Inspection style
In free climbing, the term ascent style describes the general conditions under which a climbing route is committed.
Need to distinguish between different styles
In principle, it is up to everyone to decide under which conditions they describe a route as completed or climbed. However, as soon as the performance of different climbers is to be compared, it is necessary to differentiate between different ascent styles, since the psychological, but also the physical demands and the demands on the motor skills of the different styles sometimes differ significantly.
In general, a route is considered to have been climbed if it has been done in the red dot or a more difficult style. It has therefore become common practice to assume a red point ascent if no other type of ascent is explicitly stated. However, this practice always leads to misunderstandings, since beginners in particular who are not yet familiar with the differences in the styles and types of belaying tend to indicate a route followed in a lower-rated style as having climbed without specifying the style.
Common walking styles
The styles red dot , flash and on sight are known worldwide. Inspections in these styles are generally accepted as full-fledged inspections.
The terms On Sight and Flash have the same meaning in bouldering . An ascent after several attempts, as it would correspond to a red point ascent, is not specified there, since the conditions set by red point for bouldering already correspond to the conditions for free climbing.
Red dot
The term Rotpunkt originally referred to the free by climbing a manner known to climbers climbing route in lead climbing on a train, the safety chain is not charged and all intermediate anchors are attached itself. Nowadays climbers are also referred to as red point when the intermediate safety devices are already attached. This was also allowed in Kurt Albert's original definition , but is controversial. On the other hand, a clear distinction is made between pink and red points for a clean inspection .
The non-loading of the safety chain as a defining feature of a red point ascent means that the route can be climbed in one go without falling , resting on the rope or pulling up on hooks. Attaching intermediate securing devices can vary in difficulty depending on the route: For routes that are completely equipped with bolts , only quickdraws need to be attached, while for routes that have to be partially or completely secured yourself, clamping wedges and other mobile securing devices are also required is. The climber can climb the route as often as he likes before the red dot ascent. A route with several pitches is only considered a red point for a climber if he has climbed all pitches. If both climbers of a rope team want to commit the Rotpunkt route in a multi-pitch route, they have to climb the route twice, with each climber having to climb each pitch once.
The first to climb a free climbing route is someone who is the first to climb it. Likewise, the difficulty rating of a route is based on the red dot style.
The term red point was coined by Kurt Albert , who marked old routes, which until then had only been climbed technically , with a red point at the entrance if he had managed a free ascent. The first route given by Albert with a red dot is the Adolf-Rott-Ged.-Weg on the cliff "Streitberger Schild" in the Franconian Jura. The inspiration for the red dot comes from the symbol on a ROTPUNKT (ROTPUNKT Dr. Anso Zimmermann GmbH) coffee pot, which was used by Albert in the "climbing" shared apartment.
Kurt Albert learned the idea of free climbing from the climbing scene there in 1974 when he visited the Elbe Sandstone Mountains . In English, the term was adopted as redpoint . In the USA , too , this style was used for climbing, which the German-American Fritz Wiessner brought to the USA from Saxony before the Second World War . In the opinion of Kurt Albert, the laying of the securing (expresses or clamping wedges etc.) is not necessary for a red point ascent, as this only inhibits the climbing flow. In particular, routes of the upper levels of difficulty are predominantly "red-dotted" with attached quickdraws.
Flash
Flash refers to the red dot ascent of a route unknown to the climber in the first attempt, whereby information about the route is available to the climber that goes beyond generally known facts such as name, degree of difficulty, altitude and the like.
"In the first attempt" means that the climber must never have climbed the route, but with the Flash he already has information about the route, for example about good resting positions, grip qualities or positions for attaching safety devices. He can receive this by observing other climbers in the route, abseiling down the route or by “announcing” certain special features by other climbers (“beta”).
On sight
As On Sight , on-sight or Onsight (Engl. "Sight") a commission is called an unknown route in the first attempt, the climbers in addition to the known facts has no further information about the route, especially anyone yet another climber watched in the route. Originally, an inspection was only considered an "on-sight" if all safety devices were removed from the climbing position during the inspection. Nowadays it is common to use slings that are fixed in the wall, especially on difficult routes.
The climber is only allowed to view the route from the ground before the attempt. On Sight is therefore the most difficult of the styles mentioned so far, as a good feeling for possible movement sequences and / or a high level of strength endurance are required in order to master places where you have not found or seen the optimal movement.
