Glossary A-G

ABSEIL:- also known as "rappel"- to descend independently using a rope and a descender device. It is also possible to use just the rope round your body. This is called a "classic" abseil.

ARETE: a ridge or rib, an outward pointing bit of rock the opposite of a corner.

ASCENDER: a device for climbing the rope when all else fails, or even, occasionally, by design. May be a simple prusik or a mechanical device.

BELAY (verb: "to belay"): to protect another climber by preventing the rope from slipping; either with a belay device or with a body belay.

BELAY (noun; "a belay"): a place where you attach yourself to the rock. Usually it involves many independent connections to the rock that can bear a shock load of one or both climbers falling off.

BELAY DEVICE: a rope controller or piece of climbing equipment which you use to control the rope when belaying. Belay devices include "belay tubes" (many brands), the Figure eight, the Gri-gri, and some other innovations like the assisted braking devices.

BODY BELAY: a belay performed by wrapping the rope around the body to provide friction should the climber fall.

CLOVE HITCH: an adjustable knot extremely useful for climbers. It is a twin loop knot, used when the force exacted on each side of the knot is considered to be equal.

CORNER: the inverse of an arête; like the crease of an open book.

CRACK: a split or fissure in the rock face. Horizontal cracks are known as breaks; wide cracks may be off widths or chimneys.

CRAG: a rock face or any large expanse of rock.

CHIMNEY: crack wide enough to fit your whole body into.

CRIMP: a small hold onto which you can just get the ends of your fingers.

DEAD ROPE: the slack rope from the belay device, as opposed to the Live Rope on the other side of the belay device that goes to the climber. It is critical that at least one hand is firmly kept on the Dead Rope at all times

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GRADE: how difficult it is the climb.

GRI-GRI: a belay device which automatically locks when the leader of a climb pulls very hard on the rope.

Glossary N - P

MULTI-PITCH CLIMBING: a climb that is done in 2 or more parts. The climbers re-unite at the top of each section before starting the new 'pitch'.

NUT: a metal wedge threaded on steel wires, intended to go into cracks and stay there for the climber's protection.

NUT KEY: thin tool with a hooked end used by a second for removing gear, especially nuts, stuck into cracks.

PITCH: a section of a climb, or the whole thing. Some climbing is "single-pitch" -only one section- and some is "multi-pitch" -several sections-. Both versions require a good belay top anchors; multi-pitch routes require good belay anchors between pitches.

PLACEMENT: the place in the rock face (or sometimes things like trees growing off it) where protection is actually placed.

PROTECTION: also known as gear, the devices that climbers use to prevent themselves from hitting the ground in a fall.

PRUSIK: (noun) a piece of cord which is wound around the rope and grips when weighted. Can be used as an ascender or to safeguard an abseil.