Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| abseil | to descend a rock face using a double rope, to rappel. |
| abseiler | one that abseils. |
| alpenstock | a long staff, pointed with iron, used in climbing the Alps. |
| alpinism | the sport of climbing alpine peaks. |
| alpinist | one who engages in ALPINISM. |
| ascendeur | a metal grip that is threaded on a rope as a climbing aid. |
| ascensionist | a person who has completed a mountain ascent, esp. a notable one. |
| belay | to secure a rope by a turn round a point of rock. |
| biner | short for KARABINER, a clip used by climbers. |
| bouldering | rock climbing on large boulders or small outcrops either as practice or as a sport in its own right > BOULDERINGS. |
| carabiner karabiner | a steel link with a clip on side used in mountaineering. |
| chimney | to climb (a narrow crevice) with one's back against one wall and feet against the other. |
| chockstone | in mountaineering, a stone jammed in a crack. |
| clamber | to climb awkwardly. |
| climbable | that can be climbed. |
| climber | one who climbs. |
| clinker | a nail used as a protective stud in footwear, esp in climbing boots; (verb) to form fused residue in burning. |
| coasteering | a sport involving travelling along cliffs before jumping down from them into the sea. |
| cragfast | in mountaineering, unable to move from a position on a crag. |
| cragsman | a person skilled in rock-climbing. |
| crampet crampit | a CRAMPON. |
| crampon | a boot-spike for rock and ice climbing; (verb) to climb using crampons: CRAMPONS, CRAMPONING, CRAMPONED or CRAMPONNED. |
| cramponning | the sport of climbing using crampons. |
| crampoon | a CRAMPON, a boot-spike for rock and ice climbing. |
| deadboy deadman | a metal plate driven into firm snow for use by mountaineers as a belaying point. |
| descendeur | a shaped metal piece through which the rope can be fed: used to control the rate of descent in abseiling. |
| etrier | a small rope ladder used by mountaineers. |
| fifi | a kind of hook used by mountaineers. |
| fingerhold | a hold or place of support for the fingers. |
| glissade | the act of sliding down a slope in a standing or squatting position, often with the aid of an ice axe. |
| incut | in rock climbing, an indent cut into the face of the rock which can be used as a handhold or foothold. |
| jamming | a rock-climbing technique in which holds are got by wedging the hands and feet in suitable cracks. |
| jumar | a mountaineering clip that grips rope when weight is applied; (verb) to climb using jumars: JUMARS, JUMARING or JUMARRING, JUMARED or JUMARRED. |
| junglegym | a climbing frame for children. |
| karabiner | see CARABINER. |
| kernmantel | denoting a type of mountaineering rope. No —S. |
| klett | a KLETTERSCHUH. |
| kletterschuh | a lightweight climbing boot with a canvas or suede upper and Vibram > KLETTERSCHUHE. |
| krab | a short form of KARABINER. |
| layback | in climbing, a method of climbing a sharp-edged crack in a horizontal position; (verb) to climb using the layback technique. |
| mountaineer | one who climbs mountains; (verb) to climb mountains. |
| mountaineering | the sport of climbing mountains > MOUNTAINEERINGS. |
| outclimb | to surpass in climbing > OUTCLIMBS, OUTCLIMBING, OUTCLIMBED or OUTCLOMB. |
| pegging | the act of putting in pegs (pitons). |
| pendule | a manoeuvre in climbing by which a climber swings from a rope in order to reach another line of ascent. |
| piolet | a mountain-climbing ice axe. |
| piton | a metal spike which is hammered into rock or ice and used to secure a rope through an eye at one end. |
| prusik | a type of rope sling used in climbing; (verb) to climb by using such a sling: PRUSIKS, PRUSIKING, PRUSIKED. [From Karl Prusik, Austrian mountaineer who devised the method]. |
| rappel | a call to arms by the beating of a drum; (verb) to descend by rope > RAPPELS, RAPPELING or RAPPELLING, RAPPELED or RAPPELLED. |
| rurp | a small hook-like piton used in mountaineering. |
| scarpetto | a climbing shoe with a hemp sole > SCARPETTI. |
| skyhook | a type of grappling-iron used by climbers to secure a rope above on a cliff-face. |
| snaplink | a metal link used in mountaineering. |
| stegophilist | one who climbs buildings for sport. |
| toehold | a space that supports the toes in climbing. |
| topo | a picture of a mountain with climbing routes superimposed on it. |
| traverse | to climb across a rock-face rather than up it. |
| vibs | shoes with Vibram soles, used esp. for climbing. N.B. no VIB*. |
| wall | a very steep smooth rock-face. |