The Climbers Vocabulary

Jive... ya dig?.

--M as in M5+ stands for mixed as in ice and rock in the route. Hardest mixed climb, M12.

--WI6 stands for waterfall ice, a pure ice route. Hardest WI8? / 7+.

--The numbers behind them are to grade the degree of difficulty. The higher the number the harder and a + or - just defines that grade more so.

-- Rock grades go, 5.5 through 5.10, at which it adds an a,b,c,d. to each number higher to define it more, 5.10a,b,c,d / 5.13a,b,c,d. The highest rock grade 5.15.

--Commmitment Grade are in Roman Numerals grade Difficulty of approach, descent, length, objective hazard and sustained nature of the climbing.
-- I ) a short, easy climb close to car. No avalanche danger, easy descent.
-- II) 1 or 2 pitches of climbing close to car, No avy danger, easy descent.
-- III) Multi-pitch route at low evevation or 1 pitch with long approach 1 hr + and/or no trail. Several + hours of climbing, most of day to do, Avy danger, winter travel skills, descent by rappeling and/or placing your own anchers.
-- IV) Remote, multi-pitch at elevation, subject to weather patterens, objective hazards and or avy danger, several hour + approach, descent may be on hazardous terrain and/or build your own anchers.
-- V) A long climb, competent party, all day, high mountain face or ending above tree line, sustained climbing, avy danger, objective hazards, long involved approach, high level of climbing experience, winter skills needed to climb safely, descent by multi-rappels from built anchers.
--VI) A long climbing route, waterfall, alpine face/ ridge, very sustained climbing, only best do it in a day, ski and/or glacier approach with a difficult, tiring descent, High objective hazards, higher avy danger, falling seracs, high altitude, possable white out, crevasses and/or remote, a high fitness and experience level needed to climb safly.

-- Ice climbing grades. Pure ice.
-- WI 1) a frozen lake.
-- WI 2) a short pitch of ice with up to a short 80* section, good Pro and anchers.
-- WI 3) Sustained ice up to 80*, good ice, must be able to place pro well, short sections steeper, good resting places.
-- WI 4) A sustained full pitch of off-vertical or shorter vertical (10-25 meters) ice. technical ice, harder to place Pro, run-out between resting places.
-- WI 5) A long strenuous pitch, maybe full rope length (60meters) of 88*-90* ice with few if any rests. Or short (20-40meters) on bad, fetureless ice, good Pro take's excellent technique.
-- WI 6) A full 50 meter pitch dead vertical ice or shorter, nasty proportions. Few if any resting sites, Pro is put in on front points or in awkward positions. Ice quality is variable technical climbing, Technique and efficiency are at a premium.
-- WI 7) A full pitch of vertical ice, thin and or overhanging, technical colume of dubious adhesion. Both diverse and cerative techniques to climb and find protection (pro). Very physically and emotionally draining pitch.
-- WI 8) Worldwide nobody has climbed one but they are out there and maybe someday will be climbed. Climbing knows no limits.
-- X added to a route grade means, fragile, possable collapes while climbing, run-outs usually come along to.
-- R added for thin = runout and or bad Pro not worth trusting.

-- Mixed Grades use alot of rock grading in it, so it is more of a compairison to rock but with crampons and ice tools in your hand and on your feet. So not similar but similar FEEL grading.
-- M4 = 5.8, M5 = 5.9, M6= 5.10, M7= 5.11, M8= 5.11+/5.12-, M9= 5.12, M10= 5.12+/13-, M11= 5.13, M12= 5.13+ .

--"Pro" means protection that you use to tie yourself to the face/route/mountain your climbing.

--"Trad" is to climb with traditional pro or gear. Nuts, Tri-Cams, Hex's, Pitons, Cam's. No bolts.

-- "Gear" is the stuff named above nuts, pitons... it goes in the rock to make anchers.

--"Sport Climb" is a bolted route or has bolts at the top for a top rope system.

--"Alpine Climbing" is a climbing route in a alpine environment possibly with a summit to obtain. More remote and usually with more objective hazards to deal with. More committing than a sport climb at a crag.

--"Crag" is a spot that is close and usually bolted for sport climbing.

--"Pumped" is when your arms feel like they are going to explode from the climb. A long and or hard, overhanging or technical climb will do it to you.

--"Binner" or carabinner are the metal clips that attach's you to the safety system and the safety system to the climb, rock, ice, tree, whatever.

-- "Bubba" aka Barry Blanchard, Canada's leading Mountaineer. Any guy with a bagel named after him needs mentioning. Plain bagel, Peanut butter, Banana.

--"Onsite" is to climb a route first time, walk up and climb it.

--"Red point" is to climb a route after some, a few, a lot, one attempts at it.

-- To "Sandbag" A route is to slowly try and get the moves of the climb while hanging on the rope a lot. Start, fall, work the move, fall, repeat until your up or keep trying.

-- A "Slog" scree, talus, snow. A LONG haul, walk, hike... usually with a heavy pack. Energy sapping, a lot of work with little reward sometimes but sometime it's worth every slipping, tripping, sliding, heavy step.

-- A"Whipper" is a big fall on lead. A run out route, your pro came out (bad placement), belayer let out too much slack/ fell asleep. Can be fun or shit yourself.

-- A "Run Out" is a climb that doesn't have many place's to place a piece of "Pro" making long sections of climbing to do above your last placement. The cause of the above. Not fun.

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