Defunct Climbing Terminology

John Gill wrote:

A contraction of "ascend"?

Exactly.  Only climbers are so weight conscious as to need to contract off 2 letters from the bloated “ascend”.     It came from sport climbers who need to keep to single syllables

Eric Engberg wrote:

How about "tension" - sort of replace by take although not exactly the same.  Still its very rare to hear "tension".  

"411" - which briefly replaced "beta" (which is appropriated from another context") but now has been re-replaced by "beta" for the most part.

"Fed-Ex" = send with authority.

"runner" - or "sling".  Now a days you are just going to hear "alpine draw" - which admitting implies a certain technique of racking it.  How about "shoulder length" or "standard" sling?

“Tension” is better. “Take” and “slack” sound similar if it’s really windy.

I’m not sure it’s defunct as much as it never really caught on though.

Eric Engberg wrote:

How about "tension" - sort of replace by take although not exactly the same.  Still its very rare to hear "tension".  

Yes you almost never hear that anymore. More likely  to be shouted by nervous climber at belayer when confronted with too much slack, perceived or actual. My husband still says it. But I think they are two different usages. Take is for when someone has given up and wants to rest on the rope. Tension is for a follower who’s right on the edge of falling and is worried about the rope stretch or wants a little help. 

Eli W wrote:

“Tension” is better. “Take” and “slack” sound similar if it’s really windy.

I’m not sure it’s defunct as much as it never really caught on though.

I think it's - Ah-tension, I'm indirect!

Jingus

Here's one I just saw in the Nevada section.  A person posted with the title "Looking for some sporty/mixed 10a" at Red Rock.  "Sporty" is a term from at least the 70s meaning a bit scary and not that protectable. We used to use it in that context.  I think the origin is British.  But what he/she was really looking for was something closely bolted, or "sport-bolted".  

I vaguely recall a climbing magazine article at the dawn of sport-climbing that made the point that sporty climbing is not sport climbing.

C Barry wrote:

Jingus

How little the word jingus is used these days is jingus

Anybody send the rig during an epic gnar harvest lately?

Not sure how widely the term was used, but we used to say something was “manky” if it was untrustworthy or deficient in some way. Manky bolt, manky pin, etc. 

it’s a good word, I should remember to use it more. 

phylp phylp wrote:

Here's one I just saw in the Nevada section.  A person posted with the title "Looking for some sporty/mixed 10a" at Red Rock.  "Sporty" is a term from at least the 70s meaning a bit scary and not that protectable. We used to use it in that context.  I think the origin is British.  But what he/she was really looking for was something closely bolted, or "sport-bolted".  

I vaguely recall a climbing magazine article at the dawn of sport-climbing that made the point that sporty climbing is not sport climbing.

"stoke" could probably be retired. maybe it used to have some sort of cool vibe to it, but now it basically means "i have no idea what i am doing but i am overenthusiastic about doing it."

oh here's one!  (not sure how this one got missed so far...) "dirtbag" or "dirtbagging".  hmmm driving to a campsite and sleeping in a tent isn't really "dirtbagging".  wearing a pair of $150 pants and a bunch of other matching stuff probably doesn't make you a dirtbag. if you have a credit card, you are not a dirtbag.

slim wrote:

oh here's one!  (not sure how this one got missed so far...) "dirtbag" or "dirtbagging".  hmmm driving to a campsite and sleeping in a tent isn't really "dirtbagging".  wearing a pair of $150 pants and a bunch of other matching stuff probably doesn't make you a dirtbag.

Unless your meals are coming out of a dumpster or scarfed from a visitor who didn't eat their entire meal, you're not a dirtbag. If you're drinking craft micro-brews, you're not a dirtbag. If you think dirtbagging is a glamorous lifestyle, you're not a dirtbag.

phylp phylp wrote:

I vaguely recall a climbing magazine article at the dawn of sport-climbing that made the point that sporty climbing is not sport climbing.

Sporty climbing is for punters.

phylp phylp wrote:

Not sure how widely the term was used, but we used to say something was “manky” if it was untrustworthy or deficient in some way. Manky bolt, manky pin, etc. 

it’s a good word, I should remember to use it more. 

Manky is British climbing slang—as in ‘ did you clip that manky bit of tat on the fixed peg?’ Don’t know if it is still in use there or not.

Alan Rubin wrote:

Manky is British climbing slang—as in ‘ did you clip that manky bit of tat on the fixed peg?’ Don’t know if it is still in use there or not.

Still in regular use among my tower-climbing partners, almost exclusively in reference to sun-bleached tat as you and Phyl have described.

Shaniac wrote:

Yeah from how I've seen the term used, sporty means there are only specific places where you can get gear in.  You have to commit to the sections of climbing between that gear and it may not be obvious where the gear is from below.  Not necessarily sketchy or dangerous depending on the climb, but just committing.  Seen lots of people describe the Gunks that way since you often can only get gear in the horizontal cracks and nothing in between, unlike like a splitter crack where you can place gear wherever you want so long as you have enough gear to place.

I’m thinking (hoping?) the term “indirect” is on its way out as the grammar/spelling police continue to make [excruciatingly] slow gains on the MP battlefield of wits. Now, the expression “in direct”?… I’m enjoying that valuable discussion.

phylp phylp wrote:

And I wonder if “doubled back” has completely fallen out of use since so many harnesses now are sewn such that you cannot undo the buckle. 

I had a friend who would ask, “are you double- backed?” 

Bale wrote:

I had a friend who would ask, “are you double- backed?” 

My Black Diamond Big Gun still requires a double back on the buckle so it’s not a totally obsolete term.