Climbing is known to have a friendly community, each gym having distinct characteristics and qualities. With culture comes its own language. It's hard to keep track of all the technical terms at first, but it gets easier once you go along. But when you climb outside your usual scene, the terminology may differ. Especially when encountering climbers from other countries! Here's How to Speak like a True Climber - A Climbing Slang Dictionary!

We have talked about how important the core is for our us climbers, but recently there has been talk about stability being as vital (or even more so) than core strength. Let’s define these first, shall we?

Smear: you smear when you do not have a foothold, and rely on the friction of the wall and your shoe.

You’ve probably seen it on a climber’s leg, smeared on their face, or scattered on the crash pad, small powder flakes in white. That’s chalk - calcium carbonate - a (sweaty) climber’s best friend. Chalking up your hands absorbs the sweat from your hands, dries fingers and palms which allows better grip, and generally improves friction between your hand the hold.

Climbing has evolved throughout the years, from being an alpine necessity to an actual athletic sport. It developed sub-disciplines that people can choose from, may they be professional athletes or an average Joe. Some types are more dangerous and challenging than others (who in their right minds would climb solo 20-40 meters from the ground with no protection at all).

Climbing in itself is already a complex sport that requires a lot of body strength. Therefore it's vital to train our core and strengthen our fundament. Here's some easy exercises for you to practice when not hanging from a wall. 

The common misconception of the average person is that climbing is comprised of using only your upper body strength at all time. But climbers of all kind, may they practice inside a gym or outside on a crag, know that it’s all about the proper use of your whole body.

Traversing 

If you are a mountaineer, you have probably heard this term when picking trails and routes.