Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

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Burkart
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by Burkart »

seano wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 4:43 pm
Another term: Class 4 grass: Turf or grass steep enough that a fall is likely fatal. Commonly found in the North Cascades.
Or, as I like to call it, Grass 4 terrain! Another classic North Cascades term is "shrambling," where one scrambles up the shrubble (shrub stubble) of a steep slope using only evergreen shrub handholds instead of rock.
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planet54
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by planet54 »

Something that is deeper or taller than expected, especially snow,water,willows or grass is said to be "ass high to a tall Indian".Archaic .
I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. H D Thoreau
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Barnold41
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by Barnold41 »

dubsho3000 wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 9:34 pm Fourteenering - when you have a printed route description with color pictures and so much info you don't need a compass or to know how to read a map. (My friend admitted to not know how to read a map after his 38th 14er or something...)
=D> :lol:

What's a compass?
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by CUaaron25 »

It'll go - for when I think it will go but I'm definitely not sure that it will go.

Death Grass. Using death grass in a route description: you take the trail up to the old cabin where the trail ends and head north up the valley until you reach the upper basin. Climb the death grass for 1000 feet until you hit the ridge and then keep to the ridge proper on solid class three terrain. Take care descending the death grass on the way down, a fall here would certainly end in a helicopter ride. :-D
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by denvermikey »

Trotter wrote: Fri Oct 16, 2020 7:24 am Traily. Used to describe a route on an obscure 13er. When it looks like maybe one or two people have walked on that spot.

As in, "Well this looks kind of traily, we might be on route"
Had to laugh at this one. My wife says this (along with pathy) all the time and I usually laugh at her for it. She'll enjoy that she is not alone!
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by mickknu16 »

This thread is too good.... I got one.

Glissend - Finding a nice steep, but doable slope for a glissade where you can SEND IT \:D/
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by justiner »

So what's the definition of "Leshed"
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by TakeMeToYourSummit »

justiner wrote: Thu Oct 22, 2020 3:54 pm So what's the definition of "Leshed"
A form of self-centered asshattery performed by egotistical megalomaniac-wanna-bes in defiance of societal regulations with no real purpose aside from a few Instagram likes.
I'm horrible with names...
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Squirrellysquirrel
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by Squirrellysquirrel »

...love the crusher bubble reference! Lol. GREAT thread!

Probably perpetually peddling in my own world of vocabulary anyway, let alone in my (soon to be with the advent of snow) daily to-dos such as mountain climbing. Since the can of worms has been opened, my few, off-the-top references I commonly use and probably employ in descriptions to people who have *no* idea what I'm referring to.... :lol:

death grass? I have also seen "death gravel", a.k.a. what I call "baby s**t balls" (can be used as an exclamation in such circumstances): small pebbles that somehow appear underfoot and give you the banana-peel movement unexpectedly in seemingly innocuous, flat or inclining ground
glassy: frozen snot-ice, can be quite slippery, requires winter tools to ascend
beasts: obstacle, usu something like a cornice, steep ascent/descent, unable avoid it and it must be addressed
toothpicking: using trekking poles up tight terrain, especially talus fields
early squirrelly: 2am start to beat crowds and catch sunrise atop a peak
salamander view: alpine glow
kitten teeth/spikes: microspikes
bear teeth: crampons
peakbegger (moment): when you want to climb, but environmental conditions dictate otherwise; in other words, you're left assessing the peak from the TH/weather report, yet probably best not to ascend
suncracking: initial sunrise, seen from behind a peak
sunslipping; sunset, seen descending behind a peak
soggers: wet hiking shoes
slogger: trail becomes stoopidly muddy, shoe sucking terrain
moose mitts: alti-mitts or a heavy duty winter mitt with bovine appearance
beer-thirty: a common phrase used at any point along the trail, which tends to increase in use towards the return to trailhead, used to express appreciation, fondness, and affection for the taste/consumption of beer

... in regards to describing snow conditions, I'm sure I'll continue to invent.
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by pbakwin »

This thread takes me way back. There was briefly a verb, “torp“, meaning “to ski away from your friends in a blizzard”. Like, “dude, sorry I torped you”. From the same reference “dubin“ means “to treat your friend like a Roman slave girl”.
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by jibler »

OK i got one - although technically my friend coined this randomly way back when

i don't do anything technical rock climbing-wise

but i been known to boulder fairly aggressively


but when crossing a rock face - you are said to be "scanning" across it
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Bale
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Re: Technical Terms You've Invented for Mountaineering

Post by Bale »

nyker wrote: Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:00 pm Class T, for "Tree assist" for many northeast routes
My friend calls this a “vegetable belay”.

I have one that didn’t originate in the mountains but certainly applies. We started the term “Jaramile” because anytime we went for a ride on our BMX bikes with Jared, the day ended up being much longer and harder than he had estimated.
1 Jaramile = 3 miles.
The earth, like the sun, like the air, belongs to everyone - and to no one. - Edward Abbey
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