A wiregate carabiner uses a loop of stainless wire as its gate instead of a solid bar. This makes it lighter, less prone to freezing or icing shut, and resistant to 'gate flutter' — the gate momentarily vibrating open during a fall. Wiregates are popular on quickdraws, slings, and alpine racks.
Climbing chalk is magnesium carbonate powder that climbers rub on their hands to absorb sweat and improve grip on holds. Carried in a chalk bag and reapplied throughout a climb, it comes as loose powder, pressed blocks, refillable balls, or liquid chalk, and is near-universal in modern climbing.
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for the same crack size, hexes are a cheap, durable option for medium to wide cracks, though they have been largely superseded by cams.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 topo is a diagram or annotated photo that maps out a climbing route, showing its line, pitches, belay stations, protection, and grade. Found in guidebooks and apps, topos help climbers find and follow routes on the rock. It should not be confused with a topographic map used for navigation.
A boulder problem is a single bouldering route — a short sequence of moves on a boulder or wall, climbed without a rope. The name reflects bouldering's puzzle-like nature: each problem has a defined start and finish and is 'solved' by working out the right sequence. Problems are graded on the V-scale or Font scale.
An offwidth is a crack too wide to hand-jam but too narrow to fit your whole body, making it one of the most awkward and strenuous features to climb. Offwidth technique uses arm bars, chicken-wings, and stacked hands and feet wedged inside the crack, and it is notorious for being physical and hard to protect.
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.
An overhang is rock that is steeper than vertical, leaning out over the climber so gravity pulls you away from the wall. Overhanging climbing is strenuous and powerful, demanding good body tension and footwork to keep weight on the feet. The steepest overhangs, which go horizontal, become roofs.