Climbing glossary, A to Z.

Definitions here describe what a term means and who uses it; they are not instructions. Belaying, lowering, abseiling, anchors, knots, placing protection and checking gear are taught by a qualified instructor and set out in makers' instructions. Strength and test figures describe what a standard's laboratory test measures, not what anyone may do with the gear, and makers' lifespan figures are each maker's dated statement. Any injury or illness named here needs medical care when it is suspected.

Where sources disagree, each version is given. The federation formerly called the IFSC is named World Climbing, its name since 10 December 2025. Rules, standards and statistics are summarised as of October 2026.

Jump to: A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

A

Abseil (rappel)

Descending a rope, also called rappelling. Abseiling with speed control is one of the uses named in the scopes of the braking-device standards EN 15151-1:2012 and EN 15151-2:2012. The American Alpine Club's monthly The Prescription reported in June 2025 that Accidents in North American Climbing 2025 records 15 rappel incidents involving 23 climbers, with five deaths. (Roped climbing incidents)

Access Fund

The US climbing access organisation. It says the American Alpine Club formed an Access Committee in 1985 to respond to closures, that the Access Fund became a separate organisation in 1991, and that from the start it chose not to take sides in ethical debates such as bolting. (Access and ethics)

Accessory cord

Cord of 4 to 8 mm made to withstand forces but not to absorb energy, under EN 564:2023 and UIAA 102. The UIAA's 2025 table gives minimum strengths rising from 3.2 kN at 4 mm to 12.8 kN at 8 mm, as laboratory requirements. (Ropes)

Accidents in North American Climbing (ANAC)

The American Alpine Club's annual accident publication, which it says has appeared every year since 1948 and whose online archive holds more than 5,000 reports. Earlier editions were titled Accidents in North American Mountaineering, as a 2015 edition shows. (What the accident data shows)

Acute mountain sickness (AMS)

An altitude illness. The UIAA Medical Commission (No. 2, 2012, updated 2024) names it with HAPE and HACE as the most important and most common altitude illnesses, says that below about 5,000 to 6,000 m they result from inadequate acclimatisation, and calls AMS a serious condition that can quickly lead to HACE. Suspected altitude illness needs medical care. (Altitude illness)

Adjectival grade

The first part of a British trad grade, describing overall difficulty, including seriousness, sustained difficulty, exposure and rock quality. The BMC lists the grades from Easy and Moderate through Severe and Very Severe to E1 and upward, currently to E11, and says the boundaries are subjective. (Grading systems)

Aid climbing

Climbing in which gear such as pitons and mechanical devices is used to make upward progress, as Wikipedia (secondary) defines it, as opposed to free climbing. Wikipedia gives aid grades from A1 to A5, with C grades where no hammer is needed. (Multi-pitch and big wall)

Alpine climbing

Long mountain routes needing rock, ice and mixed skills, climbed by small teams with light gear and no outside support, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Alpine Club

The London club generally regarded as the world's first mountaineering club. Wikipedia (secondary) dates its founding to 22 December 1857; a 1958 American Alpine Journal article dates the start of organisation to a dinner in Birmingham on 6 November 1857. Wikipedia says it admitted only men until 1974. (Early mountaineering)

Alpine grades (F to ED)

The French overall scale for alpine routes. The CAI paper hosted by the UIAA describes six levels that account for the difficulty of moves, continuity, exposure and length, each split into inf. and sup.; Wikipedia (secondary) names them F, PD, AD, D, TD and ED. The CAI paper notes an ABO (abominable) grade from Chamonix that the UIAA did not recognise. (Grading systems)

American Alpine Club (AAC)

The US national club, founded in 1902 and based in Golden, Colorado, since 1993, according to Wikipedia (secondary). It publishes Accidents in North American Climbing. (Governing bodies)

AMGA

The American Mountain Guides Association. It says four guides met at the Moose Bar in the Tetons in 1979 and wrote its founding charter, and that the IFMGA voted to admit it in November 1997. (Learning and guide certification)

Artificial climbing structure

A built climbing wall. The European series EN 12572 covers structures with protection points (Part 1:2017, per BSI), bouldering walls (Part 2:2017) and climbing holds (Part 3:2017). BSI says Part 1 does not apply to ice climbing, dry tooling or playground equipment. (Climbing gyms)

Assisted braking

A maker's description of belay devices that add braking help, not the title of a standard. The AAC names assisted-braking devices such as the Grigri as one tool family; the UIAA (2011) calls this type locking-assist; EN 15151-1:2012 covers devices with manually assisted locking; and Edelrid certifies its GIGA JUL, which it describes as assisted-braking, to the manual-device part EN 15151-2. Petzl groups its GRIGRI under "Belay Devices with Cam-Assisted Blocking". (Belay devices)

Association of British Climbing Walls (ABC)

The UK trade body for climbing walls. It says it was founded in 1994 and represents over 200 walls in the UK and Ireland (an older UKClimbing notice, seen only in a search summary, says it had traded since 1995 with about 175 wall members), and in May 2025 it launched an accreditation scheme for walls, supported by the BMC and Sport England. Its Code of Practice sets a minimum standard for walls. (Climbing gyms)

Auto belay

A mechanical device on indoor walls that lets one person climb a top-rope route without a human belayer, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it; a lead version appeared in 2021. The ABC said in July 2022 that there was developing evidence that climbers risk not clipping in, which can cause severe injury. (Auto belays)

