Lead climbing is a style of roped climbing in which the climber ascends above their last point of protection, trailing the rope from below and clipping it into bolts or placed gear as they go. Because the climber is above their protection, a fall is longer than in top-roping — roughly twice the distance to the last piece. Leading is the gateway to most outdoor sport and trad climbing and demands specific skills.
Traditional climbing, or trad climbing, is a style of lead climbing in which the climber places their own removable protection (such as cams and nuts) into cracks and features as they ascend, and the follower removes it. Unlike sport climbing's pre-placed bolts, trad demands gear-placement skill and judgment, leaves no permanent fixtures, and is the foundation of self-sufficient, adventurous climbing.
Sport climbing is a style of lead climbing on routes protected by permanent bolts pre-placed in the rock, into which the climber clips quickdraws and the rope as they ascend. Because the protection is fixed and reliable, sport climbing lets climbers focus on difficult, gymnastic movement rather than placing gear — making it more accessible than trad climbing and the most popular form of outdoor lead climbing.
A project (or 'proj') is a route or boulder problem that is at or beyond a climber's current ability, which they work on repeatedly over multiple attempts — and sometimes many sessions or seasons — until they can finally send it cleanly. 'Projecting' is the process of rehearsing the moves, refining beta, building the necessary fitness, and linking the climb together. A project represents a personal challenge and goal at the edge of one's limit.
To 'send' is climbing slang for successfully completing a route or boulder problem cleanly — climbing it from start to finish without falling and without resting on the rope or gear. A 'send' is such a clean, successful ascent. The term covers any clean completion regardless of style (onsight, flash, or redpoint), and has become one of the most widely used words in modern climbing culture.
The crux is the most difficult move or section of a climbing route or boulder problem — the part that demands the most skill, strength, or commitment and is most likely to stop a climber. A route's overall grade is largely determined by its crux, and climbers focus their planning, beta, and energy management around getting through it successfully.
Beta is information or advice about how to climb a particular route or boulder problem — the sequence of moves, which holds to use, where to rest, clip, or place gear, and other tips. Climbers share beta in person, in guidebooks, and online via photos and videos. Receiving beta before an attempt affects the style of an ascent (a flash uses beta; an onsight uses none), and unsolicited beta ('spray') is a known etiquette pitfall.
A flash is a clean ascent of a climbing route or boulder problem on the very first attempt, with no falls and without weighting the rope or gear, but with the benefit of prior information (beta) — such as watching someone else climb it, receiving advice, or studying the moves. It ranks just below an onsight (which allows no beta) and above a redpoint (which allows practice), in climbing's hierarchy of ascent styles.
An onsight is a clean ascent of a climbing route on the very first attempt, with no falls, without weighting the rope or gear, and crucially with no prior information about the route — no beta, no watching others, no studying the moves beyond what you can see from the ground. Because it tests a climber's ability to read and solve a climb entirely on the spot, the onsight is widely considered the purest and most prestigious style of ascent.
A gaston is a climbing technique in which the climber grips a hold with the thumb pointing down and elbow pointing out, then pushes outward (sideways, away from the body) to create tension — like prying open a sliding door. Used on vertically oriented holds and cracks where a sidepull would face the wrong way, the gaston relies on shoulder and arm strength and opposition, often paired against another hold.
