Have you ever walked past a group of chatting climbers and wondered, what on Earth are they talking about?
If you’re new to climbing, your first trip to a climbing gym or crag may feel overwhelming for multiple reasons. For one, you may be nervous to face the wall in front of you. Although, you probably didn’t feel prepared to be exposed to an entirely new vocabulary.
Similar to other subcultures, climbers have created their own terminology that continues to evolve and grow overtime. To passersby, climber lingo can sound like a foreign language.
This is a beginner’s guide to learning some of the most common climbing terminology and their origins.
Beta: This term is defined as information designated to specific climbs. This could range from step-by-step instruction found in guidebooks, or helpful hints from climber to climber. The term was coined by the late climber, Jake Mileski in the 1980’s. Mileski would film himself climbing on Betamax, an old videotape format. He would later watch the tapes to make note of specific moves and offer them to friends while calling them “beta,” as a play on words.
Carabiner: A carabiner is an oval or D-shaped metal ring with a spring-loaded gate that is used for various parts of a climbing system. The word originates from the German word Karabinerhaken which translates to a carabineer’s hook. Carabiners were introduced to sport climbing by a German climber named Otto Herzog. The story goes he came up with the idea in 1910 when he saw a fire brigade attaching clips very similar to the modern carabiner to their belts.
Crux: The word crux refers to the most challenging move or collection of moves on a route. A route could include multiple cruxes. According to Merriam Webster, the Latin word translates to an instrument of torture, causing an individual misery. The word eventually began to refer to “a puzzling or difficult problem.”
Pumped: This term refers to being weakened or in pain from a strenuous move or climb, typically in the forearms. Being pumped means a climber’s muscles are physically pumped with too much lactic acid. A climber who is pumped can have difficulty forming a grip or holding on to the rock.
Whipper: A whipper or whip is an especially long and hard fall. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls below one or more pieces of protection. Occasionally, the belayer can be lifted off the ground due to the weight of the climber or how far they fall. The term originated from the whipping motion a climber can take if an unskilled belayer cuts the fall short. A whipper often goes hand-in-hand with a screamer, which is a long fall on a rope, typically accompanied by screaming.
Now that you are equipped with some new lingo and a little bit of climbing history, you can fearlessly face the wall in front of you, while sounding like a true climber.
To learn more about WVU’s climbing wall, visit https://adventureclimbing.wvu.edu/ .
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