Today’s quote:

A jack of all trades is a master of none, but a jack of all trades beats a master of one.

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Climbing vocab

Bouldering: These are short climbing routes, usually less than 20 feet in height. Climbers who complete bouldering routes do not use harnesses, ropes, carabiners, or other gear typically associated with scaling long routes over 20 feet high, such as the Dawn Wall. Outdoor bouldering routes are found on big rocks (AKA boulders), usually 7 – 20 feet tall. When climbers reach the top of an outdoor boulder route, they often lift themselves to stand on top of the rock – called topping out – and walk or climb down on a gentler slope to return to ground level.

Problems: This is another word for a bouldering route. A problem is any one path from the bottom to the top of the route. Problems refer only to bouldering and do not apply to top rope, lead climbing, or other forms of climbing that involve harnesses, ropes, carabiners, etc. Bouldering routes are called problems because they tend to consist of more complicated technical moves in order to complete them. The sequence of moves may require challenging body positioning, dynamic movements, or complicated grips.

Hold: A hold is any rock or grip along the route. Most of the time, three of four limbs will be in contact with holds on the wall or with the wall itself. For example, both feet may be in contact with foot holds while one hand grips a hand hold and the other hand leaves the wall temporarily while you reach for a higher hand hold. There are many different types of holds.

Dyno: Dyno means dinosaur. Specifically, “dyno” refers to someone who climbs with their arms always tucked in close to their body, like a T-Rex. Just kidding. The true meaning of “dyno,” an abbreviation of “dynamic,” is any dynamic move from one hold or one position to another in which two or more limbs lose contact with the wall. A true dyno involves removing all points of contact, leaping from the wall, and grasping for a hold only accessible by jumping. Exhilarating.

Flash: When you complete a route on your first attempt, it is called a “flash.” This applies to completing bouldering problems as well as routes which require use of harnesses and ropes. You may hear the likes of the following conversation in climbing gyms nowadays: “You crushed that problem! First try, too.” “Let’s go!! Give me that FLASH PASS!” (If you crush a boulder problem, it is perfectly acceptable to stand atop the boulder and shout for a flash pass. This is a good way to express excitement and show others you are proud of your accomplishment. Acceptable alternative exclamations include “I got that flash pass,” “Flash sale on flash passes, $20 each, get ‘em while they’re hot,” or simply, “flash pass.”)

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Brain teaser:

Replace each letter in the word LOLLIPOP with one of these symbols: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + – x ÷ =, so that the word becomes a balanced equation. Within the word, the same letter becomes the same symbol and different letters become different symbols. 

Example: For CLEVER, the answer would be 9 + 1 = 10.

If you get LOLLIPOP, try ESCAPEES or REFERRAL.

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