Rock Climbers have their own terms to discuss climbing. For example a belayer is the person who uses the rope to assist the climber up the route safely by tightening the rope as the climber goes up the route or "ascends".
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Rock Climbing Terms:
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Beta- The method a climber has used to climb a route and explained it to others. This is accepted when asked. However,
"spraying beta" refers to a person who is giving advice on how to climb a route to everyone before letting them figure it out for themselves. This is frowned upon.
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Crux- The most difficult part of a route.
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Flapper- Skin that is coming off of a climbers fingers due to blisters and calluses coming off from climbing.
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Lead Climb- When a climber goes up a route and clips in to the route as they go up to the anchors.
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On-Sight- When a climber has no prior knowledge of a route and is able to finish the route.
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Pumped- This refers to a climber losing strength due to the amount they have climbed or due to the difficulty wearing out the climbers arms.
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Take- the person climbing may call "take" to let the belayer know they are going to fall or need a break. This allows the belayer to tighten any slack in the rope so the climber can hang from their current position with out falling.
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Whipper- A large fall where the climber falls and swings in a whip like motion.
Climbing
Vernacular
Sport Climbing Traditions​
One of the main reasons to sport climb in a gym is to be able to do it on real rocks. Those who sport climb train in the gym to be able to climb outdoors. There are many outdoor areas where sport climbing routes are created. For instance In Oregon there is Skinners Butte in Eugene or Smith rock, which is considered the birthplace of rock climbing. There is Horse Shoe Canyon in Arkansas, Cliff drive in Missouri, and so many more. It is traditional for a sport climber to venture from the gym to an outdoor climbing spot. This often involves camping, using a climbing backpack to hike to the climb, traveling, and bringing snacks as this will usually last most of the day and the climber will need to replenish their spent energy. Those who are in the sport climbing community are people who enjoy the outdoors, taking risks, pushing past physical limits, protecting the environment, and willing to meet new people. As a common tradition many climbers will bring beer, usually an IPA, to share with fellow climbers to have while taking breaks from climbing.
Lead Climbing
One of the main goals and traditions in sport climbing is being able to do a lead climb. A lead climb (Pictured above) is where a climber ties into the rope and climbs up to the first bolt, uses a carabiner to clip into the bolt and then puts the rope through the carabiner. Once they are clipped into the first bolt the repeat the same action until they reach the top of the anchors and clip into them. Even for those who enjoy the risk and reward of climbing a lead climb can be intimidating, mostly do to a longer fall. When a person top ropes, this means that the rope is already set up and the climber is belayed up the rock with out and slack in the rope. This way if the climber falls they don't make much of a drop, usually a few inches. Sport climbers follow the route after the lead climber as the lead climber puts up the rope. Due to the lead climber clipping the rope in as they go they require additional slack in the rope so they can clip in. Since there is extra slack if a person doing a lead climb falls they could drop several feet. The higher you climb the more slack there is. For instance if a climber has clipped into a bolt and is making there way up and falls while going up or before they can clip in they will fall the length of the rope from where they last clipped in. For sport climbers being able to do a lead climb is a big step into getting more comfortable with the risks of climbing and is in its own right a right of passage.
Climbing Gear Required
To be able to sport climb you have to have the right gear. When climbing you need to have a harness to hold you and keep you attached to the rope. Then there are climbing shoes. These shoes are made for climbing specifically and are extremely tight. This helps with climbing as it allows you to slip less and be able to put your toes in small spaces on the rock. Climbing chalk and a chalk bag are a must because as you climb your start to sweat making it difficult to hold onto the rocks. Chalk helps to give you a better grip and having a chalk bag allows you to "chalk up" as you climb. This gear is needed for indoor and out door climbing. However, if you are climbing outdoors you will need additional equipment. For outdoor climbing you need a climbing rope, not just any rope but a specific rope made for climbing. These ropes sole purpose are to be used for climbing due to the material they are made of. Carabiners are also needed so you can clip into the bolt on the wall. Though having a helmet isn't required it is strongly encouraged as rocks can fall off of a route and possibly hit the belayer which in turn could cause them injury or to drop the person they are belaying, For a climber it helps to protect their head on a possible fall or accident.. A few other pieces of equipment that are not required but most climbers have them would be a crash pad, which helps during a fall, a climbing pack to transport gear, and a head lamp if it starts to get dark or you want to night climb.
