint / rotpunkt: lead with no preplaced gear (other than bolts or
normally fixed gear like pitons). Usually this implies that it's not your
first try, falls were taken, etc., but no gear was left in place to hostinghostinghostingist the
lead. Removing all the quickdraws (especially the top one) is often
time-consuming, so if others are waiting to do the route, pinkpoint style
(below) is often used (and some people inaccurately call it redpoint also)

Angus has tried to climb The Widget on Mt. Sputnik for five
years now. He's aided it, toproped it, studied it from a helicopter,
on jumars, with opera glhostinghostinghostinges. Finally, he leads it, no falls,
placing the gear as he goes.

Pink Point

5. pinkpoint: lead with preplaced gear (usually quickdraws clipped to the
bolts). The rope is not left in place after falls -- it is pulled through the
gear, which is reclipped on the next attempt. Sometimes the quickdraws
are placed by other people and left in place for many weeks.

Angus has been trying to climb The Bullhostinghostinghostinghosting on Mt. Maplethorp
for 10 years. He's gotten close, and after hosing the Windgate
intrusion with Gumout, squeegeeing it clean, then buffing
each hold with 600-grit sand paper, he wants to try the lead once
again. But first, he raps down the route, places all the gear,
then flashes the lead.

Yellow-Point - A no falls top-roped ascent, or

Yellow-Point - A climb where you were so scared you almost pee'd your pants.

Brown-Point - similar to Yellow-Point except for more severve consequences.
Brown Point

Angus has never tried Intelligent Gas From Urhostinghostinghostinghosting on Mt. Bachar.
He starts up the blank face between the two brown intrusions full
of intentions to make a flash ascent. Things go bad in a hurry,
and Angus soon is hanging from the cord. He's quickly on a toprope,
pulling through the first two grim bits. Later, stumped at the crux,
he incorporates a side rope, one etrier and a `come along' belay.
This makes Angus feel like he's got the strength of 10 men
as he works out the crux. Within hours, he stands on the summit,
ready to rap down and place the gear for a `pink point'
ascent the next day.

Other Techniques

6. yoyo / rotkreis: preplaced gear; the rope is left clipped through [most of]
the gear after each lead attempt.

Other terms can be used to describe non-free ascents. For example, hangdogging

There are other procedures that Angus sometimes employs in
his quest for the summit that are worth mentioning. For instance,
he's been known to `hangdog.' That is, after he falls off
his lead attempt, he won't hesitate to hang on the rope,
rest, then carry on fully refreshed.

When Angus first went to Mt. Pipedream, he didn't have time for
too many shenanigans, but he did want to bag The Tiajuana Virgin,
a nearly non-existent line of pockets along an ivory intrusion.
To save time, he rapped down to the crux, worked it out on a toprope,
then rapped to the deck and `red pointed' the route.
Thus, Angus had `speed dogged' the route (also known as `greyhounding').

At Mt. Cameltoe, Angus desperately wanted to scale The Man in the Boat,
but first wanted the beta. He sent his hapless buddy --
Shawn O'Sean -- up to work out the moves, while he watched smugly
from below. Shawn was `seeing-eye dogging' for Angus, who was
then set to try his Beta Flash.

Also at Mt. Cameltoe, Angus took a liking to The Pipefitter.
He did not, however, like the looks of the first bolt,
which was 30 feet off the talus. Angus needed a `coon dog'
to go up and fetch him that first clip. Shawn had already
mounted The Pipefitter 69 times before, and gladly
`coon dogged' for Angus. He clipped the first bolt, lowered,
then handed off the blunted sharp end for Rover to take over --
in relative safety.

Angus encountered a similar situation at Mt. Hamstring.
The Rocky Mountain Oyster followed an overhanging intrusion,
and the first bolt, way the hell up there, already had a quickdraw
on it. Nobody's fool, Angus took a long bight of rope, twirled it
over his head like a lariat and hurled it at the in situ quickdraw.
The bight of rope hit the dogleg carabiner at the gate and with a
chostinghostinghostinghosting!, Angus was clipped in! He named this method the `rodeo clip.'

Rodeo-Clip - While hanging off of a bolt you pull up a bunch of rope and
flip it up to the quick draw clipping the rope through a biner.

Angus certainly is not one, but he's known a few `dog's hostinghostinghostinges.'
These are craven swine who cannot accept defeat and alter
an existing route to make it easier for them to scale,
placing additional bolts, chiseling holds, etc.
Starvation, thirst and financial ruin to them all.

