MOUNTAINEERING AND CLIMBING
DEFINITIONS
COURAGE
C0URAGE IS GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
- MOUNTAINEER - An inhabitant of a mountainous district; a climber of mountains.- to climb mountains.
- AID - direct aid clinbing.,climbg a pitch by hanging from equipmentthat has been placed in or on the rock
- ALCLOVE - a belay that is surrounded on all sides by vertical rock
- ARETE - a steep,narrow ridge.
- BERGSCHRUND or SCHRUND - a crevasse in a glaciar or snowfield, formrd when the movement of snow or ice diverges away from the fixed mountainside.
- BLACK ICE - very old ice that has been mixed with scree and gravel. This is usually found deep in couloirs in late autumn during drought years.
- BOLTS - metal machine bolt that are screwed in to pre drilled holes in the rock or ice.
- BONGS - extra wide petons,now vertually nonexisent; thay have been replaced by large chocks and big bros.
- BUTTRESS - a very steep arete on the face of a mountain.
- CHIMNEY - a steep, narrow chute with parallel walls, or a wide crack that the climber can fit into
- CHOCKS - rock protection that is wedged into cracks by hand NUTS is a synonym.
- CHOCKSTONES - rocks that are wedged into cracks, either by nature or by a desperate climber who doesn't have any other protection left.
- CHUTE - this is usually steeoer then a gully, and may be subject to rockfall.
- CIRQUE - a deep recess in a mountain; it resmbles an amphiteater with steep walls.
- Col. - a steep, highpass.
- CORN SNOW - unconsolidated granular snow that has gone through a short freeze and thaw process.
- COULOIR - a steeo chute, which may have snow or ice.
- CRACK - the seoeration of two rock faces, ranging in size from the width of a chimney to microscopically narrow.
- CREST - the very top of a ridge or arete.
- DIHEDRAL - the junction of two planes of rock; in other words, an inside corner. the corner can be either acute or obtuse, and can face right or left.
- FACE - the sides of a mountain.
- FIRN - consolidated granular snow left over from the previous year. closer to ice then snow in densits, it may recquire the use of crampons.
- FLAKES - long, narrow horns, or a huge rock slab leaning against a cliff. the sides of such a slab may form dihedrals.
- FLARED - a crack or chimney whise sides are not parallel, but instead form two converging planes of rock.
- FREE - free climbing, i,e., doing a climb or pitch without resorting to aid.
- GULLY - this usully refers to a wide, shallow revine on a mountain side.
- HEADWALL - where the face of a mountain steepens dramatically.
- HORNS - spikes of rock that are used for protection or holds CHICKENHEADS are another name used.
- LEAD - is to climb upward placing protecion as you go.
- MIXED CLIMBING - either a combination of free and aid climbing, or a combination of rock, snow and ice climbing.
- MOAT - the gap between snow or ice and a rock wall.
- NAILING - is the driving of pitons and other small gear when aid clinbing.
- NEVE - consolidated granulr snow.
- NOTCH - a small col.
- NUTS - small peices of wired metal used to slip into cracks for protection.
- OFF-WIDTH - a crack or chimney too wide to climb but to narrow to climb into.
- OUTSIDE CORNER - is a very small buttress.
- OVERHANG - a section of rock that exceeds the virtical.
- PASS - the lowest or easiest crossing of a ridge.
- PITCH - a section of a climb betweem belays.
- PITONS - metal spikes that are hammered into cracks.
- RAMP - an ascending ledge.
- ROOF - an overhang that forms a horizontal plane.
- RUNNERS - loops of nylon webing that are threaded or looped around chockstones, flakes, horns,or chickenheads for protection.
- SADDLE - a high passthat is not as steep as a col.
- SCREE - smallrocks that slide under the climbers feet.
- SUMMIT - the high point of a peak or top of a pass.
- TALUS - large blocks of lose rock.
- TARN - a small lake.