Rock climbing

Still the most popular method of climbing big walls, aid climbers make progress up a wall by repeatedly placing and weighting gear that is used directly to aid ascent and enhance safety. This form of climbing is typically used when ascent is too technically difficult or impossible for free climbing.

Man sport climbing under overhang

The most commonly used method to ascend climbs, Free climbing refers to climbs where the climber's own physical strength and skill are relied upon to accomplish the climb. Free climbing may rely on top rope belay systems, or on lead climbing to establish protection and the belay stations. Anchors, ropes and protection are used to back up the climber and are passive as opposed to active ascending aids. Sub-types of free climbing are trad climbing and sport climbing. Free climbing is generally done as "clean lead" meaning no pitons or pins are used as protection.[14]

Bouldering in Joshua Tree National Park, United States

Climbing on short, low routes without the use of the safety rope that is typical of most other styles. Protection, if used at all, typically consists of a cushioned bouldering pad below the route and a spotter, a person who watches from below and directs the fall of the climber away from hazardous areas. Bouldering may be an arena for intense and relatively safe competition, resulting in exceptionally high difficulty standards.

Solo climbing, or soloing, is a style of climbing in which the climber climbs alone.

Free soloing, referred to as "soloing" in the UK, is single-person climbing without the use of any rope or protection system. If a fall occurs the climber is likely to be killed or seriously injured. Though technically similar to bouldering, free solo climbing typically refers to routes that are far taller and/or far more lethal if a fall were to occur than bouldering. The term "highball" is used to refer to climbing on the boundary between free soloing and bouldering, where what is usually climbed as a boulder problem may be high enough for a fall to cause serious injury (20 ft. and higher) and hence could also be considered to be a free solo.

Deep-water soloing (or psicobloc) is similar to free soloing in that the climber is unprotected and without a rope, but should the climber fall, it is into deep water instead of onto the ground.

Solo climbing with a rope secured at the beginning of the climb allowing a climber to self-belay as they advance. Once the pitch is completed the soloist must descend the rope to retrieve their gear. This form of climbing can be conducted free or as a form of aid climbing.

Leader belays the second on Illusion Dweller in Joshua Tree National Park, United States.

Lead climbing is a climbing technique where the lead climber ascends with the rope passing through intermittent anchors that are below them, rather than through a top anchor, as in top-rope climb. A partner belays from below the lead climber, by feeding out enough rope to allow upward progression without undue slack. As the leader progresses they use a runner and carabiners to clip the rope into intermediate points of protection such as active cams, or passive protection such as nuts; this limits the length of a potential fall. The leader also may clip into pre-placed bolts. Indoor gyms might have short runners pre-attached to fixed anchor points in the wall.

Unlike top-rope climbing, where the climber is always supported by an anchor located above them, lead climbing often involves scenarios where the climber will be attached to a point under them. In these cases, if the climber were to fall, the distance fallen would be much greater than that of top-rope and this is one of the main reasons lead climbing can be dangerous. The fall factor is the ratio of the height a climber falls and the length of rope available to absorb the fall. The higher the fall factor, the more force placed on the climber as the ropes decelerate them. The maximum fall factor is 2. It is often advised that climbers who are interested in lead climbing should learn from experienced climbers and participate in training sessions before lead climbing on their own.

The climbing rope is of a fixed length; the climber can only climb the length of the rope. Routes longer than the rope length are broken up into several segments called pitches; this is known as multi-pitch climbing. At the top of a pitch, the first climber to ascend (also known as the leader), sets up an anchor and then belays the second climber (also known as the follower) up to the anchor; as the second climber follows the route taken by the leader, the second climber removes ("cleans") the carabiners and anchors placed along the way in order to use them again on the next pitch. While "cleaning" the route, the follower attaches the carabiners and anchors to his or her harness belt loops. Once both climbers are at the top anchor, the leader begins climbing the next pitch, and so on, until the top of the route is reached.

In either case, upon completion of a route, climbers can walk back down if an alternate descent path exists, or rappel (abseil) down with the rope.

