Anchor. The point where a climber's rope is securely attached to the rock.

Backstep. This foot technique uses the outside of the shoe on an edge.

Barndoor. A poor example of balance. When the climber loses grip with the hand and foot on one side and they fall sideways as if on a hinge of the opposite hand and foot.

Belay. Use of a rope to protect a climber against a fall. A climber can be belayed by another person, or be climbing alone, using an advanced technique called a self-belay.

Belay devices. A device used by the belayer which acts as the brake on the rope. Some examples are figure 8's, ATC's, and GriGri's.

Bivouac. A camp, or the act of camping. On a big wall, camp can be made on a natural ledge or an artificial one, generally an aluminum and nylon cotlike device called a portaledge that hangs from one or more anchors on the wall. Also, "Bivy".

Bolt. Literally a bolt drilled into the rock face.

Boulder. A style of climbing which involves climbing only at a height the climber feels comfortable jumping to the ground.

Bucket. A large hand hold. Feels as secure as a rung on a ladder.

Carabiner. An oval or D-shaped link of lightweight aluminum or alloy that serves as the climber's all-purpose connector.

Center of Gravity.is basically the middle point of their body. However, if for example you put your arms out to one side, it will move to one side.

Chimney. A wide crack that accomodates (most of) the body of the climber.

Clean. The act of removing any non-fixed protection from the rock.

Crag. A climbing area, usually a cliff.

Crank. To pull on a hold as hard as you possibly can.

Crater. To fall and hit the ground pretty hard.

Crimper. A very small hold which allows only finger tips, if that.

Crux. The hardest move, or series of moves, on a climb. The rating of a climb is generally that of the most difficult move.

Deadpoint. A dynamic move which involves precision movement in order to catch the hold at the peak of the move before momentum waivers and gravity starts taking over.

Edging. Climbing technique when climber places edge of shoe precisely on top of a hold or unconformity on the rock. The opposite of smearing.

Figure Eight. A device shaped like an 8 used for belaying and rappelling.

Free Climbing. Climbing using only hands and feet to move upwards. Unlike Aid Climbing, free climbing uses the rope and gear only as protection against a fall, not as a ladder for upward movement. This method also stresses the use of gear that is temporarily placed in the rock for protection by the leader, and then removed by the second climber.

Gripped. Frozen from fear.

Haul Bag. Large and robust bag used to haul food, water, climbing gear, sleeping bag, and more up a big wall. Also known as "the Pig" since it is comparable in size and possibly in weight.

Indoor. Public climbing gyms and homegrown climbing walls have been around for about a dozen years now. These artifical environments substitute the bumps, cracks and other irregularities found in natural rock with a vast assortment of cast fiberglass holds. The holds, some as small as silver dollars and others as large as a gallon milk jugs, are bolted to plywood walls in random patterns. The walls themselves can be sloped in or out and arranged to form inside and outside corners, overhangs, cracks, and other common climbing situations. See the section on Albuquerque's Rock Gym for more information about indoor climbing.

Jumar. Jumar is the method of climbing a rope using ascending devices that can be quickly attached and then loosened from the rope. Jumar is the name of the device (sliding a knot of rope or webbing up a rope is called Prusiking, after Dr. Karl Prusik); Jumaring is the act of ascending the rope.

Layback. A climbing technique where hands and feet work in opposition as one scales a crack or flake.

Mantel. A climbing move which looks like a small child climbing up to the kitchen counter. Hand(s) are on ledge, one foot comes up, as you rock over one hand with your elbow locked.

Mountaineering. At one end of the spectrum, mountaineering can include peak bagging, where little or no technical skills or equipment are needed to reach the summit of a mountain. It can also include full-blown expeditions to the highest peaks and the worst weather conditions on Earth. Generally, though, mountaineering adds specialized ice climbing skills and gear to those of rock climbing. Mountaineering also tends to be destination oriented.

On-Sight. Similar to Flash which means climbing without any falls. The difference being it is the first time the climber has ever seen the route.

Pig. Also known as Haul Bag. Large and robust bag used to haul food, water, climbing gear, sleeping bag, and more up a big wall.

Pitch. The section of rock between belays. Generally, pitches are no longer than the length of the rope (165 feet). Many sport climbs are set up so that their anchors are only ½ the length of a standard 165-foot rope from the ground, so that climbers need only a single rope in order to be lowered or to rappel off the climb.