B

Belay

The system of holding a climber on the rope. The American Alpine Club calls belaying the core skill behind nearly all roped climbing and describes the belayer's role as holding, lowering or catching a climber and managing the rope. Belaying is learned from a qualified instructor. (Top rope and lead)

Belay device (braking device)

A device that adds friction to the rope for belaying. The European standards are EN 15151-1:2012 (manually assisted locking) and EN 15151-2:2012 (manual devices), and the UIAA's is UIAA 129, at version 9 (2018). The UIAA (2011) classes devices as manual, locking-assist or panic-function. (Belay devices)

Belay test

A check of a climber's belaying set by a climbing wall. The US Climbing Wall Association's Industry Practices list top-rope and lead belay tests among facility practices but give no public detail of their content. (Gym safety)

Beta

Prior information about a route. Gripped (2024) uses it to separate a flash, a first-try ascent with prior information, from an onsight, which has none. (How climbing works)

Big wall

A long, steep multi-pitch climb. Wikipedia (secondary) generally applies the term to routes over about 10 pitches or 300 to 500 m and says the boundary with multi-pitch and alpine climbing is not precise. The NPS timeline dates the US big wall era from the Northwest Face of Half Dome in 1957. (Multi-pitch and big wall)

BMC (British Mountaineering Council)

The British Mountaineering Council. It says it was created in 1944 after a motion by Geoffrey Winthrop Young, with 25 constituent clubs, and that its original aims included protecting climbing areas and testing equipment. (Governing bodies)

Bolt

A rock anchor fixed permanently in the rock, the main protection in sport climbing as the BMC describes it. The standards for rock anchors are EN 959:2018 and UIAA 123 (version 5.1, dated July 2026 in the document itself, though the UIAA standards page lists it as updated 2020); the UIAA's pictorial gives the strength requirement for all types as 15 kN under EN 959 and 20 kN under UIAA 123. (Bolts)

Bolting policy

A body's framework for where drilled equipment is and is not acceptable. The BMC says its bolting policy aims to safeguard traditions and protect the crag and mountain environment, and describes consultation for new bolting. (Access and ethics)

Bolt wars

A name a Mountain Project forum history gives to disputes in the 1980s and early 1990s in which bolts placed on rappel were removed in traditional areas; that source is unconfirmed. The NPS timeline records debates over fixed anchors in the same period. (Sport climbing and bolts)

Bouldering

Climbing at low height on small rocks, boulders or indoor walls, on routes called problems, where padded mats are commonly used, as the BMC defines it. Wikipedia (secondary) describes it as climbing without ropes. (Bouldering)

Brake plate and Sticht plate

Two names used in our sources. The American Alpine Club names the Sticht plate, an early device, among the tool families used for belaying. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA describes HMS connectors as for belaying with an Italian hitch or a brake plate, and a 2013 BMC report uses "brake-plate designs" for one kind of via ferrata set. Our sources do not say whether "brake plate" and "Sticht plate" name the same thing. (Belay devices)

C

Camp 4

The Yosemite campground listed on the US National Register of Historic Places on 21 February 2003, for its role from 1947 to 1970 as a meeting ground for climbers, according to Wikipedia (secondary). (Yosemite and the big walls)

Cam (spring-loaded camming device)

Removable protection that holds by friction; EN 12276 calls such devices frictional anchors. Cams fall under EN 12276:2013 (frictional anchors) and UIAA 125 (version 3.2, May 2026). A 2001 BMC text describes the 1998 edition as testing devices between parallel steel plates to at least 5 kN. (Cams and nuts)

Carabiner (karabiner)

A metal connector with a sprung gate. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA says the word comes from the German Karabinerhaken and that the first UIAA karabiner standard dates from 1965. Today's standards are EN 12275:2013 and UIAA 121 (version 4, 2018). (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Category III PPE

The category of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 that covers exclusively risks that may cause very serious consequences such as death or irreversible damage to health. The European Commission's guidelines (October 2025) place protection against falls from a height in it, naming dynamic ropes, slings, karabiners, chocks, rope clamps and rock and ice anchors. (Standards and markings)

CE marking

The mark showing, in the European Commission's words, that a product complies with applicable EU law after the prescribed conformity assessment. For Category III PPE it must be followed by the number of the notified body involved. The Commission says voluntary certificates are not accepted as proof of compliance. (Standards and markings)

CEN

The European Committee for Standardization, which publishes EN standards. The UIAA says it works with CEN to harmonise standards, sometimes adding tests of its own. (Standards and markings)

Chalk

Climbing chalk, which Mammut, a maker, describes as magnesium carbonate that absorbs moisture to dry the hands, sold as loose powder, chalk balls or liquid chalk (June 2024). Some land managers restrict it: the NPS bans white chalk at Arches National Park. (Chalk and chalk rules)

Chalk ball

Loose chalk held in thin fabric, which Mammut says produces less dust and is sometimes required in gyms (maker statement, June 2024). (Chalk and chalk rules)

Circuit (Fontainebleau)

A colour-coded chain of boulder problems. LACRUX (2026) says Fred Bernick marked the first one at Fontainebleau in 1947 and that the colour-coded route system in many gyms derives from these circuits. (Fontainebleau and bouldering)

Clean climbing

Climbing with removable protection instead of pitons. Wikipedia (secondary) says John Stannard coined the term in 1971, while also noting it may have emerged generally around 1970. The NPS says removable protection in the 1960s and 1970s greatly reduced the use of pitons, which damaged rock. (Clean climbing and cams)