Climbing competitions are usually done in on-sight mode. The athletes have the opportunity to examine the route to be mastered from the ground for a few minutes at the beginning of the competition. However, the participants are not allowed to watch each other climbing, as this would give the athletes who start later an advantage.
Less common walking styles
In addition to the three styles mentioned above, there are a few more that are generally not considered a full-fledged ascent.
Pinkpoint
In contrast to the red point, the Pinkpoint is climbed with intermediate belayings already installed. However, today there is hardly any distinction between pink and red points. Above all in higher degrees of difficulty, sport climbing is mainly used to climb with express sets already attached and so, in the strict sense of the word, routes taken as pinkpoints are also referred to and rated as redpoints.
af
In a a.-f.-committing ( a. F. : All free or all free ) may be rested on the securing points. After resting, the climber must continue climbing from the last climbing position that the climber held before resting on the hook. a. f. is common in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and recognized by regulations. In the other climbing areas , it is known as the historical ascent style, but is not recognized as an ascent, but only used in preparation for the later ascent in a recognized style.
Hangdogging
With hangdogging , after loading the safety chain (this can also be a fall), climbing continues from the point where you are currently. This type of climbing is often used to “boulder out” routes, that is, to try out various possible movements.
Red circle
A Rotkreis -Begehung (in the US also yo-yo-ing is called) the commission of a route in lead climbing, where in a fall last stand, No Hands rest (location can be at the one without use of their hands) or is lowered to the ground and the route / rope length is climbed again from the beginning, but the safety rope remains in the intermediate safety devices that were attached up to then. This American style was used primarily in Europe in the 1970s and 80s when American climbers were leaders in free climbing.
Red cross
At Rotkreuz , a route is climbed in top rope or ascent . Rotkreuz is no longer a recognized ascent style, the term is only rarely used.
Team Free (style)
So-called team free (style) ascents are possible in routes with several pitches. One of the rope team members climbs a rope length ahead, while the other climbs behind by any means (technical climbing or ascenders are not uncommon here). The role of the lead climber can change, so that at the end the members of the rope team have, so to speak, made a joint redpoint ascent.
solo
With solo ascent , the route is carried out alone with self-belaying. This type of ascent was a very common type of ascent, especially in the Alpine region. Outstanding representatives were Hermann Buhl , Walter Bonatti and Reinhold Messner .
Additionally aggravating circumstances
The following terms can be added to the above walking styles to express that a route has been walked under the appropriate conditions.
Clean
With clean climbing (also called “trad” for “traditional”) there is the additional difficulty that all securing points consist of mobile securing devices ( clamping wedges , friends and similar) and are removed again after climbing. The addition Clean can be added to each of the above inspection styles to indicate that the inspection took place purely on mobile safety devices, so, for example, a red dot or a. f.-inspection "clean" take place.
Clean places additional demands on the climber, as attaching mobile securing devices can take more time and therefore more force than simply hanging an express sling into a bolt. This style also requires experience in recognizing the points (so-called “placements”) where the securing devices can be used sensibly, and trust in the securing measures that you have set yourself.
Free solo
As a free solo climbing is called a route without a backup. A mistake would lead to a crash and thus serious to fatal injuries. For free solo inspections, only those inspection styles can be used that do not burden the security chain, as there is no security, i.e. red dot, flash and on sight.
Usually the red dot style is used in free solo, flash and on-sight ascents at the performance limit are extremely risky and are only carried out by very few climbers.
Deep water solo
Climbing over deep water (e.g. on cliffs) without safety is known as deep water soloing or psicobloc.
Solo base
This type of ascent corresponds to the Free Solo ascent style, with the difference that the climber carries a parachute with him that he can use in the event of a fall. The name was first used by Dean Potter .
literature
- Michael Hoffmann: Climbing - technique, tactics, psyche - Alpine curriculum 2B . 1st edition. BLV Buchverlag, Munich 2010, ISBN 978-3-8354-0535-6 , p. 104 ff .
Web links
- Lexicon for special terms in climbing , at kleimbing.de
- Inspection styles ( Memento from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 6 kB)
Individual evidence
- ↑ The new era of free climbing. Red point climbing. In: Fränkischer Bergsteiger Bote. 118 1984 p. 48. Accessed January 18, 2008.
- ↑ This is what Russ Clune states in the film ROTPUNKT (at 13:13 minutes): Patagonia Film, ROTPUNKT, 2019 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWvFjUIt5k ).
- ↑ Sächsischer Bergsteigerbund: Saxon climbing rules. Articles 2.1 and 2.5 ( Memento of the original from May 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Accessed January 11, 2008