Quickdraw. A pair of carabiners connected with a short piece of webbing. A quickdraw is used to quickly connect a climber to a piece of pro or a permanent anchor.

Rack. The full set of gear needed to climb a route.

Rappel. Using a rope to descend from a climb. Modern rappels are generally done with a rappel device, which creates friction on the rope to help control the descent. Also called abseiling.

Redpoint. When a climber has led a climb from top to bottom with out weighting the rope or gear. Also called a clean ascent. In the 1980s, German climber Kurt Albert marked climbs which he had done with no falls with a redpoint at their base.

Sidepull. Vertical slot hand hold which is pulled on from the side instead of downwards like most holds.

Simul-climb. When both the leader and partner are both climbing at the same time, connected by a rope. This is done one easy terrain, or if the rope is too short to reach a belay. Many times simul-climbing is done using a running belay (the leader places protection, which is removed by the second) rather than fixed anchors at the end of each pitch or rope length.

Smearing. Climbing technique in which the climber attempts to stand on the rock by getting as much friction as possible between his shoe and the rock. Generally this involves placing the sole or toe of the shoe directly on top of the hold or rock surface, then pushing and twisting the foot. The opposite of edging.

Soloing. When a climber ascends without a partner, rope or equipment to protect him from a fall. A "Rope Solo" is when a solo climber uses a rope to self-belay. "Simul-Soloing" is when two climbers solo together without the benefit of a rope.

Sport. Sport climbing is different from traditional in that the climber depends on fixed bolts rather than removable protection. Sport climbing routes often follow seemingly impossible paths, sometimes straight up huge, smooth rock walls, sometimes far out on horizontal overhangs. The emphasis in sport climbing is usually more on technique than topping out. Falls are frequent, though seldom serious, as climbers constantly push the limits of gravity and ability.

Top Roping. Pre-protecting a climb from above. The belay for a top roped climb can either be from the top of the pitch or the bottom. Climbs can be led, then top roped or protected by hiking to the top and fixing the anchor.

Trad. Trad or Traditional climbing requires a leader to place his own protection, rather than merely clipping into bolts. The term gained popularity in the late 1980s with the development of Sport Climbing routes-climbs that were pre-protected with bolts.

Traditional. Traditional rock climbing involves the use of ropes and temporary anchors to add a degree of safety to the sport. As the lead climber ascends the rock, he or she inserts of an assortment of metal anchoring devices, known collectively as protection, into the cracks and crevasses at points that may be anywhere from a few feet to several yards apart depending on the difficulty of the route. With the protection securely in place, the climber then uses a carabiner to attach the rope. Once the rope is clipped to a piece of "pro," the belayer below is responsible for tending the rope and stopping the climber in the event of a fall.

Undercling. A hand hold which is "upside down" and is used by pulling up against it instead of pulling down.

Whipper. A fall, usually a very long one.

A Mountain Biker

Allen Key: a six-sided wrench (hexagonal) that is used to loosen and tighten hex:head bolts.

ATB: (all-terrain bike) a mountain bike.

Apex: the sharpest point of a corner.

Anchor Bolt: the bolt that firmly fixes a cable to a component.

Attack Position: the alert and well-balanced position you ride in when you approach, or ride on, rough terrain. It is characterized by bent knees, rear above the saddle, elbows slightly bent, and a raised head.

Axle: the shaft on which your wheelset rotates.

Barrel Adjuster: the adjustment knobs found on rear derailleurs, shifters, and brake levers. Used for fine adjustments.

BB: bottom bracket.

Beginner: a category for beginning racers on the NORBA race schedule.

Berm: an embankment on a trail.

Binder Bolt: an attachment bolt (bar-end to handlebar, seatpost to frame, etc.).

Bonk: when you run out of energy.

BPM: heart rate reference (beats per minute).

Brake Boss: the pivot point attached to a frame or fork that the brake arms mount to.

Brake Pad: the block of material used to create friction on a rim or rotor so that you can stop.

Brake Shoe: holds the brake pad.

Brazing: a method of steel frame construction that involves brass or silver solder to connect frame tubes.

Bunny Hop: a hop that you incorporate into your riding technique so you can clear obstacles such as logs without stopping.

Bushing: a sleeve that is used as a bearing on suspension forks, suspension swing arms, pedals, and derailleur jockey wheels.