Climbing wall

An artificial climbing surface. Wikipedia (secondary) calls Don Robinson's 1964 wall at the University of Leeds the first modern artificial wall in the UK, and Climbing magazine (2024) says the Vertical Club in Seattle, opened in 1987, was the first US commercial climbing gym. (The first climbing walls)

Climbing Wall Association (CWA)

The US industry body for climbing walls. It says it was incorporated as an independent nonprofit in May 2003, and its standards page names certification, Industry Practices, design and engineering, and structural inspection as its areas, with use of any CWA standard voluntary. (Climbing gyms)

Climbing Wall Instructor

An instructor award for supervising climbing on walls. The BMC says the Mountain Training award covers supervising climbers on purpose-built walls and boulders but not teaching lead climbing. The AMGA says its programme of the same name began in 2007, was endorsed by the UIAA in 2009, and certifies at Top Rope or Lead level. (Learning and guide certification)

Combined format

A competition result that adds disciplines together. Tokyo 2020 had one combined event per gender covering speed, bouldering and lead, in which lower totals ranked higher (World Climbing, 2021); Paris 2024 combined boulder and lead. (The Olympics)

Competent person

The person makers name to inspect gear. Petzl's rope notice (March 2024), for example, recommends a detailed inspection by a competent person at least every 12 months. On this site, makers' lifespan figures are always paired with the maker's instructions and a competent person's judgement. (Gear lifespan)

Connector

The generic word EN 12275 uses for karabiners and related items, so that new designs and quick links are covered too, as the BMC text distributed by the UIAA explains. SATRA summarises the current standard as EN 12275:2013. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Crag-fast (blockage)

Being unable to go on or back. Scottish Mountain Rescue's 2024 statistics record crag-fast as a contributing factor 20 times; the Swiss Alpine Club counts people blocked, unable to continue or retreat on their own, and recorded 1,008 in 2022 against a 10-year average of 607. (What the accident data shows)

Crampons

Equipment for snow and ice. EN 893:2019 covers crampons that keep the user from slipping on snow and ice, including mixed terrain, and the UIAA lists UIAA 153 Crampons at version 3 (2022). (Ice tools and crampons)

Crash pad

A portable mat for bouldering. The UIAA lists UIAA 161 Crash pads at version 5 (2018), with no matching EN standard. Climbing magazine (2026) says the first commercial pad was the Sketch Pad of 1992; other sources give different years. (Crash pads)

Crimp grip

A grip that injury research singles out. Quarmby and colleagues' 2023 review associate its use with higher overuse-injury risk and give a finger pulley rupture in a crimp grip as an example of an injury from a single hard move. A suspected injury needs medical care. (Injuries)

Critical fall height

The result of the UIAA 161 crash pad test: as a UIAA update seen only as a search snippet describes it, the drop height at which an instrumented headform reaches a Head Injury Criterion score of 800. It is a laboratory figure, and figures at different HIC levels do not compare. (Crash pads)

D

Deep-water soloing (DWS, psicobloc)

Unroped climbing above deep water, usually on sea cliffs, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. The CAI paper hosted by the UIAA describes a separate psicobloc grading scale combining an adjectival grade with a Font grade. (How climbing works)

Devils Tower voluntary closure

An annual June closure set in the NPS's 1995 climbing management plan for Devils Tower, out of respect for its significance to American Indian tribes, as the NPS described it in 2017. (Access history)

Directional connector (type D)

A connector meant to be loaded in one direction with a captive or semi-captive sling, as used in quickdraws, according to the BMC text distributed by the UIAA. It is recognised by shape and needs no type mark. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Downturn

A term makers use for the shape of a climbing shoe. No standard defines it, so it is each maker's own vocabulary; a Blister review seen as a search summary says La Sportiva's PD numbers rise with downturn and asymmetry. Sources disagree on whether a downturned shape lasts. (Climbing shoes)

Dry-tooling

Climbing ice-free rock with ice tools and crampons, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. The CAI paper notes the ice grading scale is also used for dry-tooling competitions. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Dynamic elongation

How far a dynamic rope stretches on the first drop of the EN 892 test, limited to 40% for all three rope types (UIAA table, 2025). It is a laboratory measurement. (Ropes)

Dynamic rope

A rope that, as one part of the safety chain, can arrest a climber's free fall with a limited peak force, as the UIAA defines it under EN 892 and UIAA 101. Static and low-stretch ropes are not designed for that. (Ropes)

E

E grade

The open-ended upper part of the British adjectival scale, from E1 upward. The BMC says it currently runs to E11; Wikipedia (secondary) records an E12 given to a route abroad. (Grading systems)

EN 12275

The European standard for climbing connectors, summarised by SATRA as EN 12275:2013, first published in 1998 on the basis of the UIAA's karabiner standard (BMC text via the UIAA). It defines classes such as B, H, K, X and Q, each with minimum strengths. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

EN 12277

The European harness standard, now EN 12277:2015+A1:2018, valid in Estonia's listing from 3 January 2019. SATRA summarises it as defining four types: A full body, B small body, C sit and D chest. (Harnesses)

EN 12492

The European standard for helmets for mountaineers, now EN 12492:2025, approved by CEN on 25 August 2025. Catalogue listings say it also covers helmets for climbing, caving, canyoning and via ferrata. The UIAA's matching standard is UIAA 106. (Helmets)

EN 15151

The two-part European standard for braking devices: Part 1:2012 for devices with manually assisted locking and Part 2:2012 for manual devices, as national catalogue summaries describe them. (Belay devices)

