Ultralight backpacking is a style of backpacking focused on minimizing pack weight, typically aiming for a base weight under 10 lb (4.5 kg) by carrying lighter, simpler, multi-use gear. Lower weight means less fatigue and faster travel, at the cost of comfort, durability, and margin — so it rewards skill and planning.
Base weight is the weight of a backpacker's gear excluding consumables — food, water, and fuel — that change over a trip. It's the standard way to compare pack loads because it stays constant. Lowering base weight is the central goal of ultralight backpacking, with benchmarks around 20 lb for lightweight and under 10 lb for ultralight.
Scrambling is moving over steep, rocky terrain that's harder than hiking but easier than technical climbing, using your hands as well as your feet for balance and progress. It bridges hiking and climbing, ranging from easy hands-on terrain to exposed routes where a fall would be serious.
A thru-hike is hiking a long-distance trail from end to end in a single continuous journey, typically over weeks or months. Famous thru-hikes include the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. It demands resupply planning, lightweight gear, and the endurance to walk and camp for the whole route.
A Kilter Board is an adjustable-angle training wall with large, friendly holds and LED-lit problems set through an app, designed to be more accessible and fun than other system boards. The lights show each problem's holds, and the changeable angle suits a wide range of abilities, making it popular for both training and casual sessions.
A MoonBoard is a standardized, steeply overhanging training wall with a fixed layout of holds and an app that sets thousands of shareable benchmark problems. Because every MoonBoard is identical worldwide, climbers can compare their performance and train on the same problems anywhere, making it a benchmark tool for serious bouldering strength.
A hangboard (or fingerboard) is a wall-mounted training board with edges, pockets, and slopers of varying sizes, used to build finger and grip strength through timed dead hangs and repeaters. It is the most popular and effective tool for targeted finger training, but its intense loading makes a careful, progressive approach essential to avoid injury.
A knee bar is a resting and locking technique where you wedge your leg between two opposing surfaces — jamming the knee or thigh against one and the foot against the other — so the leg supports your weight and frees your hands. A good knee bar can offer a precious no-hands rest on steep terrain.
A whipper is climbing slang for a big, dramatic lead fall — a long, often swinging plunge taken when leading above your protection. Whippers are a normal part of pushing your limit on safe, well-protected sport routes, where the dynamic rope and an attentive belayer turn them into a relatively harmless, if thrilling, experience.
Barn-dooring is when a climber's body swings uncontrollably away from the wall like a door on a hinge, because their weight isn't balanced over their points of contact. It typically happens when the useful holds are all on one side of the body, and is corrected with techniques like flagging to counterbalance.