A Climber's Glossary

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These definitions for climbers' jargon and slang are quoted from The High Sierra; Peaks, Passes,and Trails by R.J. Secor. Sometimes you can't understand climbers at all unless you have a phrasebook.

aid
direct aid climbing, i.e., climbing a pitch by hanging from equipment that has been placed in or on the rock
alcove
a belay ledge that is surrounded on all sides by vertical rock
arete
a steep, narrow ridge
bergschrund or 'schrund
a crevasse in a glacier or snowfield, formed when the movement of snow or ice diverges away from the fixed mountainside
black ice
very old ice that has been mixed with scree and gravel. This is usually found deep in couloirs in late autumn during drought years.
bolts
small metal spikes that are hammered into holes that have been drilled into rock.
bongs
extra wide pitons, now virtually non-existent; they have been replaced by large chocks.
buttress
a very steep arete on the face of a mountain. Nose and pillar are synonomous with buttress.
ceiling
see roof
chickenheads
see horns
chimney
either a steep, narrow chute with parallel walls, or a wide crack that the climber can fit into.
chocks
rock protection that is wedged into cracks by hand. Nuts is a synonym.
chockstones
rocks that are wedged into cracks, either by nature or by a desperate leader who doesn't have any other protection left.
chute
this is usualy steeper than a gully, and may be subject to rockfall.
cirque
a deep recess in a mountain; it resembles an amphitheater with steep walls.
col
a steep, high pass.
corn snow
unconsolidated granular snow that has gone through a short freeze-and-thaw process. This type of snow is prevalent throughout the High Sierra in April and May.
couloir
a steep chute, which may have snow or ice.
crack
the separation of two rock faces, ranging in size from the width of a chimney to microscopically narrow.
crest
the very top of a ridge or arete.
dihedral
see Open book
face
the sides of a mountain, a slope being more gentle (less steep) than a face.
firn
consolidated granular snow left over from the previous year. Closer to ice than snow in density, it may require the use of crampons.
flakes
long, narrow horns, or a huge rock slab leaning against a cliff. The sides of such a slab may form dihedrals.
flared
a crack or chimney whose sides are not parallel, but instead form two converging planes of rock.
free
free climbing; i.e., doing a climb or pitch without resorting to aid.
gully
this usually refers to a wide, shallow ravine on a mountainside.
headwall
where the face of a mountain steepens dramatically.
horns
spikes of rock that are used for protection or holds. Chickenheads is a synonym.
lead
see Pitch.
mixed climbing
either a combination of free and aid climbing; or a combination of rock, snow, and ice climbing.
moat
the gap between snow and ice and a rock wall.
move
see Pitch.
munge
dirt and vegetation that fills a crack.
nailing
an ancient term used to describe direct-aid climbing with pitons.
neve
consolidated granular snow. This is common on glaciers and snowfields during the height of summer.
nose
see Buttress.
notch
a small col.
nuts
see Chocks.
off-width
a crack or chimney too wide to climb but too narrow to climb into.
open book
the junction of two planes of rock; in other words, an inside corner. The corner can be either acute or obtuse, and can face right or left. Dihedral is a synonym.
outside corner
see Rib.
overhang
a section of rock that exceeds the vertical.
pass
the lowest or easiest crossing of a ridge.
pitch or lead
a section of a climb between belays. A very short pitch is a move.
pillar
see Buttress.
pitons
metal spikes that are hammered into cracks.
ramp
an ascending ledge.
rib
a short, small buttress. An outside corner is even smaller.
ridge
a high divide extending out from a peak.
roof
an overhang that forms a horizontal plane. Ceiling is a synonym.
runners
loops of nylon webbing that are threaded or looped around chockstones, flakes, horns, or chickenheads for protection.
saddle
a high pass that is not as steep as a col.
scree
small rocks that slide under the climber's feet.
Sierra Crest
the divide that runs along the very top of the High Sierra, separating the Great Basin and the Pacific Ocean watersheds.
Sierra wave
a lenticular cloud.
slope
see Face.
summit
the high point of a peak or top of a pass.
talus
large blocks of rock.
tarn
a small lake.
toe
the bottom of a buttress.
verglas
thin water ice on rock.
water ice
solid ice that contains few air bubbles. This is typically found in the couloirs of the High Sierra in autumn.