A cairn is a stack of stones built to mark a trail or route, especially above treeline or across rock where a worn path is hard to follow. Hikers use cairns to navigate; building unofficial ones can mislead others, so the principle is to follow established cairns rather than create new ones.
A switchback is a sharp zigzag in a trail that climbs a steep slope at a gentler angle, reversing direction repeatedly to ease the gradient. Switchbacks make steep terrain walkable and reduce erosion. Cutting straight across them — 'cutting switchbacks' — damages the trail and is discouraged.
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.
Backpacking is multi-day hiking that involves carrying everything you need — shelter, sleeping system, food, and water — in a pack and camping overnight along the way. It lets hikers travel deep into the backcountry beyond the reach of day hikes, and is the foundation of long-distance hiking.
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 day hike is a hike completed in a single day, without camping overnight. Day hikes range from short nature walks to long, strenuous summit pushes, and let hikers access trails and views with a light pack and minimal gear. They are the most popular and accessible form of hiking.
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 campus board is an overhanging training board fitted with horizontal rungs that climbers move up and down using only their hands, with no feet, to build explosive pulling power and contact strength. Invented by Wolfgang Güllich, it is a powerful but high-stress tool best reserved for experienced, well-conditioned climbers.
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.