Butted Tubing: tubing that has been manipulated so it is thinner in the middle and thicker near the welded ends. Allows for lighter and stronger frames.

Cable: wire (braided or strands) used to operate derailleurs and brakes.

Cable End: cap or solder used to keep the end of a cable from fraying.

Cable Housing: the sheath through which a cable passes.

Cable Fixing Bolt: a bolt that attaches cables to the brakes and derailleurs.

Cantilever Brake: a brake that has two separate arms pulled at the same time towards the rim by a cable.

Chain: a series of links held together with pins.

Chain Line: an imaginary straight line which runs from the middle chain ring to the middle cogset.

Chainring: a toothed sprocket attached to the crankarm.

Chainstays: the bottom tubes of the rear triangle of a frame.

Chain Suck: the dragging and jamming of your chain that occurs in sloppy conditions, or when little burs occur on your chainrings that cause the chain to bunch up.

Chain Whip: a tool used to remove the rear cogs of a freehub.

Clean: a perfect ride through a tough section.

Clipless Pedal: a pedal that has spring-loaded cleats that clip to a riders shoe.

Clydesdale: a rider who weighs more than 200 pounds.

Cog: a sprocket located on the drive side of a rear hub.

Compression Damping: the absorbtion of the speed of compression of a shock's spring on impact.

Crankarm: the levers of a crankset that your pedals attach to.

Crankset: the bottom bracket, crankarms, and chainrings go together to make up the crankset.

Criterium: a race that involves laps around a short course.

Cross-country: a traditional MTB race that mixes many types of riding conditions into one coarse.

Cyclocross: an off-road race that involves riders having to dismount and run over obstacles, carrying their bikes.

Dab: to put your foot down while riding so you don't fall over.

Damper: a mechanism in a suspension fork or shock that helps determine the compression rate of the spring.

Damping: the deadening, or absorbtion, of a spring's compression rate.

Derailleur: a mechanical device that moves the chain over the cogs or chainrings, changing gears.

Derailleur Hanger: the replaceable extension that attaches the rear derailleur to the frame at the right side rear dropout.

Dialed In: when everything on your bike is running smoothly, you are said to be "dialed in"

Diamond Frame: the most recognized bicycle frame shape.

Disc Brake: brakes that mount near the hub, and squeeze pads against a rotor mounted to the hub. They can be operated both mechanically or hydraulically.

Doubletrack: two trails that run parallel to each other (also called tractor trail or Jeep trail).

Downhill: a type of racing held on ski slopes - fastest rider to the bottom wins.

Downshift: shifting to a lower gear.

Down tube: the tube of a frame that connects the head tube to the bottom bracket.

Drivetrain: the parts of a bike that includes the crankarms, chainrings, bottom bracket, front derailleur, chain, rear derailleur, and freewheel.

Dropouts: the slots in the fork and rear triangle that the axle of the wheel mount to.

Dualie: a bike that has both front and rear suspension.

Elastomer: a compressible erethane material used in suspension systems.

Endo: a crash that involves you flying over your handlebars.

Expert: a racing category of the NORBA racing series. It is between Sport class and semi-pro.

Ferrule: the cap on the end of a cable housing.

Fire Road: a back country dirt or gravel road wide enough for emergency vehicles to use.

Fixed Cup: a non-adjustable cup on the drive side of the bottom bracket.

Flange: the location on the hub where the spoke heads are anchored.

Fork: the part of the bike that attaches the front wheel to the frame.

Fork Crown: the piece of the fork that joins the two fork legs to the steering tube.

Freewheel: the cluster of cogs on the rear wheelset that allows you to stop pedalling while the bike is still moving forwards.

Friction Shifter: the old-style shifter (non-indexed). Relied on cable tension maintained by friction washers and bolts.

Front Triangle: the main triangle of a frame consisting of the head tube, top tube, down tube, and seat tube.

Granny Gear: the lowest gear ratio you can ride with (smallest chainring with the largest cassette cog).

Granny Ring: The smallest of your chainrings.

Grip Shift: the shifter is integrated with the handlebar allowing you to shift gears by twisting the grip.

Hardtail: a mountain bike that has no rear suspension.

Headset: the cup and bearing mechanism that allows a fork to turn freely in the head tube of the frame.

Head Tube: the framesets front tube.

Hub: the part of the wheelset that the axle passes through and the spokes are attached to.

Hydraulic Brake: a brake that uses oil pressure to move the brake pads against the brake surface.