EN 566

The European standard for slings, now EN 566:2017, which replaced the 2006 edition. Edelrid's summary of the 2006 edition says a sling must pass a 22 kN static strength test; whether 2017 changed that was not confirmed. (Slings and anchors)

EN 892

The European standard for dynamic mountaineering ropes, now EN 892:2012+A3:2023, amended in 2016, 2021 and 2023 according to national catalogues. It defines single, half and twin ropes and their drop tests. (Ropes)

EN 958

The European standard for energy-absorbing systems used on via ferrata. The 2017 edition, for users of 40 kg to 120 kg, was withdrawn on 26 June 2024 and replaced by EN 958:2024, according to Standards Norway. (Via ferrata sets)

Energy-absorbing system

The part of a via ferrata set that absorbs the energy of a fall, covered by EN 958 and UIAA 128 (version 5, November 2025). The BMC reported in February 2013 that further testing had found serious ageing problems in several set designs, leading to recalls. (Via ferrata sets)

EU type-examination (Module B)

One of the conformity assessment procedures in Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Article 19 of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 requires it for Category II and III PPE, with Category III adding either supervised product checks (Module C2) or quality assurance of production (Module D). (Standards and markings)

Ewbank scale

The Australian grading scale. The CAI paper says it was born in 1967 from an idea of John Ewbank; Wikipedia (secondary) describes it as an open-ended run of whole numbers used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. (Grading systems)

F

Fall factor

A ratio used to describe how severe a fall on a dynamic rope is. Petzl, in an article seen only as a search summary, defines it as the length of a fall divided by the length of rope between belayer and climber. The UIAA gives the EN 892 drop test as a fall factor of 1.7; a Petzl page seen only as a search snippet says 1.77. (Ropes)

Fall rating

The number of test drops a rope held in certification. EN 892 requires at least 5 for single and half ropes and 12 for twin ropes (UIAA, 2025). Sterling, a maker, says the figure is not the number of falls a rope can hold in real use (2017). (Ropes)

Figure-eight (descender)

A manual braking device shaped like an 8. The UIAA (2011) names figure-eights among manual devices, and Edelrid classes its MAGO 8 as an EN 15151-2:2012 Type 2 device (2025 instructions). (Belay devices)

Finger pulley injury

An injury to the finger flexor pulleys. Miro and colleagues (2021) call finger flexor pulley injuries the most common overuse injury in rock climbers, rare outside the sport, with the A2, A3 and A4 pulleys most at risk. A suspected injury needs medical care. (Injuries)

Fixed anchor

Gear left permanently on a route, such as bolts. On 15 June 2026 four US federal land agencies released draft guidance that would officially allow fixed anchors, as KUNC reported; as of 21 October 2026 no final version had been found, so it is described here as a draft. (Access and ethics)

Flash

A first-try ascent of a route with prior information, such as beta, as Gripped (2024) defines it. (Sport climbing)

Font scale

The Fontainebleau bouldering grades. The CAI paper says they use numbers with letters that do not mean the same as route grades with the same symbols. Pairings with the V scale differ: Mountain Project puts V0 at Font 4, while Mammut (2025) puts it at about Font 5c. (Grade comparison tables)

Free climbing

Climbing in which gear is used only to protect against a fall and progress comes from the climber's own movement, as Wikipedia (secondary) defines it. (How climbing works)

Free soloing

Climbing with no rope or protection at all, as Wikipedia (secondary) defines it. The AAC's The Prescription (August 2025) says each year brings a handful of free-solo accidents, nearly always fatal. (What the accident data shows)

French grade

The sport climbing grade scale. The CAI paper says Francois Labande presented it, aligned to the UIAA scale, towards the end of the 1980s; Mammut (2025) describes it as running from 1 to 9c. Wikipedia (secondary) gives 9c, for Silence, as the top grade in 2026. (Grading systems)

Friends

Ray Jardine's spring-loaded camming devices. Climbing magazine (2020) says Jardine's company began selling them in the US in 1977 and that Wild Country brought them to the mass market from 1978; Wikipedia (secondary), which credits Jardine with inventing the modern spring-loaded camming device, dates the invention to 1978. (Clean climbing and cams)

Frostbite

A condition named in mountain incident records. Curran-Sills and Karahalios (2015) list it with hypothermia, exhaustion and dehydration as the main non-traumatic conditions in Alpine Club of Canada incident records from 1970 to 2005. Suspected frostbite needs medical care. (Injuries)

G

Gate-open strength

The strength of a carabiner loaded along its length with the gate open, marked in kN. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA calls it the most important figure for the climber; SATRA gives the EN 12275:2013 minimum as 7 kN for a basic connector. It is a laboratory minimum. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Golden age of alpinism

The decade in which many major Alpine peaks were first climbed, usually dated, according to Wikipedia (secondary), from Alfred Wills's ascent of the Wetterhorn in 1854 to the first ascent of the Matterhorn in 1865. (Early mountaineering)

Grade

A published opinion of how hard a climb is. The CAI paper hosted by the UIAA says grading is subjective and shaped by local habits, and the UIAA says equivalences between systems are approximate. (Grading systems)

Ground fall

A fall that reaches the ground. The German Alpine Club and KLEVER's 2024 gym statistics, reported by LACRUX, recorded 29 ground falls in roped climbing, mostly between the fifth and seventh clipping points, two of them fatal. (Gym safety)

Groupe de Bleau

The Fontainebleau group founded in 1924, whose members were called Bleausards. LACRUX (2026) calls it probably the world's first bouldering group. (Fontainebleau and bouldering)

