Dirtbag Dictionary
DIRTBAG DICTIONARY:
WORDS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO UNDERSTAND YOUR ADVENTURE-SEEKING FRIENDS – CLIMBING EDITION
If you have friends or family that are avid Climbers, odds are you have no idea what they are talking about half of the time. You could easily go the rest of your life without knowing the difference between jugs and jams. But if you’re a good friend that is tired of using the smile and nod method, here are some of the basic words you should be familiar with.
Dirtbag – a person who is committed to a certain (usually extreme) lifestyle to the point of abandoning traditional employment and other societal norms in order to pursue this lifestyle. This term is used most often among climbers. True dirtbags are not insulted by this title but embrace it.
“after graduation he moved into his van. Now he is a dirtbag out in Joshua Tree.”, “I’m thinking of moving to Moab for a couple months and just dirtbagging it.”
Crag – a steep cliff face. Usually used to reference a cliffside where climbing is done.
“Instead of going to class, a couple of us headed up to the crag for the day.”
Whipper (or Whip)– not referring to the leather weapon, though it can still be painful. In climbing, a whipper is a long fall while free climbing.
“I took a 20-foot whipper the other day”, “Sometimes I like to take a victory whip at the top of a route”
Free Climb – not free soloing! Free climbing is to climb using only your hands and feet on the rock. A rope is only used for safety and not relied upon for upward progress. Typically, the rope trails below the climber, which they clip into placed gear as they climb.
“a ton of people free climb El Capitan, but only one had free soloed it.”
Crack – not the drug, though some consider it just as addictive. Crack climbing is a type of climbing that uses many different techniques the scale a wall using only the cracks in the rock.
“I’m headed to Indian creek to do a bunch of crack this weekend”, “that is the coolest crack I’ve ever been on”
Crux – the hardest part of a climb.
“I was doing great until the crux moves shut me down.”
Bomber – not the militarized plane. Climbers often use this when referring to gear placed in the wall that is very secure or “bombproof.”
“that bolt was bomber.”, “the belay anchor felt insecure, but it was pretty bomber.”
Jug – could be referring to a container holding the water for the day, but more often than not it is used to refer to a large easily gripped hold.
“That jug is so good you can hang on it all day”, “There is a big jug right after the crux where you can rest”
Jam – Not like jelly, but both can make for sticky situations. It is a technique mostly used in crack climbing that involves wedging a body part (most often hands and feet) in the crack in a way that supports your weight.
“That’s a fun crack! It’s just thin hand jams the whole way!”
Beta – Of no relation to the fish. Beta is information given about a specific route or move.
“do you want any beta for that move?”
Choss – Loose rock that is easily broken off from the main wall.
“That wall would be so good if it wasn’t just a big choss pile”
Arete – The outside corner of the rock. The edge or ridge of a rock or boulder.
“Slap that arete”- Wilson McKay, “That route follows the arete most of the way”
Dyno – Nothing to do with dinosaurs! A dyno is, “a stupid thing boulderers do”- Derek Branstrom. Could also be defined as a dynamic move that uses momentum to get the climber to the next hold. Not a controlled move. If you go for it, you’re committed.
“I’m too short so I had to dyno that move”, “That route has a sweet dyno!”
