A cam, short for spring-loaded camming device (SLCD), is an active piece of climbing protection that a trad climber slots into a crack. Pulling a trigger retracts the spring-loaded lobes; releasing them lets the lobes expand to grip the crack walls. Cams place quickly and hold well in parallel-sided cracks where passive gear can't.
A dihedral is an inside corner where two rock faces meet at an angle, like the open pages of a book — also called a corner or open book. Climbers ascend dihedrals using opposing pressure between the two walls, with techniques such as stemming, laybacking, and jamming any crack in the corner.
An arete is a narrow, outward-facing edge or ridge of rock where two faces meet, often formed by glacial erosion. In climbing, aretes offer distinctive, frequently photogenic lines that require balance and techniques like laybacking and flagging to climb the edge itself rather than a face or crack.
A pitch is a section of a climb between two belay points, no longer than a single rope length. Routes longer than one rope length are split into multiple pitches that the climbing team ascends one at a time. A single-pitch route is climbed in one go; multi-pitch routes link several pitches up a wall.
Climbing grade conversion is the approximate translation of a climb's difficulty between the world's different grading systems — such as YDS, French, UIAA, V-scale, and Font. Because each system developed separately, conversions are only ever approximate, but they let climbers compare routes and boulders across countries.
The UIAA grade is a climbing difficulty scale using Roman numerals (I, II, up to XII), maintained by the international climbing federation and used mainly in Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe. Higher numerals mean harder climbing, and plus or minus signs add finer steps between grades.
The V-scale (or Hueco scale) is the American system for grading bouldering difficulty, running from V0 for beginners upward — V5, V10, V15 — with no fixed upper limit. Created at Hueco Tanks, Texas, it rates the hardest moves of a boulder problem and is the most common bouldering grade system in the US.
The French grade, or sport grade, is the most widely used system for rating climbing routes worldwide. It uses a number plus a letter and an optional plus — such as 6a, 7b+, or 8c — with higher values meaning harder. It rates a route's overall difficulty and is the standard for sport climbing across much of the world.
Gym climbing is climbing on artificial walls indoors, with colour-coded plastic holds marking routes and problems. Gyms offer top-rope, lead, and bouldering in a controlled setting with rental gear and classes, making them the most common entry point into climbing and a popular year-round training venue.
Slab climbing is climbing on rock that is less than vertical, where the angle is low but holds are often small or absent. Success depends on delicate footwork, balance, and friction (smearing) rather than upper-body strength. Slabs reward precise technique and composure, since slips usually mean scraping down the rock.