How to speak boulder-er

This is your guide to the weird lingo in the lovably weird sport of bouldering .

Choss: poor quality rock. not suitable for climbing

Crash pad: protective pad designed to reduce impact with ground while bouldering

Ground Fall: Falling off a route to ground. (mostly only acceptable while bouldering)

Crimp: small edge that serves as a hand hold.

Dyno: a dynamic move from one hold to another

Flapper: an avulsion, (probably on your finger)

Flash: completing a route or “problem” on the first attempt

Problem: a bouldering route

Gaston: a hold that requires outward force (like opening barn doors)

Heel hook: the use of your heel on a foot hold

Highball: a really tall bouldering problem

Lowball: not a really tall bouldering problem

Hold: any feature on the boulder that enables climbing

Hueco: a hollow feature in a boulder. Geologically dependent

Jug: a large secure hold

Lie Back: directional force on a hold encompassing the climbers entire body

Mantle: a move that resembles climbing out of a swimming pool

Matching: placing multiple hands or feet on a single hold

On-sight: completing a problem on the first time with no specific route knowledge before hand.

Beta: any information pertaining to the act of climbing

Pocket: a small by pronounced feature in the rock

Send: (noun) completion of a route - (verb) to climb

Sit Start: begin climbing a route with butt on ground

Sloper: a downward sloped feature in the rocl

Spotter: climbing partner assisting a climber to the crash pad during a fall

Top Out: surmounting a boulder by desired route

Traverse: moving laterally across the rock

Undercling: a hold requiring upward force

V-Scale: the scale for which difficulty of a route is subjectively assigned ranging from V0 to V17. In early 2021 only 1 route has ever been climbed and said to be V17.