H

Half rope

A dynamic rope tested under EN 892 for use as a pair, marked with a circled 1/2. Its drop test uses 55 kg on one strand with an 8 kN maximum impact force (UIAA, 2025). (Ropes)

Harness

Personal protective equipment: the European Commission's PPE guidelines (October 2025) name harnesses for mountaineering as an example. EN 12277:2015+A1:2018 defines four types, and Edelrid's summary describes the sit harness, Type C, as a waist belt with leg loops. (Harnesses)

Head Injury Criterion (HIC)

A score relating a head impact to injury, first developed for car accidents. A UIAA update seen only as a search snippet says UIAA 161 uses HIC 800 to set a crash pad's critical fall height; Ocun, a maker, publishes figures at HIC 400. (Crash pads)

Headpoint

A lead of a route after rehearsing it on a top rope, used mostly for bold trad routes, as Gripped (2024) defines it. (Trad climbing)

Helmet

Head protection covered by EN 12492, now in its 2025 edition, and, for the UIAA label, UIAA 106 version 4.0, which limits force on the headform to 8 kN in its impact tests. Edelrid's summary of the 2012 edition says the label must state that the helmet is to be replaced after a climbing fall or rockfall impact, because damage may not be visible. The BMC presents wearing one as each climber's own decision. (Helmets)

Hexentric and Stopper

Removable chocks named in Chouinard Equipment's 1972 catalogue, which, as Adventure Journal describes it, called for less use of pitons in favour of chocks, hexes and stoppers; the catalogue scan lists both by page. (Clean climbing and cams)

High altitude cerebral edema (HACE)

An altitude illness that the UIAA Medical Commission (No. 2) calls life-threatening and says AMS can quickly lead to. Suspected altitude illness needs medical care. (Altitude illness)

High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE)

An altitude illness that the UIAA Medical Commission (No. 2) labels potentially life-threatening, alongside AMS and HACE. Suspected altitude illness needs medical care. (Altitude illness)

Highball

A tall boulder problem or short route, usually climbed with pads and spotters, which the BMC describes as where bouldering meets soloing and calls high-risk. (Bouldering)

HMS connector (type H)

A connector marked with a circled H, which the BMC text distributed by the UIAA describes as for dynamic belaying with an Italian hitch or brake plate. SATRA gives its EN 12275:2013 minimums as 20 kN major axis, 6 kN gate open and 7 kN minor axis. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Hypothermia

A condition named in mountain incident records. Curran-Sills and Karahalios (2015) list it among the main non-traumatic conditions in Canadian mountain incidents, and Scottish Mountain Rescue recorded 11 cases in 2024. Suspected hypothermia needs medical care. (Injuries)

I

Ice climbing

Climbing on snow or ice, usually outdoors with ropes, as the BMC defines it, noting that some indoor venues exist. The UIAA says ice climbing competitions stayed with it when competition sport climbing left in 2006. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Ice screw

An ice anchor; the UIAA's ice anchor standard is UIAA 151 (version 3, 2018). Ireland's consumer regulator issued a notice on 4 November 2024 saying one 10 cm model's pull-out strength was insufficient; the maker's own update of 29 November 2024, seen only as a search snippet, says the screw was then re-certified. (Recalls)

Ice tool

An axe for climbing ice, covered by EN 13089 (now EN 13089:2015+A3:2023) and UIAA 152 (version 5.1, July 2025). Black Diamond's 2016 instructions quote the standard's Type 1 (marked B or unmarked) for snow and ice and Type 2 (marked T) for rock, snow or ice. (Ice tools and crampons)

IFMGA

The International Federation of Mountain Guides Associations. Wikipedia (secondary) says guide associations from four countries set it up in 1965 in Zermatt; the ACMG says it sets training standards and its members in more than 20 countries represent almost 7,000 guides. (Learning and guide certification)

IFSC

The International Federation of Sport Climbing, the former name of World Climbing. The federation rebranded on 10 December 2025. (World Climbing)

Impact force

The peak force in a rope drop test. EN 892 limits it to 12 kN for single and twin ropes and 8 kN for half ropes on the first drop (UIAA, 2025). The BMC's 2001 article described a lower figure as a softer catch and said it rises with use. (Ropes)

Injury classification (UIAA No. 17)

The UIAA Medical Commission's 2010 standard for classifying mountaineering and climbing injuries, written for physicians and scientists because earlier studies used inconsistent definitions. A Bern study, seen only in a search summary, gives 2011 as its introduction. (Injuries)

K

Kernmantel

Rope construction with a load-bearing core inside a protective sheath, which EN 892 and UIAA 110 both require. Edelrid says it developed the first kernmantle rope in 1953 (maker claim), and Wikipedia (secondary) credits Edelrid and Mammut with the first dynamic ropes in 1964. (Ropes)

Kinder Scout mass trespass

A ramblers' trespass on 24 April 1932 in the Peak District, after which five people were jailed, as the BMC-hosted Kinder 80 programme (2012) records. It describes the 2000 CROW Act as creating a right to roam on open country in England and Wales. (Access history)

Klettersteig

The German word for via ferrata. EN 958's title uses both, and EN 12275's class K connectors are made for it, with higher strength and a large gate opening (BMC text via the UIAA). (Via ferrata sets)

L

Ladies' Alpine Club

The first mountaineering club for women, founded in London in December 1907 by Elizabeth Le Blond and others, according to Wikipedia (secondary); another source, seen only in a search summary, says Lucy Walker founded it. It merged with the Alpine Club in 1975. (Women in climbing)

