Alpine climbing is climbing in the high mountains, combining rock, snow, and ice over long, committing routes where speed, self-reliance, and mountain judgment matter as much as technical difficulty. It blends rock and ice climbing with mountaineering, often in remote terrain with serious objective hazards.
Mixed climbing combines ice and bare rock on the same route, climbed with ice tools and crampons — including 'dry-tooling' on rock. It bridges ice and rock climbing, is graded on the M scale, and lets climbers link icy and rocky sections of winter and alpine routes.
Face climbing is climbing the open face of the rock using holds on its surface — edges, crimps, slopers, pockets, and pinches — rather than cracks. It emphasizes footwork, balance, and reading sequences of holds, and is the most common style on bolted sport routes and indoor gym walls.
Crack climbing is the discipline of ascending cracks in the rock by jamming hands, fingers, feet, or the whole body into the fissure, rather than using holds on the rock's face. It spans sizes from thin finger cracks to body-swallowing offwidths and chimneys, and is a foundational skill for traditional climbing.
Deep-water soloing (DWS), also called psicobloc, is climbing without a rope above deep water, which acts as the only protection when you fall. It's done on sea cliffs and over pools, combining the freedom of soloing with a relatively safe landing — though falls from height onto water can still injure, so it carries real risk.
Aid climbing is a style where the climber makes upward progress by pulling on, standing in, or hanging from gear placed in the rock, rather than climbing the rock free. It's used on big walls and on blank or overhanging terrain too hard to free climb, relies on equipment like etriers (ladders), and is graded on an A or C scale.
Multi-pitch climbing is climbing a route longer than a single rope length, broken into sequential pitches the team ascends one at a time. At the top of each pitch the leader builds an anchor and belays the second up, then they swap gear and continue. It adds anchor-building, rope management, and commitment on top of the climbing itself.
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.
Ice climbing is the sport of ascending frozen waterfalls, ice-covered rock, and glaciers using ice axes, crampons, and ice screws for protection. Climbers swing tools and kick crampon points into the ice to move upward. Conditions change constantly with temperature, making judgment as important as technique.