A Guide to Climbing Lingo
Climbing is more than just a sport—it's a culture with its own rich, evolving language. Whether you’re scaling walls at Spire or tackling outdoor routes, understanding the unique terminology used by climbers can enhance your experience. From the technical jargon describing holds and movements to the slang that reflects the sport’s laid-back vibe, climbing lingo helps build community and ensures clear communication between climbers. In this post, we’ll dive into some of the most common and useful climbing terms you’ll encounter at Spire, so you can climb with confidence and speak like a pro!
Beta: One of the more popular terms you’ll hear regarding climbing. Beta in climbing is the series of individual moves required to complete a climb. Beta can be different for everyone, depending on body type and climbing style. Figuring out your own beta that works for you can be an incredibly rewarding experience, especially when it differs from your friends or climbing partners. The term is derived from using an old Betamax video recorder to record your climbs, and then reviewing the footage to “check the beta.”
Send: This is a colloquial term for topping a route or boulder without falling. Does not need to be your first attempt at the climb. Another term for redpointing a climb (see below for Redpoint). Example of use: “Did you send it bro?”
Take: A way of communicating to your belayer that you would like them to take in the slack in the belay system so you can hang and rest, or let them know you’ve reach the top of the climbing route. Crucial to efficient belayer/climber communication, and the opposite of feeding out slack. Example of use: “TAAAAAAAAAAAAKE!”
Redpoint: Redpointing a problem or climbing route is topping the route from the ground up, in one push, without ever coming off the wall or hanging on the rope. This can involve practicing the route many times prior to your redpoint attempt. If you fall, you must return to the ground to try again to earn the redpoint. To earn the First Ascent of a climb, you must redpoint it. Derived from the German term Rotpunkt coined by German climber Kurt Albert.
Flash: Flashing a climbing route or boulder problem involves topping a route on your first try. You can have prior knowledge of the beta and still earn a flash. This can offer a fun challenge when approaching a climb, and very rewarding when you do!
Onsight: This is climbing a route or boulder on your first attempt WITHOUT any prior knowledge of the beta involved in achieving the top of the climb. Essentially a flash, but with no true prior knowledge of the climb.
FA: An abbreviation for First Ascent, regarding the first time a route has ever been ascended in redpoint fashion. Those who achieve the first ascent get to name the route, and have their name attributed to the climb.
Hangdogging: Hanging on your rope mid sport climb, between bolts. This has a somewhat negative connotation associated with it due to the history of climbing and what folks consider “purity” in climbing. The prevailing thought is that if you have to hang on a route while sending, it does not count as a “send”. That being said, handogging a route is an effective and efficient way to project a route before you go for your redpoint attempt. If you want more information on the term, and the evolution of climbing thought/ethics, check out the book Hangdog Days by Jeff Smoot.
Free Soloing: A very dangerous form of climbing that involves climbing with no rope or protection. Propelled into pop culture by climbing icon Alex Honnold, and the film about him climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park with no rope, titled Free Solo. Errors in free soloing will usually result in death, if not serious injury. As a reminder, free soloing is never allowed in Spire.
Spray or Spraying: Giving unsolicited climbing advice on how to climb a route. Spraying can be quite controversial, as many climbers like to figure out how to climb a route themselves. Spraying can be interpreted as condescending, so it’s always a good idea to wait to be asked for beta before you dish it out!
Arête: An arête is a corner feature of a wall, that is pointing outwards, away from the main cliff mass. Arête is French for “stop”, so is likely derived from French climbers describing where the wall stops at a corner.
Dihedral: A dihedral is the opposite of an arête, instead a corner feature of a wall that faces inwards. Think of it like an open book!
Crux: The hardest part a route or boulder. If you realize that the hardest portion of a route is a certain hold, or set of moves, that is the crux. If you can get past the crux, you can likely finish the climb. Example: “Aw dude I was so close to sending but I peeled off the crux for the 15th time.”