----------

Terms like redpoint are used to give additional details on what tactics
were used to free climb a route. For example, was the route done first
try with no falls, or were several attempts/practices required?
The purpose is to shed some light on the
abilities of the climber (at least on that day); in contrast, the difficulty
of the route stays constant and is reflected in the rating.

involves practicing the moves of a climb and resting or aiding on the gear
instead of lowering to the ground or to a natural rest after each fall.


Of course the latter never happen on sport routes since they are always
so safe. Gee wiz all those bolts nice and close together.

Dirt Me: Lower me to the Ground.

Dog It: Hanging by the rope to rest then finish the route.

Honed: Excellent muscle definition... climbing well.
"Dude you're Way honed!"

Heinous: Either way hard or way bad.. "Oh man that's Heinous.." or
"Oh man that's a heinous approach!"

Trad: Traditionalist.

hostinghostinghostinghostingper: A long lead fall.

Pumped: Forearms bulging.. visibly pronounced blood vessels.

Toasted: Way past "pumped" take a rest day.

Peel: To come off.. fall or slip.. "Watch me dude I'm gonna peel!"

Bagged: Short for sandbagged.

Cheese: Adjective for an easy route.. "That route was cheese!"

Auto Beta: When a belayer or observer starts giving you blow-by-blow
descriptions of the route and how to climb it when you're already on
it. "Shut up man.. there you go into auto beta mode again!"

The Tree: J-Tree national monument
The New: New river Gorge
The Forks: Paradise Forks

Offwidth: A crack too big to jam, too small to chimney. See "Heinous"

Crater: To fall and hit the gound.

Crater: To take a fall to the ground; i.e. "He cratered."

Gush: See Crater.

Essential
Rack: A Daytimer and the keys to the Saab Turbo.

Perfect
Belay: The front bumper of a Ford F1hostinghosting.

Pig: The haul bag.

Squealing
Pig: A heavy haul bag.

Cream of
Punishment: The tenth morning of Cream of Wheat..

Morning of
Discontent: Stormbound morning when the 'new' stove won't light.

Puke: See offwidth.

Wank: See hangdog.

Wanker: One who engages in the practice of wanking.

Talus Food: A climber who has cratered. See Crater.
as in "...Dhude...blow that clip and you're talus food..."

Screamer: A BIG hostinghostinghostinghostingper

See also Dave Roberts clhostinghostinghostingic piece "Bad Day at Practice Rock".


Low-angle - Anything less than 95 degrees.

Run-out - The bolts are more than 5 feet apart.

Alpine route - Anything out of earshot of the car radio.

Committing - Used to describe a climb with the rap anchor more than 80 feet
off the ground, or one which does not have quickdraws already in place.

But seriously, what does "aggro" mean? Or am I a cooler person for not
knowing?

-----
[Somewhat dated, English in bias, but still useful:]
Tom Patey's One Man's Mountain.

A Glossary of Commonly Used Climbing Terms and Phrases
or
The TV Armchair Guide to Mountaineering

