Sport climbing words · Beginner
The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.
B · Beginner · 24 words · Step 1 of 2General terms
Route
The specific path up a climbing wall, defined by a set sequence of colored/marked holds.
See also: Wall
Hold
The individual grips (of varying shapes and sizes) attached to the wall that climbers use to move upward.
See also: Wall
Wall
The artificial climbing structure. Competitions held under the rules must take place on artificial structures, not natural rock, and the structures and holds must comply with the Equipment Code.
Harness
Safety equipment worn around the waist and legs for roped climbing. Competitors must wear climbing shoes and, where relevant, a harness during their attempts.
Belay
The safety system/technique of managing the rope to catch a climber if they fall, usually operated by a partner or an automatic device.
See also: Fall
Chalk
A powder climbers use on their hands to improve grip. The rules allow a chalk bag and commercially available dry or liquid chalk, and ban any substance that changes the condition of the holds or the surface.
The three disciplines
Speed climbing
A race up a standard route, decided by the time. An attempt starts at the starting signal, a light with an audible tone, or when the force on the starting pad drops below the timer's threshold, and it is successful when the climber stops the timer by hitting the finishing pad with a hand.
See also: Route, Attempt, Standard route
Bouldering
Climbing short routes called boulders, without ropes, with safety matting below. A climber has a limited number of attempts or a time limit on each boulder, and each boulder has a marked starting position, a top and sometimes zone holds. A boulder should have no more than 12 handholds.
See also: Boulder, Zone, Starting position
Lead climbing
Climbing a route with a rope, clipping quickdraws in sequence. A climber makes a single scoring attempt, in a time that should not exceed 6 minutes. The result is the last hold controlled, marked with a plus if the climber made an advancing movement towards the next hold, or a top if the final anchor is clipped.
Combined format
A ranking that combines results from more than one discipline. Which disciplines are combined, and how, is set by the competition regulations, not by these rules.
Competition terms
Field of play
The public-facing area where competition takes place, covering the climbing surfaces. The wider competition area also includes off-field call zones, warm-up areas and technical areas, and is kept separate from the public.
Bouldering-Specific terms
Boulder
The short route climbed in bouldering. It is marked with a starting position for both hands and both feet, a top (a finishing hold or a standing position on top) and any zone holds.
Also called: problem
See also: Route, Bouldering, Zone, Starting position
Zone
A marked hold partway up a boulder. The result of an attempt includes the zone if the climber controlled it with the hands, after completing an establishing movement or an advancing movement to a stable position further on. In world championship and series events a zone is worth 10 points (see Boulder score).
Top
Completing a boulder by finishing standing on top of it, or by matching the marked finishing hold with both hands, in a stable position and with clear, intentional control, before time runs out. In lead the top is the final anchor, clipped.
Attempt
One climber's effort on one route or boulder, the smallest competitive unit. In lead and boulder it starts when the climber leaves the ground; in boulder the start is invalid unless they first control the starting holds with both hands and both feet. It stays in progress until ruled successful or unsuccessful.
Lead Climbing-Specific terms
Quickdraw
A connector clipped to bolts on the wall, through which the climber's rope passes for safety as they ascend.
See also: Wall
Fall
An attempt ends unsuccessfully when a climber falls, touches the ground, or the allowed time runs out. In lead the result is the last scoring hold controlled before the fall, not the height reached.
See also: Attempt
Route reading
Studying a route before climbing. In an on-sight round climbers may only use the information officially provided and the scheduled observation period. They may touch the starting holds in a collective observation period but may not practise any moves.
See also: Route, Observation period
Speed Climbing-Specific terms
Standard route
The single, official speed climbing wall layout used worldwide, allowing direct time comparisons between climbers globally.
See also: Wall, Speed climbing
False start
In speed, a start is judged invalid if the recorded reaction time, from the starting signal to the force on the pad falling below the threshold, is under 0.100 seconds. The race is stopped and re-run, and the attempt is recorded as a false start. In boulder a start is invalid if the climber has not controlled the marked starting holds in the starting position.
See also: Boulder, Attempt, Starting position, Reaction time
Bracket
The single-elimination format used in speed finals. The starting order for a bracket of 4, 8 or 16 climbers is built so the best-seeded climbers meet in the final race.
Also called: elimination
See also: Starting order
World championship and series event formats
Boulder score
The points a climber earns on one boulder: 25 for a top, or 10 for a zone without the top, less 0.1 for each failed attempt before it. A boulder cannot score below zero. The round ranking is the total across the boulders, highest first.
Small final and big final
The last two races of a Speed 2 bracket. The losing semi-finalists race in the small final for third and fourth place, and the winners race in the big final for first and second.
Also called: bronze race, gold race
See also: Bracket