Lake Louise Score

A symptom score for acute mountain sickness. The UIAA Medical Commission says it was established in 1991 and revised in 2018. (Altitude illness)

Lead climbing

Climbing in which the climber clips the rope into protection on the way up, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. Lead is also one of World Climbing's competition disciplines. (Top rope and lead)

Leave No Trace

Seven outdoor ethics principles, which the NPS says were set by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, from planning ahead to being considerate of other visitors. (Access and ethics)

Liquid chalk

Magnesium carbonate mixed with alcohol, sometimes with resins such as colophony, that leaves a thin dry layer, as Mammut (2024) and Wikipedia (secondary) describe it. Mammut says the alcohol can irritate sensitive skin or open wounds. (Chalk and chalk rules)

Locking carabiner

A carabiner whose gate can be locked. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA names two kinds, screwgates and auto-locking gates, and says both can wear over time and stop working correctly. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Lost Arrow Chimney

A Yosemite route that John Salathe and Anton Nelson climbed in 1947 over five and a half days; Allen Steck (American Alpine Journal, 2002) calls it the first big wall climbed with multiple bivouacs and hard steel pitons. (Yosemite and the big walls)

Lowering

Letting a climber back down on the rope, one of the belayer's roles as the AAC describes it. The AAC's The Prescription said in August 2026 that lowering had replaced rappelling as the leading cause of roped-climbing accidents in its data. (Roped climbing incidents)

Low-stretch rope

Kernmantel rope of 8.5 to 16 mm under EN 1891:1998 and UIAA 107, in Type A for rope access, rescue and caving and Type B, a lower-performance rope needing more care (UIAA table, 2025). (Ropes)

M

Mauerhakenstreit

The piton dispute set off in 1911 when Paul Preuss questioned the use of pitons in an essay in the German Alpine Journal, as LACRUX (2026) recounts it. (The birth of rock climbing)

Mixed climbing

Routes with too little ice for pure ice climbing and too much for pure rock climbing, climbed with ice tools and crampons, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes them. Wikipedia credits Jeff Lowe with the M grade, unconfirmed elsewhere. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Mountaineering

A mix of walking, scrambling and rock and ice climbing in mountain areas, as the BMC defines it, naming Scottish winter, Alpine and Himalayan settings. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Mountain Qualification Label (MQL)

The UIAA Training Commission's accreditation for federations' instructor training programmes, setting the minimum experience, skills and knowledge required; accreditation runs for four years. (Learning and guide certification)

Multi-pitch

A route too long for one rope length, roughly 50 to 70 m, so it is climbed in sections called pitches, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. Multi-pitch routes can be trad, sport or aid. (Multi-pitch and big wall)

N

Near miss

A term used in incident reporting. The BMC launched an incident and near-miss reporting system in April 2019 and reported more than 100 reports in its first three months. (What the accident data shows)

Nesting restriction

A seasonal limit on climbing near nesting birds. The BMC agrees restrictions each year for protected species such as peregrines, citing the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; Zion National Park closes listed areas from 1 March for peregrine falcons and California condors. (Access and ethics)

NICAS

The National Indoor Climbing Award Schemes, as the BMC names them, run by the ABC Training Trust, with five levels from New Climber to Advanced Climber. (Learning and guide certification)

Notified body

An organisation designated to carry out conformity assessment under EU law. The European Commission says only notified bodies may certify harmonised products and lists them in the NANDO database; their four-digit number follows the CE mark on Category III PPE. (Standards and markings)

Nut (chock)

A passive piece of removable protection. The current standard is EN 12270:2013 and the UIAA's is UIAA 124 (version 3, 2018). Wikipedia (secondary) says English climbers used machine nuts on slings in the 1950s and that purpose-made climbing nuts were reportedly first made in 1961. (Cams and nuts)

O

Obsolescence

The point at which PPE should no longer be used. Regulation (EU) 2016/425 requires makers to state it where applicable, and the European Commission says it may be a date, a usage limit or an incident, such as a harness after a fall or a helmet after an impact. (Gear lifespan)

Onsight

Climbing a route first try with no prior information, as Gripped (2024) defines it. (Sport climbing)

Oval connector (type X)

A connector marked with a circled X, mainly for aid climbing. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA says ovals are inherently weaker with the gate open, and SATRA gives their EN 12275:2013 minimum gate-open strength as 5 kN. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Overuse injury

A category of injury used in climbing injury research. Quarmby and colleagues' 2023 review say most overuse injuries in climbing are in the upper body and cite one study classing up to 93% of climbing injuries as overuse. A suspected injury needs medical care. (Injuries)

P

Para climbing

Competition climbing for athletes with impairments, in World Climbing's categories for visual impairment (B), limb deficiency (AL and AU) and range and power (RP), where a lower number means greater impairment. The IPC says it debuts at the LA28 Paralympics with eight medal events. (Para climbing)

PA shoe

The rubber-soled climbing shoe Pierre Allain developed in the 1930s, which LACRUX (2026) records and Wikipedia (secondary), as seen in a search summary, calls generally considered the first soft rubber-soled shoe for serious rock climbing. (Equipment history)

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Equipment designed and manufactured to be worn or held by a person for protection against risks to their health or safety, as Regulation (EU) 2016/425 defines it. The European Commission's guidelines (October 2025) say PPE is not limited to work and extends to sport and leisure, naming harnesses for mountaineering as an example. (Standards and markings)

Pinkpoint

A redpoint made with the protection already in place, common usage in the 1990s and early 2000s, as Gripped (2024) defines it. (Sport climbing)