Climbing rope -- fulfills many functions, e.g., it may be used for lhostinghostinghostingoing
projecting spikes, crossing imphostinghostinghostingible gorges or for pulling up
climbers who have lost their nerve.
A solo climber -- One man falling alone.
A roped party -- Several men falling simultaneously.
Hemp (rope) -- A rope that breaks.
Nylon (rope) -- A rope that melts.
Ice-ax or "Pick" -- An implement for chopping holds in mud or soft rock.
Piton or "Spike" -- An implement for opening tin cans (various other uses).
Knife -- Indispensable. Should be instantly attainable. One of these saved
several lives on the Matterhorn.
Snap-link -- A link that snaps.
Safety Helmet -- A safety device for climbers falling head first. If the fall
is a long one, the climber may become completely impacted into his
helmet and be telescoped into a small globular mhostinghostinghosting which can be
stowed in a rucksack (cf. mountain rescue).
A Tiger's Web -- A hopeless tangle of rope or ropes.
A Pied d'Elephant -- A special short climbing boot for climbers who have all
their toes amputated.
Leepers -- Small insects encounted on Welsh sea cliffs.
Krabs -- Another unusual hazard encountered on Welsh sea cliffs.
(if this last hazard is considerable one, Lobster Claw Crampons
are worn).
A Cow's Tail -- The fray end of an old climbing rope.
A Lay-Back -- An unusually confortable bivouac.
A Hand-Jam -- A climber with one hand caught in a crack.
A Foot-Jam -- A climber with one foot caught in a crack.
A Good-Jam -- A climber who is permanently struck in a crack.
A "Joe Brown" -- A climber with large hands who gets stuck in cracks.
Whillans -- An orange-coloured rucksack.
A Novice -- Someone (often dead) who should be kept off the mountains at
all costs.
An experienced climber -- Someone whose death was unavoidable.
An Alpine Club Member (cf. Veteran) -- Someone who never dies but slowly
fades away.
(Contrast An Alpine Veteran -- Someone who has been to the Alps.
Steeplejacks, Munich Fanatics, Dangle and Whack Merchants, or
Masters of the Sophisticated Modern Techniques - Alterative terms
(of a different vintage) for a piton climber.
A careful climber -- A slow climber.
A cautious climber -- A very slow climber.
A climbing-nut -- A reckless climber.
A running belay -- A cowardly second.
A Thread belay -- An asphyxiated second (due to a slow third man and a very
fast leader).
A Descendeur (French) -- A Term of derision. The opposite of a climber.
A psychological belay -- (Alt. usage) (1) A female second; (2) Looks like a
belay but isn't...
A Clhostinghostinghostingic Route -- Much loose rock and grhostinghostinghosting.
A Direttissima -- A very long free fall or "Plunge".
A long Run-out -- A very long arrested fall.
"One of Nature's Last Strongholds" or "The Last Great Problem" --
A B.B.C. Outside Broadcasts Production.
Overhanging -- Vertical.
Vertical -- Steep.
Scrambling -- Fairly Steep.
Interesting -- Nerve-racking.
Thin -- Non-existent.
Amusing -- Die Laughing.
The Crux -- Where everyone else unties to watch the leader.
"Fissure" (French) -- A dirty, unpleasant crack.
Backing up, Straddling, Back and Knee, Back and Foot, Foot and Mouth --
Various postures adopted in Chimneys (?Derivation -- Kama Sutra).
Considerable Exposure -- No Privacy.
Free climbing -- No charge for spectators.
A Rurp -- A strenous grunt. A combination of a rift and a burp.
Abseiling -- Showing off, Pretending to Fall.
Committed (to the Route) -- Under Suspended Sentence of Death.
Peeling Off -- Undressing.


Climbing Calls (cf. Blackshaw -- The Penguin's Guide to Mountaineering)

"Tight Rope, Please" -- "HELP!!!"
"A Little Slack" -- "Lower away gently".
"Below" -- Leader announcing he is dropping a rock on his second's head
(cf. Safety Helmets, Further Uses of).
Bong -- One hit.
Bong Bong -- Two hits.
Two tugs on the rope -- Second must be securely belayed from above before
proceeding. If two forcible tubs fail to dislodge the leader he
may hostinghostinghostingure all is well.


Phrases which are frequently overhead on TV Mountaineering Broadcasts
(now explained)

"He seems to be experiencing some difficulty" -- "He is about to fall off".
"These chaps climb for Pleasure!" -- These men are very well paid.
"Master of ice glazed rock" -- Not very experienced on Welsh sea cliffs.

TAG LINE TAG LINE TAG LINE TAG LINE TAG LINE

Date: Wed, 10 Mar 1993 16:00:59 -0hostinghosting0 (EST)
From: Philip S Sidel <sidel+@pitt.edu>
Subject: Suggested revisions to rec.climbing Panel 21 -- Glossary

Eugene Miya -
In going over Panel 21 and comparing it with my extractions of earlier
"Sportclimbing Lingo" postings, I found a few points where addition of
some references would clarify the entry as well as credit some of
our netposters.

The version of Panel 21 that I had was the one posted 21-Nov-1992:
[l/m 6/22/92]
(so I don't have any modifications you may have put in since then.)

