Defunct Climbing Terminology

Based on some sport crags I've been to, "off belay" qualifies.

Bryan Kwrote:

Based on some sport crags I've been to, "off belay" qualifies.

I'm terrified of the implications of this-- what is it that you are seeing??

Ricky Harlinewrote:

I'm terrified of the implications of this-- what is it that you are seeing??

Could merely mean the trend toward lowering from single pitch stuff with bolted anchors up top, rather than rappelling. Especially with mussy hooks going in at a lot of single pitch crags.

(Thank you ASCA!)

Best, H.

 I remember in the early 90s using "Cleaned" for leading a climb with no takes.

Defunct climbing terminology: coherent thinking.

Ricky Harlinewrote:

I'm terrified of the implications of this-- what is it that you are seeing??

People getting to the top of a sport climb and saying "off belay" when they are intending to lower from the anchor afterwards.  Saw this happen one time (luckily no one got hurt) and talked to the group after they got down.  Told them "off belay" has a specific meaning that the belayer takes you off belay fully and they could have gotten in to an accident.  They just shrugged it off and said "we know what we mean between the two of us when we say it, so it's all good."

Bryan Kwrote:

People getting to the top of a sport climb and saying "off belay" when they are intending to lower from the anchor afterwards.  Saw this happen one time (luckily no one got hurt) and talked to the group after they got down.  Told them "off belay" has a specific meaning that the belayer takes you off belay fully and they could have gotten in to an accident.  They just shrugged it off and said "we know what we mean between the two of us when we say it, so it's all good."

Wow. That is a scary story!!!

I think the term "long approach" has evolved.  Many approaches newer climbers think are long, longer term climbers think are just average.  

The term "slab" or slabby has evolved.  Newer climbers are more likely to describe off-vertical as a slab.

Conversely, the term "steep" has evolved.  What I used to think of as steep, is now considered mildly overhanging.

But the one I see the most is the gymification of the meaning of the word "runout".

JCMwrote:

What does it mean now? Are people using it to mean leg behind the rope? As opposed the the prior definition of outside edging?

I pretty much only ever go to bouldering gyms for my plastic climbing,so I'm blissfully unaware of the current state of gym leading practices.

Coined the proper and more intuitive term “calf roping” here on these forums a while back to fight this usurpation of the proper use of backstep.    

You can lead a horse to water…

And then of course there are formerly common terms that have faded out of use because the technology is obsolete.  Blue suede shoes, swami belt, sticht plate are examples.

Hangdogging. Apparently, it's now called "projecting"

Can we add “Biner” to this list?

I think the Brit’s call em “krabs” which is way cooler anyway 

I don’t think I’ve heard the word “Jumar” used in at least a decade.

On the flip side, “Splitter” gets more use than ever, but it doesn’t mean the same thing anymore. It used to mean a crack that splits a face of rock, but now it just means “a good crack” or “any crack, really”, or even…nice weather?

I see ‘dyno’ and ‘deadpoint’ used almost interchangeably by a lot of climbers

phylp phylpwrote:

But the one I see the most is the gymification of the meaning of the word "runout".

Oh my god yes. Overheard a group at Johnny’s Wall in Muir Valley exclaiming how runout the climbs were.

If you haven’t been there, it’s about as friendly as bolting gets. Your feet are never above your last quickdraw, for the most part. 

Noah Betzwrote:

I see ‘dyno’ and ‘deadpoint’ used almost interchangeably by a lot of climbers

Similar in that they both describe dynamic movement, but very different. They both have however pretty much replaced the “lunge.”

Whipper

In Ten Sleep this summer I’m hearing a lot of people saying “I’m gonna jug up a bit” to mean they are going to pull themselves up to their high point after a fall.
I’m sure none of them know that “jugging”, or “to jug” is slang for “Jumaring” up a rope (the act of ascending a rope using Jumars). Jumars were the first ascenders. 

The term "questing" as in climbing up new territory was a flash in the pan. Came and went faster than YOLO or Fire in text message language. 

JCMwrote:

The term "day flash" is the worst new term in climbing. It's even worse than the kids talking about the "condies". 

I hate to admit it but “day flash” is growing on me and I think it has some merit.  It’s usual context for me is sending a route after a long time away; a route that was once a project and took me many burns to dial in and send only to be sent first go with a blurry idea at best of what my beta was. Perhaps AKA a “hindsight”.  At any rate, it’s a good feeling and makes me feel like I’m a better climber than I used to be and I want it to have a name.