I like to climb small to medium size peaks but I dont want to buy ropes and spikes and am not interested in climbing sheer rock faces. I am 6'5" and weigh 260lbs but am fit. If I fell with a rope I would probably bring everyone down with me. What kind of climbing do you call this ?

hiking.

The Brits call it hill-walking.

scrambling if there aren't trails, otherwise you are probably just hiking. kind of depends on how steep it is and what kind of terrain. steep grass or dirt- hiking, steep jumbled rocks- probably scrambling, kind of the same thing though

Walking

3's or 4's

Class 1-5 rating system developed by the Sierra Club in 1937:

Class 1: Easy Walking

Class 2: Denotes rougher terrain, where your hands may be needed for balance.

Class 3: Steeper terrain where hands and footholds are used. The exposure may lead some climbers to feel more comfortable with a rope.

Class 4: Routes that involve more difficult climbing, and exposure such that a fall could be fatal. Ropes, Belays and Anchors may be used.

Class 5: Require roped belays, placement of intermediate protection, and specialized climbing techniques.

Source: Sierra Classics (John Moynier, Claude Fiddler)

Don't let the idea of "bringing everyone down with you" as a reason to not rock climb. Even if you weigh 300lbs, if you and your partner are following the same safty guidlines as the rest of us then you will be just as safe as someone who weighs 150lbs. However, if you don't want to rock climb b/c climbing sheer rock faces dosen't sound safe then thats cool too.

Yep that would be called hiking, more commonly known as walking.

Class 1: Plodding

Class 2: Piddling

Class 3: Grumbling

Class 4: Kersnoodling

Class 5: Horsefeffering

This mainly comes up when a hiker gets missidentified as a climber by the news media after a fall down a steep slope that some might further confuse with a "cliff" or "dropoff" or something like that. But what if it was just someone walking or goofing off by the cliff, I mean, steep slope? Would that annoy hikers?

Fellwalking, from the Scots.

I know, nobody understands what they are saying anyway.

RJ Secor quips:

Class 1: you fall, you're stupid.
Class 2: you fall, you break your arm.
Class 3: you fall, you break your leg.
Class 4: you fall, you are almost dead (i.e., you can't breath and move your arms, legs, and head).
Class 5: you fall, you are dead.


Quoting Tom Patey: "A solo climber: a man who falls alone. A roped team: climbers who fall together."

Chuffing, but you really need to carry a heavy pack full of gear to be a truly great chuffer.

Lots of derogatory responses here. Okay, so not everyone cares for scrambling or third-classing, but there's no need to be condescending and call it "hiking" or "walking".

Here's a description of scrambling from Alan Kane's guidebook "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies": "Much use of handholds [may be] required, sections may be steep, loose and exposed, or rock could be smooth or downsloping... fall distance may be significant enough to be fatal. Routefinding skills are generally necessary... less experienced parties might prefer the security of a climbing rope for short sections, and being off-route may well require techincal climbing".

I actually refer to it as scrambling myself and will throw in various disclaimers like "might have some 4th or 5th class in there." Agreed, that sort of stuff rocks. Just good shoes, a tiny pack with a wind jacket, water, and food and you go.

Third class peak bagging.

Get spikes asap!!

'Walk up mountaineering' Not to be taken lightly with objective hazards such as lightning, avalanches, rock fall, altitude. The skills learned are key to successful full on, alpine technical climbing.

"what kind of climbing do you call this?"

Boring. Like taking the dog for a hike cause the wife thinks it's "so pretty"
But I would call it "durping" if the purpose of said scramble slog was to find new rock to climb.

Trolling.

I thought maybe this was a clucking thread:

For those of you were helpful...thanks. For those of you who were derogatory...I am guessing you must have a low self esteem which is masked by engaging in high risk activities...and that makes you feel better than others who dont ! I have climbed 10-12,000 ft mountains without using ropes and I get a tremendous workout plus get great views of the world from high up. I dont use ropes but use picks and a walking stick to get me up the steeper aspects. I snowshoe at points to get to where I need to go. I am not a wimp by any means. Normally I use summitpost which seems a friendlier place to hang out.
Good day !