A file comparison of my revisions ("Sidel version") and your Nov, 1992
version ("Miya version 6/22/92") follows. I hope you might find it
useful in trimming up the panel for future postings.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparing files GLOSSARY.MIY and CLIMBING\GLOSSARY.MIY

***** GLOSSARY.MIY - Sidel version

hangdogging -
involves practicing the moves of a climb and resting or aiding on the gear
***** CLIMBING\GLOSSARY.MIY - Miya version 6/22/92

involves practicing the moves of a climb and resting or aiding on the gear
*****

***** GLOSSARY.MIY - Sidel version

"Of course the latter never happen on sport routes since they are always
so safe. Gee wiz all those bolts nice and close together."
-- Alan Sanderson on Brown Points

***** CLIMBING\GLOSSARY.MIY - Miya version 6/22/92

Of course the latter never happen on sport routes since they are always
so safe. Gee wiz all those bolts nice and close together.

*****

***** GLOSSARY.MIY - Sidel version
But seriously, what does "aggro" mean? Or am I a cooler person for not
knowing? -- Eric Hirst
"It is a So.Cal. boarders' (surf, skate, snow) term for aggressive"
-- Mark Temple
"In the UK it's AGGROvation, as in, 'He was giving me real aggro, so I
kicked his teeth in'. We say it all the time over here."
-- Mike Mead
-----
***** CLIMBING\GLOSSARY.MIY - Miya version 6/22/92
But seriously, what does "aggro" mean? Or am I a cooler person for not
knowing?

-----
*****

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postscript -- Eugene, What goes with the Entry "Steeplejacks" near
the end of the Tom Patey section?

-- Phil Sidel
sidel+@pitt.edu


Subject: humor

Here's a repring from a 1982 climbing that's i think is hilarious:

"An Alphabet for Mountaineers"

Alpenglow: Feeling of contentment and inner warmth induced by liberal doses of
medicinal brandy.

Alpenstock: limited number of shares in mountain real estate

alps: cries for hostinghostinghostingistance, most commonly heard in alpine areas of great britain.

artificial climbing: knack of appearing to climb by talking about it. this technique
is best employed far from actual climbing areas, which tend to be hazardous. small
taverns and pizza parlours with an impressionable clientele are excellent sites for
artificial climbing.

ascend: the part of a mountaineer opposite that on which the head is located.

balling up: (1) transforming crampons into short skis. (2) fun and games at
increasingly higher alhostinghostinghostingudes. both are possible at the same time, but difficult.

barometer: scientific instrument used to locate mountain taverns. see brake bar.

bashie: climber who pendulums out of control.

bearing, true: opposite of bearing, false.

blood: substance commonly used to mark a climbing route.

boot-ax belay: highly developed technique for ruining an ice ax, destroying a rope,
and shortening a climbing day.

bar-tacking: sideways veering when approaching or leaving a mountain tavern.

binding: discomfort caused by tight undergarments.

blaze: unexpected result of overpriming a white gas stove.

bong: sound made by a climber at the conclusion of a fall.

boulder: place close to the ground to practice falling. when climbers aren't
climbing, they like to sharpen their skills by bouldering on large rocks
located in places frequented by impressionable tourists. because bouldering
is done without protection, the rule is never to climb higher than you'd
like to fall. that is why so many climbers stand around discussing boulder
problems instead of climbing them.

brake bar: tavern near a climbing area where everyone stops after a hard day
climbing. see barometer.

bugaboos: inordinate fear of mountain insects.

buttress: outer garment specially designed for a woman with a large posterior.

cache: (1) pocket money. (2) frozen hostinghostinghostingets.

carabiner: oversized safety pin to hold up a diaper seat.

clean climber: climber who doesn't smoke or consume hard liquor, and
who changes undergarments daily.

cold front: acute discomfort caused by an unzipped trouser fly.

communication: following are the terms most employed:

command meaning

(climber) "on belay" "do i tie in with an overhand knot or a clove hitch"
(belayer) "belay on" "i'm not ready yet"
(climber) "climbing" "i'm having second thoughts about this"
(belayer) "climb on" "i'm still not ready"
(climber) "slack" "what do you think i am, a eunuch?"
(belayer) "slack" "did he say tension?"
(climber) "don't give me no slack!" "falling"
(belayer) "what?" "did he say more slack?"
(climber) "tension" "i'm climbing up the goddamn rope"
(either) "hostinghostinghostinghosting" "hostinghostinghostinghosting"

cornice: snow waiting for a climber to step on it before becoming an avalanche.

deadman: climber (male) who forgets to knot either end of a rappel rope.

diaper seat: article of climbing used by novices who are still learning self-control.

el capitan: expedition leader in a spanish speaking country.

essentials: everything you left at home.

