Fording is crossing a river or stream on foot where there is no bridge. Hikers face upstream or angle across, unclip the pack hip belt, use trekking poles for stability, and judge depth and current carefully. Swift water is deceptively powerful, making fords one of backpacking's real hazards.
Scrambling is moving over steep, rocky terrain that's harder than hiking but easier than technical climbing, using your hands as well as your feet for balance and progress. It bridges hiking and climbing, ranging from easy hands-on terrain to exposed routes where a fall would be serious.
A dead hang is hanging from a hold, bar, or hangboard edge with straight, relaxed arms and engaged shoulders, used both as a rest position on the wall and as a core finger-strength exercise. Timed dead hangs on a hangboard are one of the most effective ways to build the specific finger strength climbing demands.
A knee bar is a resting and locking technique where you wedge your leg between two opposing surfaces — jamming the knee or thigh against one and the foot against the other — so the leg supports your weight and frees your hands. A good knee bar can offer a precious no-hands rest on steep terrain.
A lock-off is a technique where you pull a hold in toward your body and hold your bent arm in a static, locked position, freeing the other hand to reach the next hold. Locking off requires pulling strength and good body position, and lets climbers make controlled, static moves instead of dynamic ones.
A deadpoint is a controlled dynamic move where you reach a far hold at the brief, weightless apex of an upward motion — the point where you are momentarily neither rising nor falling. Unlike a full dyno, you keep at least one hand and your feet on the wall, making it a precise, efficient way to gain distance.
Stemming, also called bridging, is a technique where you press outward with opposing limbs against two surfaces — typically the two walls of a corner or chimney — using counter-pressure to stay in place without positive holds. It can be strenuous or restful, and lets climbers ascend dihedrals and wide features with little to grip.
A finger lock is a crack-climbing technique where you slot your fingers into a thin crack and twist or torque them so they lock against the walls. Used in cracks too narrow for a hand jam, finger locks can feel surprisingly secure once trusted, but are strenuous on the fingers and take practice to use well.
A hand jam is the fundamental crack-climbing technique where you insert your hand into a hand-width crack and expand it — cupping the palm and flexing the thumb — so it locks against the crack walls. A solid hand jam is secure enough to hang and even rest on, and is the building block of crack climbing.
A lieback, or layback, is a technique for climbing edges and cracks where you pull sideways on the hold with your hands while pushing your feet against the rock in opposition, leaning your body to one side. It is a powerful way to climb flakes, arete edges, and corner cracks, but can be strenuous and awkward to protect.