Climber Jargon Beginner Dictionary

I'm relatively new to sport climbing, but not necessarily outdoor adventures. At any rate, climbing has so much more of a community feeling, and with that comes the language. I thought this beginner's forum would be a great place to have a sticky thread or at least a place for us n00bs to get hip with the lingo.

We're headed out this weekend and on the MP pages it always says "classic line", and I recently say "ultra-classic line"... any help?

I'm new to MP so maybe this has been discussed before... search function didn't turn up much, but maybe someone could make a transcription of this it would be amazing!

xtranormal.com/watch/123357…

Cheers guys.

Classic line is a route which contains 90% moves at a stated grade. Ultra classic is nearly all moves are minimally fluctuating from the stated grade. On contrare a 'Pile' is a single pitch one move wonder.

The Countess of Monterey wrote:Classic line is a route which contains 90% moves at a stated grade. Ultra classic is nearly all moves are minimally fluctuating from the stated grade. On contrare a 'Pile' is a single pitch one move wonder.

Wow, not at all what I thought it meant!

Thanks!

The Countess of Monterey wrote:Classic line is a route which contains 90% moves at a stated grade...

Says who? The 50 classic climbs of N America are definitely not 90% sustained for the grade. The criteria used for the list is as follows: the peak or route appear striking from afar, have a noteworthy climbing history, and offer climbing of excellent quality. I wouldn't disagree.

fossana wrote: Says who? The 50 classic climbs of N America are definitely not 90% sustained for the grade. The criteria used for the list is as follows: the peak or route appear striking from afar, have a noteworthy climbing history, and offer climbing of excellent quality. I wouldn't disagree.

Define excellent quality climbing...is Rewritten striking from afar? Does The Pacemaker( the blob) or The Crack of Pain (lumpy) have a noteworthy history?

Besides, even the most famous multipitch lines have choss pitches and classic pitches, its all about the proportion of good to ..not so good. Consistency is what renders a climb classic.

The Countess of Monterey wrote:Consistency is what renders a climb classic.

according to you

fossana wrote: according to you

Pretty much how I understand it. I know a classic when I climb it. Let's take The Bastille Crack. To a tourist it is just another crack in a rock, nothing spectacular. Some may say its a sandbag and hate it, but to me its a pure classic. Fluent variety of moves on clean rock. Sleek at the first 25ft for a 7 , but a stellar classic!

The Countess of Monterey wrote:Classic line is a route which contains 90% moves at a stated grade.

By your own definition almost no Eldo routes fall into this category, including the Bastille.

To me quality encompasses things like thoughtfulness of the climbing (exposure, tricky moves, etc.), rock quality (within reason), and the aesthetics of the line/setting. Regarding Rewritten, is it a classic within the context of Eldo/Front Range? sure. Would most people consider it on par with something like Snake Dike on Half Dome (also 5.7)? no

fossana wrote: By your own definition almost no Eldo routes fall into this category, including the Bastille. To me quality encompasses things like thoughtfulness of the climbing (exposure, tricky moves, etc.), rock quality (within reason), and the aesthetics of the line/setting. Regarding Rewritten, is it a classic within the context of Eldo/Front Range? sure. Would most people consider it on par with something like Snake Dike on Half Dome (also 5.7)? no

I'm inclined to agree with fossana on this

The numero uno criteria for being a Classic route is being located in the East. Every one knows the west is a choss pile.

The Countess of Monterey wrote:Classic line is a route which contains 90% moves at a stated grade. Ultra classic is nearly all moves are minimally fluctuating from the stated grade. On contrare a 'Pile' is a single pitch one move wonder.

By your definition, even the splitterest splitter in Indian Creek wouldn't be a classic. I was thinking of Excuse Station, but even that has rests, pods and a foot ramp to layback to boot... Edit: now that I think about it - it widens up from tights reds into wide reds half-way through, so it's not even 50% at the grade. A lot of classics in the Gunks would be a "pile" by your definition - Modern Times, Shockley's Ceiling for example... And it's "au contraire" or "on the contrary", btw.