expedition: highly organized way to spend a great deal of money in a relatively short
period of time. the best are those in which your time and someone else's money are
involved.

exposure: result of answering the call of nature during a climb.

fall: good time of year for climbing.

falling barometer: barometer that has slipped out of a pocket when climbing.

final pitch: act of throwing down a rope without securing one of the ends.

flake: weird, erratic climber.

fluke, snow: unexpected happening on a glacier.

foot jam: offensive achostinghostinghostingulation between the toes, caused by wearing the same socks
for several days.

free climb: climb done without expensive equipment. there are cheap thrills, too.

friction: what often develops among members of an expedition.

front points: forwardmost extremities of a female climber on a chilly morning.

goose down: a way to get a slow climber to descend quickly.

gorp: mealtime sound made by a hungry alpinist.

handhold: what two climbers do during long bivouacs on narrow ledges.

hardware: metal which when draped around the neck gives a musical accompaniment
to a climb and provides ballast to regulate a climber's ascent.

heading: going to the latrine.

headlamp: lantern left shining at night to mark a latrine.

hero loop: aerial maneuver performed by a valiant climber.

hip belay: belay by an unsquare climber.

hoarfrost: icy stare given by a coldhearted woman of ill repute.

hold: what you try to do when you wake at 4am after having overrehydrated yourself.

horn: malady brought on by being too long alone in the mountains.

ice screw: drastic cure for a severe case of horn.

igloo: (british) latrine for igs.

jamming,nut: very painful way to climb.

knot: configuration often discovered in the middle of a rappel rope during a rappel.

known point: (navigation) figment of the imagination.

landmark: visual pattern similar to a water mark, only dry.

layback: what a climber looks forward to at the end of a day.

line of weakness: long involved explanation for not attempting a route.

lunge: skillful or desperate move, depending on who is doing it and why.

mashies: reconshostinghostinghostinguted freeze dried potatoes.

matterhorn: trumpetlike musical instrument favored by swiss mountaineers.

mohair: hair of a mo. see scree.

mole foam: frothy exudation that appears on the lip of a furious mole.

moraine: forecast for an extended period of wet weather.

myth: accounts of adventure related by a mountaineer.

navigation: science of becoming temporarily disoriented. because
instruments don't lie, and because art is truth, mountaineers are
never lost.

off width crack: remark made in a smarthostinghostinghosting manner.

organized: state of complete chaos.

orienting: preparing for a trip to asia.

picket, snow: rank and file member of union internationale des
hostinghostinghostingociations d'alpinisme publicly protesting grievances in the
dead of winter.

piton: antique metal work.

rainfly: pesky insect that only appears during wet weather.

rock band: enthusiastic group of musical noisemakers.

rockies: very small stones.

runner: very fast climber.

rurp: sound made by a climber after downing a hasty lunch.

scree: sound made by a mo when its hair is being removed. see mohair.

shock: large fish that can bite your leg off. chiefly of concern to
sea cliff climbers.

shawangunks: gunks that belong to shawans.

ski mountaineering: simplified way to move fast, fall a short distance, and
remain uninjured. usually.

sling: versatile strap dating to biblical times. when david the israelite descended
into the vale of elah, after a hard day of climbing, he used a sling to slay the
philistine goliath.

smear: long, vertical mark left on rock surface by a climber whose friction move
has failed.

smokies: little cigars, hostinghostinghostinghostinghostinghostinghostinghostinghostinghosting, etc.

snow bridge: card game played on a glacier. as in other alpine endeavors, tricks
are common, and there is always a dummy.

stance: pose struck by a climber when an appreciative audience is watching.

sun balls: painful affliction common to male alpinists who climb hostinghostinghostinghosting.

terminal moraine: the last glacier you'll ever climb.

unzip: simple yet spectacular way to remove protection.

vertical feet: what a mountaineer has on the ends of his legs when lying flat on his back.

waist band: group of paunchy musicians.

water knot: rope configuration used by sea cliff climbers who tend to fall a lot.

watershed: small, rustic shed used to store water.

walking: uncommon means of mountain locomotion. see fall, glissade, etc.

webbing: rope that has been stepped on so many times it is flat.

wilderness: archaic word used to refer to the space that once existed between
urban areas and which is now used as a proving ground for 4-wheel drive vehicles.

wilderness act: short theatrical performance done in the backcountry.

wilderness travel: art of avoiding snowmobiles, four wheel drives and oil wells.

wind pants: short, labored breathing.

yeti: (also called abominable snowman, bigfoot, sasquatch): large upright
creature that roams the high country. because no anthropologist has ever
seen a yeti, its reality is discredited by science. on the other hand, there
is no evidence of a scientist ever having been seen by a yeti, which makes the
former's existence equally doubtful.

zip: placing protection while climbing. compare with unzip.

zizz: sound made by a rope running without restraint through a braking
device during a free rappel. the sound changes markedly when joined by
a piece of clothing or hair (see scree).


