A pitch is a section of a climb between two belay points — the distance a leader climbs from one anchor to the next, limited by the length of the rope. Single-pitch climbs are completed in one pitch (the climber is belayed from the ground or top), while multi-pitch climbs are divided into several sequential pitches, with the team building anchors and re-belaying at each. The number of pitches is a common way to describe a route's length.
Grade conversion is the process of translating a climbing difficulty rating from one grading system to another — for example, between the American YDS, the French sport scale, the V-scale and Font bouldering scales, and the UIAA system. Because different countries and disciplines use different systems, conversion charts (and tools) let climbers compare routes worldwide, though the translations are approximate, not exact.
The UIAA grade is a climbing difficulty rating system that uses Roman numerals (I, II, III... up through XII and beyond), with + and − modifiers, established by the UIAA (the international climbing federation) and commonly used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Eastern Europe. It rates the technical difficulty of free climbing, increasing with the numerals, and corresponds via conversion to other systems like the YDS and French scales.
The V-scale is the grading system used in the United States to rate the difficulty of bouldering problems. It is open-ended, starting at V0 (easiest) and currently extending to around V17 at the elite end, with each number representing a step up in difficulty. Named after boulderer John 'Vermin' Sherman, the V-scale is the bouldering counterpart to route-grading systems like the YDS and the international Font scale.
The French grade is the sport-climbing difficulty scale used across most of the world (outside the US), expressing difficulty with a number, a letter (a, b, c), and an optional '+' — for example 5a, 6b+, 7c. The scale is open-ended and increases with difficulty. Widely used internationally for roped sport climbing, the French grade corresponds to the American YDS (5.x) system via conversion charts.
Gym climbing is indoor climbing on artificial walls fitted with bolted-on holds, the most popular and accessible entry point into the sport. Climbing gyms offer bouldering (rope-free over padded floors), top-rope and lead climbing (on ropes), and auto-belays, in a controlled, weatherproof environment. Gym climbing builds strength, technique, and skills like belaying, and serves both as its own sport and as training for outdoor climbing.
Slab climbing is climbing on rock that is angled at less than vertical, where the wall leans back away from the climber. Unlike steep climbing's reliance on strength, slab climbing depends on balance, delicate footwork, and trusting friction between the shoe rubber and the rock (smearing). Often holdless and technical, slabs are mentally demanding because falls can be scrapey and protection sparse.
Ice climbing is the activity of ascending steep ice formations — frozen waterfalls, ice-covered rock, and glacial ice — using specialized ice tools, crampons, and ice screws for protection. It demands technique, strength, and careful judgment of ever-changing ice conditions, and ranges from frozen waterfall (water ice) climbing to the icy sections of alpine routes. It is a serious, high-consequence winter discipline.
Free soloing is climbing without a rope, harness, or any protective equipment, relying entirely on one's own ability — where a fall almost always results in death. It is the most dangerous form of climbing, practiced by a small number of highly experienced climbers on routes far within their ability. Despite the name, it is not the same as free climbing, which uses a rope to protect falls.
Free climbing is climbing in which the climber ascends using only their hands, feet, and body on the natural rock, with the rope and protective gear used solely to catch a fall — not to make upward progress. It is the dominant style of modern climbing (including most sport and trad climbing) and is widely misunderstood: it still uses a rope, and is the opposite of aid climbing, not the same as free soloing.