Jeremy Hand wrote:The numero uno criteria for being a Classic route is being located in the East. Every one knows the west is a choss pile.

Totally. El Cap is just a big pile of petrified kitty litter really.

colincool wrote:I'm relatively new to sport climbing, but not necessarily outdoor adventures. At any rate, climbing has so much more of a community feeling, and with that comes the language. I thought this beginner's forum would be a great place to have a sticky thread or at least a place for us n00bs to get hip with the lingo. We're headed out this weekend and on the MP pages it always says "classic line", and I recently say "ultra-classic line"... any help? I'm new to MP so maybe this has been discussed before... search function didn't turn up much, but maybe someone could make a transcription of this it would be amazing! xtranormal.com/watch/123357… Cheers guys.

Colin welcome to climbing and to MountainProject.com.

There are actually pretty sufficient climbing dictionaries out there already, although perhaps not on MountainProject. I am not sure what you searched for but I just Googled "climbing dictionary" and came up with some pretty relevant hits.
RockClimbing.com has one thats been around for years, and here are a couple other links you may find useful:

rockclimbing.com/Articles/I…
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloss…
climbfind.com/rock-climbing…

Note that some of these are more regional terms (i.e. noone says abseil here- we call it rappelling) so be sure to keep your ears out and just ask people when they say something you aren't familiar - we all started somewhere and no shame in that.

Safe climbing-
Dan

colincool wrote: We're headed out this weekend and on the MP pages it always says "classic line", and I recently say "ultra-classic line"... any help?

I think Fossana's definition is spot on, also in your context, it means a "must do, don't miss it" line for the given area. Expect to have other parties on it or waiting to get on it - be patient or come with a backup plan. If you are top roping the line and someone comes up to lead it, it is a common courtesy to pull your rope either to the side or down (if the lead party agrees to put your rope back up) to let them lead through. Generally (not always), if the route is 'classic', the rock quality is better and it's better protected compared to other climbs in the area. Also, by jumping on the classic at the given crag, you can get a general feel for the local consensus grade.

Im sure the kid KNOWS how to Google.
Comparing East to West is like apes to oranges. Lets take 8 sec over Potash and Chocolate corner, you can't compare those to Shockley's . Each climb is more enjoyable in their own way, classic neverthess. I saw the Half Dome and the Snake Route you are referring to...to me its not something i would enjoy. I prefer vertical featured routes with easier access. Still a classic. In the Valley...lots of historical climbs, not all of them classics.
True, "classics" in any given area will give you a feel for their grade. Good point. I would rather flail on a classic than send an "ego route" any day.

Ego Route: a climb that makes you feel like a bad ass even though you may not be. Generally a very well protected clean "pile" that looks dramatic from afar, thus offers a large audience and good picture taking. Generally with one super protected crux move....hence the grade.....the rest of the climb is usually well ticked and two to three grades below the stated "crux"....

Dan Allard wrote: Colin welcome to climbing and to MountainProject.com. There are actually pretty sufficient climbing dictionaries out there already, although perhaps not on MountainProject. I am not sure what you searched for but I just Googled "climbing dictionary" and came up with some pretty relevant hits. RockClimbing.com has one thats been around for years, and here are a couple other links you may find useful: rockclimbing.com/Articles/I… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloss… climbfind.com/rock-climbing… Note that some of these are more regional terms (i.e. noone says abseil here- we call it rappelling) so be sure to keep your ears out and just ask people when they say something you aren't familiar - we all started somewhere and no shame in that. Safe climbing- Dan

Thanks for the references... Google is, of course, always a great option. I had this idea for a nice, clean sticky thread as an easy/quick reference for us noobies, as well as a place for us to interact with the more experienced.

At any rate, thanks for those who have contributed. Hopefully more join in and have their questions answered!