IMBA: International Mountain Bicycling Association: an organization dedicated to the building and protection of mountain bike trails.

Index Shifter: a shifter that shifts into fixed gear positions as it moves through its "clicks".

Jockey Wheels: Circular cog shaped pulleys on the rear derailleur

Knobby Tires: the all-terrain tires that are used on mountain bikes.

Mounting Bolt: a bolt that mounts parts to any part of a mountain bike.

Nipple: a nut that is designed to both fit on the end of a spoke and through the spoke hole on the rim.

NORBA: (National Off-Road Bicycle Association) - USA Cycling's mountain bike racing division.

Nose Wheelie: a reverse wheelie riding tequnique in which the rider elevates the rear wheel while still rolling on the front tire.

Off-Camber: sloped ground that makes handling difficult.

Preload: an adjustment on the spring in a suspension fork or shock that allows you to set the suspension compression.

Presta Valve: the narrow valve found on most mountain bike inner tubes. A metal cap must be unscrewed before air can enter or exit.

Pro: NORBA's top racing category.

PSI: the tire inflation measurement. It stands for pounds per square inch.

Ratchet: a riding technique in which you pedal in partial strokes in order to clear obsticals.

Reach: the distance from the end of the stem to the other end of the top tube.

Rear Triangle: the rear portion of the mountain bike that is made up of the seatstays, the chainstays and the seat tube.

Rebound Damping: the muffling of the return rate of a spring.

Rim: the outside ring of the wheel assembly.

Rollers: a stationary training device that allows you to train on your bike indoors.

Schrader Valve: the type of valve used on most cars and trucks. They are found on less expensive bicycle tubes and are spring-loaded to release air or let it in.

Sealed Bearing: a bearing cluster that has been sealed with a dust cap of some kind to keep out dirt.

Seat Cluster: the point on the frame where the seat tube, top tube and seat stays intersect.

Seatpost: the post that the saddle attaches to.

Semi-pro: the NORBA racing catagory that is between expert and pro.

Singletrack: a narrow mountain bike trail that must be ridden single file.

Skewer: the quick release axle clamp of a wheelset.

Spider: the right side of the crankset that the chainrings attach to.

Spoke: the thin rods of the wheelset.

Sport: the NORBA race catagory between beginner and expert.

Sprocket: the toothed rings that engage the chain.

Standover Clearance: the distance between the top tube and the rider's crotch.

Swingarm: the swinging rear end of a dual suspension frame.

Switchback: a turn on a hill that is too steep to be climbed without zig-zagging.

Trackstand: a riding technique that involves the rider stopping completely without putting a foot down.

Travel: the distance a suspension fork or a shock can compress.

Triple: having three chainrings on a crankset.

Twist Shifter: an indexing shifter that twists around the handlebar.

Upshift: to shift into a higher gear.

V-Brake: a rim brake system with two levers squeezed together by a cable.

Wash Out: when you lose traction on one or both wheels and slide. 

Wheel Base: the distance between the two wheel axles. 

Wheelie: a riding technique in which the rider lifts the front tire and rides on the rear wheel.

Bouldering 

Problem:
Boulderers climb problems not routes, implying that the boulderers task requires more thinking, consideration and solving than simple route climbing. This might even be true if you exclude chalk, tick marks and climb V14. There are more interesting alternatives offered in a thesaurus, such as 'Conundrum', 'Dilemma' and even 'Can Of Worms' which I now use exclusively.

Grade:
A grade in regular terms is a mark indicating a level of accomplishment, an accepted standard, and a degree or stage in a process. Many people think bouldering grades are life or death but we know they are way more important than that. Bouldering grades can be used to measure your progress, impress your friends or inflate/deflate your ego. Once you have climbed the hardest grade you are free to disown the whole grading process and take a spirituality angle.

V-Scale:
The current grading scale used by most of the developed world. The 'V' comes from the safety conscious originator of the grading scale, John 'Volvo' Sherman [ed. note: the 'V' in the V-scale comes from John Sherman nickname of 'Vermin'].

Send:
A successful ascent. Apparently the term 'to send' is a slang descendent of the word 'ascend'.

Crimp:
Mango Tango might be orange and crimpy, but then so is Carrot Top's hair. Crimp not only describes a thin fingertip hold but also a method of creating wavy hair.

Redpoint:
Successful ascent of a can of worms after multiple tries. Alternatively the result of unprotected sex.