The act of climbing single- or multi-pitch routes, protected by permanently-fixed bolts and anchors drilled into the rock, using a rope and the aid of a belayer. Unlike traditional rock climbing, sport climbing involves the use of protection (bolts) placed with power drills or on rappel or permanent anchors which are attached to the rock walls. This is separate from bolted trad climbing.

Traditional or trad climbing involves rock climbing routes in which protection against falls is placed by the climber while ascending. Typically, when bolts are used, they had been placed on lead by the first ascensionist party. More commonly removable gear such as cams, hexes, and nuts are placed in constrictions or cracks in the rock to protect against falls, but not to aid the ascent directly. Due to the difficulty of placing bolts on lead, bolts tend to be placed farther apart than on many sport climbs. Historically, pitons (a kind of deformable nail) were placed in constrictions in the rock instead of hexes, nuts and cams. These are difficult to remove and often destructive to the rock, resulting in pin scars and a number of unremovable "fixed" pitons on many older routes. These are frequently used in a similar fashion to bolts, although they are not as strong and by convention are not considered when evaluating if a route is a trad climb, sport climb or mixed climb the way bolts might be.

Top roping Balthazar (12), in the Morialta Conservation Park near Adelaide, South Australia. Top roping is the most accessible style of climbing for beginners.

Commonly known as top roping, top rope climbing is climbing in which a climber is belayed from the ground or the base of the route. A belay system resembling a pulley in which an anchor has been created at the top of a climb, through which the rope runs through from the belayer on the ground, to the climber on the ground (position before starting the climb). The rope is "taken-in," to clear up the slack as the climber moves upwards, so in the event of a fall, the climber falls the shortest distance possible. The length of a fall is normally no more than a meter, but can vary depending on the length of the route (the longer the rope, the more stretch the rope will undergo when weighted) and the weight of the climber compared to that of the belayer, among other things.

Belaying a climber from the top of a route, bringing them up to walk off or continue on to next pitch. A similarly safe system of climbing a route as top-roping, except the belayer has set the anchors at the top of the climb (normally after leading a route, in which case the climber is "seconding") to belay the climber either indirectly (belayer is part of the system and can be vulnerable when exposed to unexpected directions of pull and loading of the rope) or directly (belayer is not part of the system and belaying is done directly from the anchors using either an Italian / Munter Hitch or adapted use of a belay device), up the route from the top. If bolts have been clipped or traditional gear placements have been made, it is the job of the climber to collect and clean the route.

A method of fairly easily ascending a route, heavily dependent on permanent protection rather than using natural rock features to proceed.

Climber with climbing gear attached at his harness

In crack climbing, the climber ascends a rock crack using specific techniques such as jamming, stemming, and laying back. Cracks can vary in size from smaller than the width of a finger to larger than human body size. Climbers may protect their hands from sharp-edged rock with tape.

Face climbing is a type of climbing where climbers use features and irregularities in the rock such as finger pockets and edges to ascend a vertical rock face.

Slab climbing, also known as friction climbing, is classified by the slope of the rock. A slope for slab climbing is less than ninety degrees, and prioritizes footwork. It is also known as friction climbing, and although this might sound easy, slab is considered one of the more challenging types of climbing. Popular techniques for slab are smearing, maintaining a center of gravity, and high steps. Two of the most renowned locations for slab climbing are Joshua Tree and Yosemite, but the Looking Glass mountain and Moab are also great options. The hardest slab route ever climbed is Cryptography located in Saint Loup, Switzerland, and ascended by Alessandro Zeni. [15] [16] [17]

Short for "simultaneous", simul climbing is when two climbers move at the same time. The pseudo-lead climber places gear that the pseudo-follower collects. When the leader runs low on gear they construct a belay station where the follower can join them to exchange gear. The stronger climber is often the pseudo-follower since a fall by the follower would pull the leader from below towards the last piece of gear—a potentially devastating fall for the leader. In contrast, a fall from the leader would pull the follower from above, resulting in a less serious fall. Most speed ascents involve some form of simul climbing but may also include sections of standard free climbing and the use of placed gear for advancement (i.e. partial aid or pulling on gear).

Jug: A large open hold. Typically in the shape of a V.