Project: This would be a route or boulder that you work on over multiple sessions. It will usually be out of your current grade for climbing and provides a real challenge that takes time and strategy to figure out. Sometimes projects can take 3-4 sessions to send, sometimes it can take 3-4 seasons! Often times abbreviated to “Proj”.
Whip or Whipper: A fall or large fall while lead climbing above your last bolt. It’s called this because when you fall, you will plummet in an arc like manner and slake the rope in a whip-like motion.
Campusing: This is climbing without feet, pulling yourself from hold to hold with just the power of your hands and arms. Not an entirely efficient way to climb, but it looks cool, and is usually done on big, positive holds. The term is derived from German climbing legend Wolfgang Güllich, who built “Campus Boards”, essentially a wall of rungs to pull yourself up on with no feet, on the university campus in Nuremberg, Germany.
Bump: Simply bumping the same hand upwards to another hold, rather than moving in a right-left-right-left climbing motion. Can be crucial to some route’s beta!
Dab: The bane of climber’s existence, a dab is to touch the ground, a nearby rock or tree, while attempting the climb. Depending on who you climb with, a dab can invalidate your send, oftentimes common in lowball bouldering. Example: “You did all the moves perfectly, however you lightly grazed a tree when you reached for that crimp, and that’s a dab. Unfortunately, you suck and your send doesn’t count now…”
Dyno: A dynamic move in climbing, jumping for a hold. Dynos are very cool and make you feel very cool when executed.
Deadpoint: Typically, a somewhat dynamic move, however your feet stay on the holds. Imagine the momentum of your arm moving upwards for a hold, and at the point where your hand stops moving upwards at full extension, but before it begins to come back down, that would be the deadpoint, as the momentum is dead.
Gaston: to push against a hold with your palm facing way from you above the elbow, sort of in a bicep curl maneuver. Essentially the inverse of a side-pull. Derived from French alpinist Gaston Rebuffat, the first man to climb all six of the great north faces of the Alps.
Knee Bar: A cool and creative way to wedge your knee into a feature on the rock, essentially creating a cam with your knee and foot, to assist in taking the weight off of your arms and fingers. A great way to rest, sometimes you can even go hands free on a bomber knee bar!
Dryfire: When you’re crimping reeeeeeeeally hard on a hold, and as you begin to pull up on it, your fingers all blow off of the hold, resulting in a fairly unexpected fall. Overall sad vibes and not conducive to sending.
Sandbagged: If a route is harder than the listed grade for it. For example, if the route climbs like it is V5, but is listed at V3, it’s been sandbagged. Maybe it’s a V3 if you climb with some sandbags attached to you! Example: “Oh look, another sandbagged Jeff Ho route. Classic.”
Choss: This is an umbrella term for poor rock quality while climbing, and usually means loose and unstable rock. Can also be used to describe routes covered with lichen.
Bomber: Really good! The opposite of choss. Can be used to describe climbing holds that offer relief, or awesome gear placement that won’t budge if you fall on it. Example of use: “Whew that cam placement is so bomber, it ain’t goin nowhere!”
Highball: A very tall boulder, with a top out usually 18-20 feet off the ground. Ground falls can result in serious injury or death, so always ensure you know what you’re getting into when attempting as pads and spotters aren’t very effective on such boulders.
Lowball: A boulder that is notably close to the ground. Dabbing is possible on many moves, but despite being small, can still be wonderful bouldering.
Runout: A climb that has big gaps between clips or protection placements. If you get to the top of the route, and you go through 20 feet of climbing without clipping any bolts, that would be runout! Example: “Great route, runout at the top though which was fairly spooky!”
As climbing continues to grow in popularity, both as a sport and a community, the culture and language will undoubtedly evolve with it. New techniques, trends, and gear will inspire fresh terms, while some classic lingo will remain a cornerstone of the climbing experience. We hope this post has helped you get familiar with the language of climbing and feel more confident as you join in. Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your vocabulary, mastering this lingo is part of embracing the vibrant and ever-changing world of climbing!