Path: 1) easy route 2) hard route done in such a way as to make it look easy.
Jimmy: "Dude, have you been on Doctor Epic?"
Johnny: "That rig is path, man. I walked it."

Catch: belay
Dude, can you give me a catch?

Pile: choss
Dude, that thing is pile.

Choss: loose, manky.
Dude, that thing is choss.




Article 23251 of rec.climbing:
From: (hans f barsun)
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
Subject: Re: Let's come to Terms!!
Date: 13 Jul 1994 11:12:51 -0600
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

In article <2vv1mr$>, Annie Elliott <> wrote:
>I am really new to this sport & need some help!
>

This is irresitable, so I am going to apologize in advance for stepping on
you tender toes which have not yet become accustomed to being crammed into
climbing shoes for hours on end.

>Definitions please---
>
>trad routes:

A route on which you have to place your own protection (and we aint talkin'
rubbers). If you fall and it fails, you die. Usually involves hideously ugly
approaches/descents (which can also kill, hurt or maim you) and should be
avoided at all costs.

>trad falls:
>

Longer lead falls that can end up longer than you expect them to if your
protection decides to join you in freefall. Often punctuated by abrupt stops
on ledges, belayer's heads, etc.


>sport climbs:
>
Climbs on cliffs which have been vandalized with bolts, chalk and lycra-clad
trendites. Widely perceived as being safer and thus adored by land managers
as an excuse to close climbing areas.

>sport falls:
>
Short lead falls, often accompanied by cursing. Can be more exciting if the
bolts pull.

>tape:
>is this used as another word for webbing?
>
Nope. It's duct tape that you use to fix cut harnesses, ropos, runners and
gear slings. (yeah, right.....and if you believe that, you deserve your fate)

>
>flash:

climbing hostinghostinghostinghostinghosting
>
>on-sight flash:
>
climbing hostinghostinghostinghostinghosting with cameras nearby

>red-point:
>
a blood stain left by a cratered climber

>
>chickenhead:

The normal state of a climber's noggin on a committing lead, " (whimper)
I'm scared (whimper) (sob)."



-Hans



Article 23219 of rec.climbing:
Newsgroups: rec.climbing
From: Struan Gray <>
Subject: Re: English-German climbing dictionary - HELP!!!
Message-ID: <>
References: <2vu3vb$>

Jens Stark writes:

>English and German speakers alike are kindly asked to look for
> - missing words

You missed some vital ones:

PUB Kneiper
BEER Bier
CURRY Curry
THIS IS MY FRIEND STRUAN Hier ist Herr Doktor Gray
PLEASE GIVE HIM A BEER AND A CURRY Bitte, geben sie ihm ein Bier und ein
Curry
I WILL PAY Ich bezahle
NO REALLY, I INSIST Nien nein, lhostinghostinghosting doch mich bezahlen


Conversation clhostinghostinghostinges offered free of charge in the bar of my choosing.


Struan


u forgot about the quintessential term "backscrabbler"..its when u take a
winger on lead but flip around so your back shostinghostinghostinghostinges down the rock as u
fall...u can also be a backscrabbler on a TR but its more rare and more
embarrasing..please include this widely used term in future climbing
dictionaries ..thanks much scott g an example:
it was a few "goobs" away to the next clip thru dicey friction face moves
when the goob was at the bolt he pulled up some slack to clip but then
launched and immediately started backscrabbling it was a sad sight. p.s.-
the term goob has many meanings in the beginning of this example it is used
as a term of measurement approx. 6 feet and later in the example it is used
to represent a climber. i hope u can use these submissions chjeers



calipygian def: having shapely buttocks.

first known use in 1880 by an oxford don to describe the lines of a
statue of aphrodite to a group of vicars wives; derived from the greek
kallos, beauty (as in calligraphy, or callisthenics), plus puge,
buttocks; kallipugos.

--
..