Sloper: A negative smooth hold, typically in the shape of a ball or half moon.

Pockets: A hold that has a hole in it with just enough room for one or two fingers to fit inside of it.[19]

Woman using a negative sloper as main hold

Horn: A protruding hold that is typically smooth like a sloper. These are held by wrapping your arm, or entire palm around the hold. The more surface area you have on this hold the better.

Pinch: A pinch can either be used vertically or horizontally. With a pinch hold, the muscles between the index finger and thumb are used.[19]

Crimp/Crimper: A crimp hold allows climbers to use their fingertips to grab edges; the fingers arch.

Arête: A sharp corner or vertical edge[19]

Volume: Volumes are wood or fiberglass structures that are supported by the climbing wall. They are generally giant, prism-like features that are introduced to change the dynamics of the wall. In Europe large climbing holds can be considered volumes, while in the US, the actual surface volume of the wall is changed by a volume.

Climber using an edge to pull herself up

Indoor climbing occurs in buildings on artificial rock structures. This permits for climbing in all types of weather and at all times of the day. Climbers climb indoors to improve their skills and techniques, as well as for general exercise or fun. Indoor climbing gyms typically provide rope setups and ensure that new climbers know safe techniques.

Outdoors, climbs usually take place on sunny days when the holds are dry and provide the best grip, but climbers can also attempt to climb at night or in adverse weather conditions if they have the proper training and equipment. However, night climbing or climbing in adverse weather conditions will increase the difficulty and danger on any climbing route.

Some areas that are popular for climbing, for example in the United States and Australia, are also sacred places for indigenous peoples. Many such indigenous people would prefer that climbers not climb these sacred places and have made this information well known to climbers. A well-known example is the rock formation that Americans have named Devils Tower National Monument.[26] Native American cultural concerns also led to complete climbing closures at Cave Rock at Lake Tahoe,[27] Monument Valley, Shiprock and Canyon de Chelly.[28]

Climbing activities can sometimes encroach on rock art sites. The potential threat to these resources has led to climbing restrictions and closures in places like Hueco Tanks, Texas,[29] and portions of City of Rocks National Reserve, Idaho.

In Australia, the monolith Uluru (Ayers Rock) is sacred to local indigenous communities and climbing is banned.[30] Elsewhere in Australia, many formerly popular climbing routes in areas such as the Grampians and Arapiles have been closed due to indigenous cultural concerns.

Indigenous peoples are not the only cultures that object to climbing on certain rock formations. Professional climber Dean Potter kicked off a major controversy when he ignored long-accepted convention to scale Delicate Arch in 2006, resulting in strict new climbing regulations in Arches National Park.[31]

Many significant rock outcrops exist on private land. Some people within the rock climbing community have been guilty of trespassing in many cases, often after land ownership transfers and previous access permission is withdrawn. In the U.S. the climbing community responded to access closures by forming the Access Fund. This is an "advocacy organization that keeps U.S. climbing areas open and conserves the climbing environment. Five core programs support the mission on national and local levels: public policy, stewardship and conservation (including grants), grassroots activism, climber education and land acquisition."[32] In the U.K. the British Mountaineering Council represents climbers and their interest of public access to crags, cliffs and boulders. In Europe there are different rules in different countries regarding the rights of landowners and climbers.[33]

The most significant form of vandalism directly attributable to rock climbers is the alteration of the climbing surface to render it more climber-friendly.

Today, the charge of vandalism in climbing is more often a disagreement with land managers over the appropriateness of drilling and placing permanent bolts and other anchors. Although new fixed anchors are rarely placed by climbers repeating an ascent, their dependency on the existing fixed anchors results in the difference between life and death. However, the existing anchors remain on the climbing structure for long periods of time, and in cases where old or inappropriate hardware was installed can leave permanent stains on the rock face. Due to the permanent nature of fixed anchors, they were prohibited by the Wilderness Act. However, in 1990, there was a movement by the Forest Service and the Task Group to change the regulations such that fixed anchors would be allowed but still regulated in wilderness areas. These improvements led to protection for both the climbers and the Wilderness Act.[35]