An edge is a climbing hold with a flat, distinct ledge or lip that climbers grip with their fingertips (when used as a handhold) or stand on with the edge of the shoe (when used as a foothold). Edges range from large, positive ledges to tiny micro-edges, and form one of the most common hold types on featured rock and gym walls. Using edges well — crimping or open-handing them with the hands, edging precisely with the feet — is core technique.
A volume is a large, hollow, three-dimensional shape (often geometric, like a pyramid or wedge) that bolts onto a climbing gym wall to add features, angles, and three-dimensional terrain. Volumes can be climbed on directly (using their faces and edges, often by smearing and balance) and frequently have smaller holds bolted onto them. They transform flat gym walls into more varied, rock-like terrain and are a staple of modern route setting.
A flake is a thin, partly detached slab or plate of rock, separated from the main rock face along a crack, that climbers use as a hold or feature. Flakes can be gripped by their edge (often laybacked), pulled on, or jammed behind, and range from small holds to large features forming flake cracks. Because flakes are partly detached, an important skill is assessing whether a flake is solid and well-attached or loose and dangerous before trusting it.
A pocket is a climbing hold consisting of a hole or depression in the rock (or a molded gym hold) that accepts one, two, or three fingers rather than the whole hand. Pockets are gripped by inserting the fingers that fit and pulling, and they concentrate load on fewer fingers, making them strenuous and, in the case of single-finger 'monos', a notable finger-injury risk. They're common on certain rock types like limestone.
A jug is a large, positive, easy-to-grip climbing hold that a climber can wrap their whole hand around securely — the most welcome and reassuring kind of hold. Named for resembling a jug handle, jugs are deep and incut, allowing a relaxed, restful grip that takes little finger strength. Routes and problems with many jugs are generally easier, and a 'juggy' section is a relief on otherwise hard climbs.
Climbing holds are the features — natural rock formations or bolt-on shapes in a gym — that climbers grip with their hands and stand on with their feet to ascend. They come in many types, each requiring a different grip and technique: jugs (big and easy), crimps (small edges), slopers (rounded), pinches (squeezed), pockets (holes for fingers), and edges, among others. Recognizing hold types and how to use them is fundamental to climbing technique.
An ice grade rates the difficulty of an ice climb, most commonly using the WI (Water Ice) scale, which runs from WI1 (low-angle ice) up to WI7+ (steep, sustained, technical, or poorly protected ice). Grades reflect steepness, sustained difficulty, technicality, and the quality and protection of the ice. Because ice conditions change constantly, ice grades are more variable than rock grades — the same climb can feel very different day to day.
The British trad grade is a distinctive two-part system for grading traditional climbs in the UK, combining an adjectival grade (describing the overall difficulty, seriousness, and danger — e.g., Severe, Very Severe, E1, E2...) with a technical grade (describing the hardest single move, e.g., 4a, 5b, 6a). Together the two parts convey both how hard the moves are and how committing and well-protected the route is, capturing the seriousness that a single number can miss.
The Ewbank grade is a climbing difficulty system that uses a single open-ended number (e.g., 1, 12, 20, 30...) to rate the overall difficulty of a climb, used in Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa. Created by John Ewbank, it's prized for its simplicity — one number, with higher meaning harder — that accounts for the overall difficulty of a route. It corresponds via conversion to other systems like the YDS and French scales.
The Font grade (Fontainebleau scale) is the bouldering difficulty system used in Europe and much of the world, named after the famous Fontainebleau bouldering area in France. It uses a number, a letter (a, b, c), and an optional '+' — for example 6A, 7B+, 8A — increasing with difficulty and open-ended at the top. The Font scale is the European counterpart to the American V-scale for grading boulder problems, and the two correspond closely via conversion.
