A figure-eight device is a metal '8'-shaped descender used mainly for rappelling, where the rope threads through the large ring to create friction. Once common for belaying too, it is now largely a rappel and rescue tool, valued for dissipating heat on long descents but prone to twisting the rope.
A plaquette is a tube-style belay device with extra slots that allow 'guide mode' — belaying one or two following climbers directly off the anchor, with the device automatically locking if a follower falls. This makes plaquettes the standard choice for multi-pitch climbing, where they free the leader's hands at the belay.
A nut tool is a thin, flat metal pick used to remove stuck protection — nuts, hexes, and sometimes cams — that have wedged tight after being weighted. The following climber uses it to free the gear by poking and prying it loose, and it doubles for cleaning dirt and moss from cracks.
A cordelette is a long loop of accessory cord — typically 5 to 7 metres of 6-7mm cord tied with a double fisherman's knot — used to link the points of a climbing anchor and equalize them to a single master point. It is a simple, versatile, and inexpensive way to build a solid multi-point anchor.
A hex (hexentric) is a passive piece of trad protection — a six-sided metal chamber on a wire or cord that wedges into a crack and can also cam slightly when pulled. Larger and lighter than cams for the same crack size, hexes are a cheap, durable option for medium to wide cracks, though they have been largely superseded by cams.
A chimney is a crack or gap in the rock wide enough to fit your whole body inside. Climbers ascend it by pressing against the opposing walls with their back, feet, hands, and knees — a technique called chimneying — rather than gripping holds. Chimneys are awkward and strenuous but can offer secure, restful positions.
A roof is a section of rock that juts out horizontally, overhanging so severely that it runs parallel to the ground like a ceiling. Climbing a roof demands powerful, tension-heavy movement — heel and toe hooks, underclings, and core strength — to keep the body from swinging off, and pulling the lip is often the crux.
Face climbing is climbing the open face of the rock using holds on its surface — edges, crimps, slopers, pockets, and pinches — rather than cracks. It emphasizes footwork, balance, and reading sequences of holds, and is the most common style on bolted sport routes and indoor gym walls.
Crack climbing is the discipline of ascending cracks in the rock by jamming hands, fingers, feet, or the whole body into the fissure, rather than using holds on the rock's face. It spans sizes from thin finger cracks to body-swallowing offwidths and chimneys, and is a foundational skill for traditional climbing.
A deadpoint is a controlled dynamic move where you reach a far hold at the brief, weightless apex of an upward motion — the point where you are momentarily neither rising nor falling. Unlike a full dyno, you keep at least one hand and your feet on the wall, making it a precise, efficient way to gain distance.