It was an interesting trip for me. I had my first taste of multipitch climbing (jargon is everywhere: multipitch means more than one ropelength, and a ropelength is 165'; ergo one ropelength (or less) is a pitch). The highest climb we did was about 850', and I led (again for the first time) one pitch of a climb [lead: the person at the top of the rope who places "anchors", known as protection, in the rock] at about 350', which was easily one of the most terrifying and exhilirating experiences of my life.
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This was the climb, Gamesmanship, where I led a pitch. This pic is of the pitch before I led, so you can see that Carter wanted to make sure that I had the easiest possible time of it. Good thing, too, since I was still convinced that I was going to die. Only the ignonimity of dying on a 5.7 prevented me from doing so... |
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I took this pic while I was patiently waiting my turn. Started to change my shoes, looked down and suddenly realized why it was that my climbing shoes hurt as much as they do. The purple shoe on the left would be the climbing shoe. Contrast is poor, but trust me. It's a great deal smaller than the red hiking shoe on the right. Ouch! |
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This was the view from just before the crux of Pete's Farewell. Just a stupendous piece of countryside, and a good thing too, considering the exposure on the next move... |
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This is Rebecca muscling her mighty way on Pete's Farewell, just after the crux move. Can you say "hardcore"? I still want to know who is (was?) Pete, and why was this his Farewell... |
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Climbing Jargon
In no particular order...
- Multipitch
- A climb requiring more than one ropelength to complete.
- Lead
- The first climber in the group; the guy or girl at the top of the rope. In traditional climbing, the lead climber will place anchoring devices, known as protection, in the rock as he or she climbs. The pro is attached to a carabiner, through which the rope is threaded.
- Carabiner
- A "C" shaped clip with a gate closing the gap to make an "O". Shapes vary for different uses; common shapes are pear, "D" and "O". Gates are spring-loaded to facilitate clipping to rope, and can include a locking device to prevent the gate from opening accidentally.
- Pitch
- A section of a climb; one ropelength or less.
- Ropelength
- Typically 50, 55 or 60 metres.
More to come when I feel like it.