| Page 1 of 3  Adjustable Rise: A
system designed to match the center of gravity of the user to the strongest point
of a climbing harness.
Auto Block: Any
friction hitch designed to securely grab a rope. e.g. brake line back up for
canyoneer or climber on rappel. Backcountry: A wilderness area where you are greater than 2 hours from definitive medical
care (going for a 3 mile hike away from roads and cell phone service will put
someone greater than 2 hours from a hospital.) Belay: To secure. Originates in the shipping industry from belaying cargo onto ships. Blaze: a trail marking that can be either a
painted symbol on a tree, a sign or a tower of small rocks. Bolt: An anchor point that is fixed. Two main types in present day use - glue-in and mechanical. Expansion mechanical style consists of a metal bolt placed into a drilled out hole typically accompanied with an expansion type sleeve giving the anchor a structural aspect when force is applied either shear or tension. Bolts can be either stainless Steel or galvanized metal - however, mixing of metals should be avoided. Glue in bolts are a solid one piece stainless anchor that gets its strength from an epoxy glue capsule that breaks upon insertion of the bolt creating a bond with the rock. Box Canyon: A canyon that is surrounded on three
side with an entrance but no separate exit. Boxing The Needle: A term that refers to placing the red end of the magnetic needle exactly over the red end of the orienting arrow when determining a bearing. Since the orienting arrow is slightly larger than the magnetic needle, we refer to having "boxed" the magnetic needle in. Cache: a placement of food and supplies
along or near a trail or route of travel for future use. Cairn: A stack or mound of stones that provides a visible marker of a trail's location through areas that are devoid of trees. Canyon Room: A topographically feature or designed area of a canyon that could be considered a room with a defined entrance and exit location. Canyon Rope: A rope designed by ATS for canyoneering such as Sterling Rope CIV or Canyon Tech. Desirable properties include lack of water retention, low stretch, lightweight, and high strength. Carabiner: An oblong metal ring with a spring loaded gate, used to clip a rope to a fixed point in the rock or a climber. Can be locking, non-locking, or auto-locking. Cardinal Points: The four main points of direction on a Compass- North / 360 degrees; East / 90 degrees; South / 180 degrees; and West / 270 degrees. Chain Reactor: A series of interlocking, 6 inch nylon loops with a redundant umbilicus where the series of loops attaches to a harness via a girth hitch. This device has been tested to withstand a factor 2 fall. Clip in: To connect into the strongest point of ones harness by means of a carabiner. Col: A pass between two peaks or a gap in a
ridge line. Contour Interval: the difference in elevation (height) between one line of contour and the next. This interval is either expressed in
feet or meters via a reference made on the corner of the map. Contour Line: Each contour line comprises an often
irregular closed loop that connects points of equal elevation. The line with a darker shade of brown, typically every fifth line, is called an index contour and usually has the elevation printed on it. Elevations refer to elevation above sea level. Coordinate: GPS (Global Positioning System) rely
on coordinates which are nothing more than a series of numbers that indicate on which map and in which grid the position displayed is located. Lat and long and UTM eastings and northings are nothing more than coordinates on a grid. Cordage: Terminology for accessory cord. Not designed for primary rappel line or belay line. Typically a diameter of 4-6mm. Core Shot: A slang term used to describe a rope whose sheath has been breached exposing the kern (a.k.a. core) strands that provide the principle strength of the rope.
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