Deadpoint:
The moment when your body stops rising upward and before it starts to fall back downward, and the optimum time to latch a hold that requires dynamic movement to reach it. Alternatively a condition of sexual dysfunction that affects some older men.

Mantel:
Often used to gain the top of a boulder, a mantel requires the boulderer to push down with their hands to allow a foot to gain the same hold as the hands when no other higher handholds are available. Out of respect for Mickey Mantle who hit 536 career home runs, I prefer to call this move a 'Mickey', and suggest you do the same.

John Gill:
The father of modern bouldering, John Gill was maybe the first climber to focus on bouldering exclusively and to introduce dynamic movements into his ascents. Gill's ascent of The Thimble is thought to have helped legitimize bouldering in the eyes of the climbing establishment of the time and pave the way for bouldering's popularity today. While John Gill's climbing style has set the tone for thousands, the same cannot be said for his 'John Stockton' style shorts.

Matching:
Having both hands or both feet on the same hold. If you thought matching was about having your shoes and chalk bag in the same color then you may be in the wrong place.

Highball:
A boulder problem that is high enough to inflict injury upon you should you happen to blow the Mickey. Also a cocktail served in a tall glass. Also a common sport climbing injury caused when taking a long fall in a tight harness.

Overhang:
A face or boulder that is less than 90 degrees. Requires technique and strength to even get off the ground.

Hangover:
Beer poisoning. Requires technique and strength to even get off the ground.

Hueco:
Spanish for 'hollow', Hueco's are the round sunken holds formed in the rock at legendary bouldering area Hueco Tanks in Texas. They could have been called 'Tanks' but that word was already taken by the army.

Sit Down Start:
Sitting one's rear on the ground to get the most movement that the boulder may allow. Often the sit start part of a problem can add a level of difficultly to a regular standing start and make you look like a freak to passers by.

Traverse:
A problem or section of a problem that involves lateral movement. The term 'traverse' can be used broadly in the outdoors and so if someone tells you they have just completed the Presidential Traverse in the White Mountains of New Hampshire it may be irrelevant to ask whether or not they did the sit start.

Mono:
A pocket small enough to only allow the use of one digit. Insert your own joke here.

Spotter:
On paper a spotter is one who watches and guards a performer during practice to prevent injury. In reality a spotter is your friend who stands underneath you smoking a cigarette, looking around to see what else is going on. If you let out a blood curdling scream you might get a hand raised below you. It's unlikely you'll ever get a 'home run spot' which is when you have people crowded below you arms raised like baseball fans in the bleachers underneath an incoming home run ball. That only happens in magazines, unless of course you're famous.

Beta:
Tips, info, tricks, words, slight noises, weather predictions, nods, Morse code, extra sensory perception, body language, dog barks or anything else that could give any possible indication whatsoever of how to climb a particular problem.

Onsight:
Climbing a problem first go with no beta and no falls.

Flash:
Climbing a problem first go after having received beta, regardless of whether or not you asked for it.

Offwidth:
An offwidth is a crack which is basically an annoying width, but Annoywidth doesn't sound as good. An offwidth is too wide for a hand jam or a fist and too narrow to chimney, so usually requires a combination of wedging, squeezing, chicken winging and all other means necessary.

Chicken Winging, or just Winging in general:
Not actually a real word.

Spray:
My Oxford dictionary is quite accurate on this one....'A fine jet of liquid discharged from a pressurized container'. Just replaced the word 'liquid' with the word 'bullshit' and that's pretty much it. Use that sentence you just read as a fairly good example.

Fontainebleau:
Legendary forest bouldering area in France, pronounced 'fon-tan-blur'. You could pronounce it 'Fountain Blue' but the locals will probably look at you in disgust, berate you in their native tongue and then spit on your shoe.

Contrivance:
Not following the natural line offered up by the rock itself, but instead adding or eliminating holds or features to alter the problem to your specifications. In a nutshell, 'artificial'. Eliminates would be considered contrived and the jury is still out on Britney Spears.

Dime Edge:
A term to describe a tiny rock edge that is barely enough to get shoe rubber to stick to, or for Fred Nicole to dyno to, match on and then campus from.

Midnight Lightening:
Boulder problem in Camp 4 in Yosemite, arguably the most famous boulder problem in the world. Also a release of gas while you're asleep, especially after having eaten Indian or Mexican food.