Send, hold, flash, slab? What on earth do these mean? Joining a sport as a newbie can be intimidating, especially when everything sounds like a lingo. We hope to ease your way into sports climbing by introducing you to some common terms that are used so you can join the climbers’ conversation (or pretend that you know something ;)). Obviously, do not overuse these terms otherwise you will sound like a person who simply learns from the dictionary!
Types of walls
The first thing you want to learn are the types of walls because that could be relevant to safety and the techniques that you use (refer to the blog post What you need to know about sports climbing). And let’s be frank, that is the first thing you see at the gym.
Arete
This is the type of wall that requires you to climb up a corner of the wall, as if you are climbing up the outer edge of a building. It could also have a relatively sharp angle and climbers can grab the edge of the wall. Heel and toe hooks are generally proven to be useful on these walls (we will introduce you to these two hooks when we talk about the techniques).
Overhang
This is the type of wall that leans in towards you and you will find yourself fighting gravity when you are climbing. The most extreme overhang would be parallel to the ground, which is like climbing under the roof (basically the roof wall below). You may be expected to use a lot of strength and core when you are climbing an overhang wall.
Roof
A bit less common in bouldering because of the height limitation but you may see in some gyms, especially outside of Hong Kong, where lead climbers will be climbing right under the roof like Spiderman. It is considered to be a very good training for your core but honestly, it is not recommended for beginners.
Slab
As an opposite to an overhang wall, this is the type of wall that leans in further to the wall. You are generally required to keep your weight on your feet and take baby steps when you are climbing one (of course if you are like a V10 climber then ignore the climbing slow heads up).
Vertical
This is the most self-explanatory type of wall. It is simply a straight and vertical wall where you see everywhere, including the ones at your home.