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Climbing route
A climbing route (German: Kletterrouten) is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock-face, or an ice-covered obstacle. Climbing routes are recorded in a climbing guidebooks and/or in online climbing-route databases. Details recorded include the type of climbing route (e.g. bouldering route, sport climbing route, traditional climbing route, ice climbing route, or alpine climbing route, etc.), the difficulty grade of the route–and the beta for its crux(es)–including any risk or commitment-grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment (e.g. climbing protection gear) that is needed to complete the route.
Definitions have been agreed on what determines a valid ascent of a route (e.g. the redpoint in rock climbing), and on the classes or styles of ascent (e.g. onsighted, flashed). The coveted first ascent (FA), first free ascent (FFA), and first female free ascent (FFFA), are chronicled for most routes. After a route is established, variations can be created (e.g. directessimas, sit starts, or enchainments), and climbers will try to improve on the style in which the route is climbed (e.g. minimizing aid climbing or removing other supports such as oxygen or fixed ropes). Some climbers will try to reduce or limit the in-situ climbing protection (e.g. greenpointing) or will try to completely free-solo the route. Others seek to set speed climbing records on routes.
The ascent of ever-harder routes is an integral key part of the history of climbing, and each type of climbing has notable routes that set major new milestones of difficulty. There are ongoing debates amongst climbers about routes including the naming of routes, the creation of new routes by artificially altering the surface (e.g. chipping in rock climbing), the role of completely artificial indoor routes (e.g. The Project), the level and maintenance of in-situ climbing protection on routes (e.g. providing permanent bolted protection anchors) and the ethical issue of retro-bolting (e.g. turning traditional climbing routes into safer sport climbing bolted routes).
Climbing routes are usually chronicled in a climbing guidebook, a climbing journal (e.g. the American Alpine Journal or the Himalayan Journal), and/or in an online route database (e.g. theCrag.com or MountainProject.com), where the key details of the route are listed, such as:
Climbers will often differentiate climbing routes by the general types of challenges they present. For example, in rock-climbing the four main types of challenges are:
Mountaineering can take place on a broad range of routes, not all of which reach the peak of the mountain in question. They will be typically long multi-pitch routes with a mixture of rock, ice and/or snow surfaces. The most straightforward route to the peak is often the easiest and thus the busiest, is typically called the voie normale. These routes generally follow a ridge that rises at a less steeper angle then other options to the top (e.g., the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn), or an easier angled slope that rises to a col that can then follow a summit-ridge to the top (e.g., the south-col route on Mount Everest).
After the first ascent, climbers will look to ascend via the main ridges and the main faces of the mountain. While face-routes are typically more severe due to their greater steepness, there are many notable ridge-routes that are equally serious undertakings due to their length and complexity (e.g., Everest's North East Ridge, Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge or the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's South East Ridge ). Climbers will also look to climb prominent features on the faces such as couloirs (e.g., the SuperCouloir), and ribs, spurs or pillars of rock (e.g., the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur).
North-face routes are often the most challenging as their northerly aspect means that that they are more ice-covered and avalanche prone all year round, and they are hit by more serious weather systems than the other faces (e.g, the famous 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger). The Great north faces of the Alps are considered major testpiece routes for aspiring alpine climbers. All major climbing peaks will have many routes on all of their main faces, some following different crack systems or physical features, and others being harder technical refinements and variations of earlier routes.
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Climbing route
A climbing route (German: Kletterrouten) is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock-face, or an ice-covered obstacle. Climbing routes are recorded in a climbing guidebooks and/or in online climbing-route databases. Details recorded include the type of climbing route (e.g. bouldering route, sport climbing route, traditional climbing route, ice climbing route, or alpine climbing route, etc.), the difficulty grade of the route–and the beta for its crux(es)–including any risk or commitment-grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment (e.g. climbing protection gear) that is needed to complete the route.
Definitions have been agreed on what determines a valid ascent of a route (e.g. the redpoint in rock climbing), and on the classes or styles of ascent (e.g. onsighted, flashed). The coveted first ascent (FA), first free ascent (FFA), and first female free ascent (FFFA), are chronicled for most routes. After a route is established, variations can be created (e.g. directessimas, sit starts, or enchainments), and climbers will try to improve on the style in which the route is climbed (e.g. minimizing aid climbing or removing other supports such as oxygen or fixed ropes). Some climbers will try to reduce or limit the in-situ climbing protection (e.g. greenpointing) or will try to completely free-solo the route. Others seek to set speed climbing records on routes.
The ascent of ever-harder routes is an integral key part of the history of climbing, and each type of climbing has notable routes that set major new milestones of difficulty. There are ongoing debates amongst climbers about routes including the naming of routes, the creation of new routes by artificially altering the surface (e.g. chipping in rock climbing), the role of completely artificial indoor routes (e.g. The Project), the level and maintenance of in-situ climbing protection on routes (e.g. providing permanent bolted protection anchors) and the ethical issue of retro-bolting (e.g. turning traditional climbing routes into safer sport climbing bolted routes).
Climbing routes are usually chronicled in a climbing guidebook, a climbing journal (e.g. the American Alpine Journal or the Himalayan Journal), and/or in an online route database (e.g. theCrag.com or MountainProject.com), where the key details of the route are listed, such as:
Climbers will often differentiate climbing routes by the general types of challenges they present. For example, in rock-climbing the four main types of challenges are:
Mountaineering can take place on a broad range of routes, not all of which reach the peak of the mountain in question. They will be typically long multi-pitch routes with a mixture of rock, ice and/or snow surfaces. The most straightforward route to the peak is often the easiest and thus the busiest, is typically called the voie normale. These routes generally follow a ridge that rises at a less steeper angle then other options to the top (e.g., the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn), or an easier angled slope that rises to a col that can then follow a summit-ridge to the top (e.g., the south-col route on Mount Everest).
After the first ascent, climbers will look to ascend via the main ridges and the main faces of the mountain. While face-routes are typically more severe due to their greater steepness, there are many notable ridge-routes that are equally serious undertakings due to their length and complexity (e.g., Everest's North East Ridge, Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge or the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's South East Ridge ). Climbers will also look to climb prominent features on the faces such as couloirs (e.g., the SuperCouloir), and ribs, spurs or pillars of rock (e.g., the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur).
North-face routes are often the most challenging as their northerly aspect means that that they are more ice-covered and avalanche prone all year round, and they are hit by more serious weather systems than the other faces (e.g, the famous 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger). The Great north faces of the Alps are considered major testpiece routes for aspiring alpine climbers. All major climbing peaks will have many routes on all of their main faces, some following different crack systems or physical features, and others being harder technical refinements and variations of earlier routes.
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