About This Blog
Why was is created?
I haven't been into climbing all that long, having only started in January 2020 when a work mate of mine, Sam, invited me along. In one of our many session together, we made the comment that it's very easy to lose context and perspective when climbing, especially when it come to progress.
A route that was once a campaign to complete, all of a sudden, without even noticing it, becomes your warm up, and all of a sudden, you've forgotten how it felt to be falling off of it time and time again, longing for the day when you'd top out. The other issue, once a route is taken down, it's never going back up so you've kind of lost it.
It's because of these two things that I decided to create the blog, so we can continuously look back and see the routes we've completed and how we are progressing over time.
That and to record all the ridiculous antics that always seem to happen when we get together as a group.
Glossary
Actual Climbing Terminology
Here is a list of climbing words and phases that I may or may not use, but thought they would be handy to reference just in case.
Arete - The corner of an indoor climbing wall, or a ridge like feature that resembles an outward facing corner.
Barn-door - When, due to your body position, you swing out uncontrollably like a door on a hinge.
Belay - Securing the rope whilst a partner climbs. The belay device provides friction to the rope system which supports with the holding of your partner's weight.
Beta - Getting information on a route from watching someone else climb it or a guide book.
Crimp - A type of hold like a small ledge which forces you to close up your fingers with a tight grip.
Crux - The hardest move in a route.
Flagging - A technique where you angle your leg and body to the one side in order to reach further in the opposite way.
Flash - Completing a route on your first try with the help of Beta.
Gaston - A climbing technique where your fingers face inwards and you push to hold yourself up.
Heel hook - As you may imagine, this is where you put you heel onto or around a hold and pull back on the heel.
Jug - A large hold with a large opening that is easy to hold onto.
Onsite - Completing a route on your first try with no Beta.
Send - Top send a route is simply to complete it cleanly on your first attempt.
Top - To top a route is to complete it with both hands on the top hold.
Top-out - To complete a route by climbing over the top of the structure you are climbing.
Our Made Up Terminology
And here is a list of our climbing words and phrases that will definitely help with understanding some of the things I write!
Bumps - When you quickly move up 2 or more holds on the same hand, using one as a pit stop to push off to get to the next.
Campaign - A route that you feel you're going to achieve but takes alot of work towards.
Nemesis - A route that defeats you time and time again, causing a pure hatred and wrath to build inside you until the moment you conquer it.
Sean Bean - The actor Sean Bean has a specific curse word which he says alot. I mean alot alot. To the point of YouTube montages being made. Therefore, the "Sean Bean" of a route is the crux of a route as in our experience, it's a justifiable use of the great man's catchphrase.