Pinnacle Club

A women's rock climbing club inaugurated on 26 March 1921 at the Pen-y-Gwryd inn in Snowdonia, according to Wikipedia (secondary). (Women in climbing)

Piolets d'Or

Annual awards for the year's greatest ascents. The official site says its charter favours style over reaching the summit at any cost and rejects reliance on supplementary oxygen, fixed ropes or large numbers of porters. (Piolets d'Or)

Pitch

One of the sections a multi-pitch route is climbed in, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes multi-pitch climbing. (Multi-pitch and big wall)

Piton

A metal rock anchor. The UIAA lists UIAA 122 Pitons (version 3, 2018), and the European Commission places rock anchors (pitons) in Category III. Wikipedia (secondary) says harder chrome-molybdenum pitons spread in the early 1960s and increased rock damage. (Clean climbing and cams)

Problem (boulder problem)

A route in bouldering, as the BMC uses the word. (Bouldering)

Q

Quickdraw

Connectors joined by a sling, on the UIAA's 2018 single-pitch equipment list. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA says directional (type D) connectors, with a captive or semi-captive sling, are used for quickdraws. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

Quick link (type Q)

A connector with a screwed closure, such as a Maillon Rapide, which EN 12275 covers under its generic word connector. SATRA gives its minimums as 25 kN major axis and 10 kN minor axis. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

R

R and X ratings

Suffixes that signal risk. Wikipedia (secondary) says YDS can add R and X; the CAI paper describes R for thin ice and X for fragile structures in ice grades. (Grading systems)

Rappel

See abseil. (Roped climbing incidents)

Recall

A maker's or regulator's notice withdrawing or calling in a product. Dates can differ by publisher: Black Diamond announced a Camalot recall on 13 April 2016, as the BMC reported, while the US CPSC's notice is dated 19 May 2016. (Recalls)

Redpoint

A clean ascent after at least one failed attempt, as Gripped (2024) defines it. Gripped says the word comes from the German Rotpunkt, the red dot Kurt Albert painted at route bases in the Frankenjura in the 1970s; Wikipedia (secondary) dates his first to 1975. (Sport climbing)

Regional Access Database (RAD)

The BMC's database of crag access and nesting restrictions, which it calls the most accurate source for England and Wales, warning that guidebook details may be out of date. (Access and ethics)

Rockfall

Falling rock. A 2013 USGS study counted 925 documented events in Yosemite from 1857 to 2011, which killed 15 people and injured at least 85; a local newspaper after 2017 gave higher totals, which we could not confirm. (Rockfall, weather and avalanches)

Rock Master

A climbing competition at Arco, Italy, first held in 1987 on rock and moved to artificial walls the following year, according to the event's own history seen as a search summary. (Competition climbing)

S

Safety chain

A term in the UIAA's definition of a dynamic rope: a rope that, used as one component of the safety chain, can arrest a climber's free fall with a limited peak force. (Standards and markings)

Saxon climbing rules

The rules of the Elbe Sandstone region in Germany. Wikipedia (secondary) says their core is renouncing artificial aids, with protection by knotted slings and chalk forbidden, and that they were first printed in 1913; a regional tourism board says 1910. (The birth of rock climbing)

Scottish winter grades

A two-part winter grade: an overall Roman numeral and a technical number for crux pitches above grade III. The BMC says the scale currently runs I to X; Wikipedia (secondary) records grade XII routes. (Grading systems)

Scrambling

A mix of hill walking and rock climbing on steep, sometimes very exposed ground, with or without ropes, as the BMC defines it. (Alpine, ice and mixed)

Second

The climber who follows the leader. In trad climbing, the BMC says, the second removes the protection the leader placed. (Trad climbing)

Sheath slippage

How far a rope's sheath moves over its core in a laboratory test. EN 892 limits it to 1%, or 20 mm on a 2,000 mm sample (Edelrid summary; UIAA table, 2025). (Ropes)

Shelf life and in-use life

Two lifetime figures makers give for degradable gear. The BMC's Technical Group (1999) described shelf life as the storage period after which significant degradation may have occurred, and called in-use life rough guidance at best. (Gear lifespan)

Siege tactics

Climbing a big route with fixed ropes between camps, as on Himalayan expeditions. Wikipedia (secondary) says the first ascent of the Nose of El Capitan in 1958 used them. (Yosemite and the big walls)

Silver age of alpinism

The UK name for the period after the 1865 Matterhorn ascent, according to Wikipedia (secondary). (Early mountaineering)

Single rope

A dynamic rope tested under EN 892 for use as one strand, marked with a circled 1. Its drop test uses 80 kg, with a 12 kN maximum impact force and at least 5 drops held (UIAA, 2025). (Ropes)

Sling

Tape, cord or rope joined into a loop by stitching or another method, as Edelrid summarises EN 566. Under the 2006 edition a sling must pass 22 kN in a static test and be marked with its breaking strength. (Slings and anchors)

Speed climbing

A race up a 15 m wall on standardised parallel routes, the same for men and women, as World Climbing describes it. World Climbing says it is the only climbing discipline with officially recognised records. (Speed records)

Sport climbing

Climbing on fixed protection, mainly bolts already in the rock, usually single-pitch, as the BMC defines it. (Sport climbing)

Sportroccia

The first international climbing competition, held at Bardonecchia in July 1985 and in three later editions in Italy, according to Wikipedia (secondary). The 1985 and 1986 editions were on natural rock. (Competition climbing)

Static elongation

How much a rope stretches between a 5 kg and an 80 kg load in the EN 892 test, limited to 10% for single and twin ropes and 12% for half ropes (UIAA, 2025). A BMC article of 2001 gave lower limits, likely from an earlier edition. (Ropes)

Static rope

A very low-stretch rope. UIAA 110, approved in June 2025 with no EN equivalent, caps static elongation at 2.5%. The UIAA says static ropes are not designed for any dynamic use and do not limit impact forces. (Ropes)

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC)

A form of corrosion that can weaken metal anchors. UIAA 123 defines SCC, GC and LC corrosion classes and notes SCC is associated with seaside cliffs but can occur inland and indoors, for example near swimming pools. (Bolts)

Swami belt

An early climbing harness of webbing loops round the waist, developed by Yosemite climbers in the 1960s and followed by the Swami Seat with leg loops, according to Wikipedia (secondary). (Equipment history)

T

Technical grade

The second part of a British trad grade, rating the hardest single move. The BMC lists technical grades from 4a through 7b. (Grading systems)

Top rope

Climbing beneath a rope already anchored above the route, so a fall leaves the climber hanging on the rope, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. (Top rope and lead)

Trad climbing

Climbing in which the leader places their own protection on the way up and the second removes it, as the BMC defines it. (Trad climbing)

Tricam

A nut and cam hybrid that Wikipedia (secondary) says Greg Lowe invented in 1973 and that came to market in 1981. (Clean climbing and cams)

Twin rope

A dynamic rope tested under EN 892 for use in parallel as a pair, marked with two interlinked circles. It must hold at least 12 test drops on two strands (UIAA, 2025). (Ropes)

U

UIAA

The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation, founded in Chamonix in August 1932. Its standards page says it began creating safety standards in 1960 with ropes (its Safety Commission's 2025 rope note says rope requirements date from 1961), and that it has standards for over 25 types of equipment. (Governing bodies)

UIAA Safety Label

The UIAA's certification mark for equipment. The UIAA says a maker sends samples to an accredited laboratory and applies with the reports, and that a labelled product must carry the UIAA trademark or the letters UIAA. It says the label was created in 1960 and approved internationally in 1965. (Standards and markings)

UIAA scale

The rock grade scale in Roman numerals. The UIAA says it became official in 1967, added grade VII in 1978 and was opened upward in 1985; some secondary sources give 1979 for the opening. (Grading systems)

UIAA Water Repellent

A label for ropes certified to UIAA 101 whose average water uptake in the UIAA's laboratory test is under 5.0% of their weight. The BMC said in 2001 that dry treatment wears off with heavy use. (Ropes)

UKCA mark

The UK conformity mark. The UK government says it shows the maker considers a product meets UK requirements, and that from 1 October 2024 CE marking is recognised in Great Britain indefinitely, so either may be used. (Standards and markings)

V

Via ferrata

A protected route with fixed cables, called Klettersteig in German; the BMC text distributed by the UIAA refers to lanyards made for via ferrata cables. The energy-absorbing sets used on them are covered by EN 958, and the UIAA issued a worldwide warning on 13 September 2012 after a fatal accident in which both lanyards of a set broke. (Via ferrata sets)

V scale

The US bouldering grade scale, starting at V0. Wikipedia (secondary) credits John Sherman, who set it out in his 1991 Hueco Tanks guidebook, and gives V17 as the top grade in 2026. (Grading systems)

W

Water ice (WI) grades

Grades for frozen waterfalls. The CAI paper says WI is used for water ice and AI for alpine ice, with M added for mixed sections, and that the Canadian scale is now widely used for waterfalls. (Grading systems)

Whillans harness

A sit harness designed by Don Whillans for the 1970 Annapurna South Face expedition and made by Troll, which Wikipedia (secondary) says went into mass production and became popular worldwide. (Equipment history)

Wire gate

A carabiner gate made from one bent piece of spring-steel wire, lighter than a solid gate, as Wikipedia (secondary) describes it. The BMC text distributed by the UIAA says wire gates reduce whiplash opening but solve some problems, not all. (Carabiners and quickdraws)

World Climbing

The international federation for competition climbing, formerly the IFSC. It says it was founded on 27 January 2007 in Frankfurt by 57 federations and was renamed on 10 December 2025; its disciplines are Boulder, Lead, Speed and Para Climbing. (World Climbing)

World Climbing Series

The World Climbing competition series that replaced the IFSC World Cup from 2026, as Gripped reported on 10 December 2025; Wikipedia (secondary) also dates the renaming to December 2025. (World Cup 2026)

World Cup

The international competition series. World Climbing says Lead and Speed World Cups began in 1989 and a Bouldering World Cup followed in 1999; Wikipedia (secondary) says the first UIAA World Cup in 1989 was lead-only and speed was added in 1998, and the BMC dates bouldering's competition debut to 1998. From 2026 the series is the World Climbing Series. (Competition climbing)

Y

Yosemite Decimal System (YDS)

The US rock grade scale. The CAI paper says it derives from a 1937 Sierra Club system refined in the 1950s by adding a decimal to class 5, and that it usually rates only the hardest passage. Wikipedia (secondary) gives 5.15d as the top grade. (Grading systems)

Youth categories (U17, U19)

The age groups of the World Climbing youth championships from 2025, replacing the earlier U16, U18 and U20, according to World Climbing. (Youth climbing)

Z

Zone and top

Scoring marks in competition bouldering. Gripped (2025) reported that from 2025 a zone scores 10 points, a top 15 more, and each unsuccessful attempt costs 0.1. (How competitions work)