Te lo dice Oliunìd
06/12/2024
The ten most heard phrases at the crag!
© Alexa Flower, Patagonia
When we go to the crag, we find ourselves being not only climbers but also a bit of belayers, motivators and personal trainers. And if there is one thing of which we can be sure, it is not only that this multiplication of roles happens in Finale as in Kalymnos, in Margalef as in Flatanger, but above all that the phrases most uttered at the crag go beyond the different linguistic nuances and are found, united, in a single glossary common to all climbers.
So here are ten phrases that, translated more or less literally, we will hear said at any crag in the world.
Professional Shooting with Jorge Diaz Rullo, photographer Javi Pec SCARPA
“Chalk up!”
Colloquialism, partly misleading, because what sounds like a very useful piece of advice for controlling sweaty hands is actually an attempt to divert the attention of the climber, who is visibly shaking, from an obvious negative thought loop. How do we recognise this "state of emergency"? The typewriter movement, the hands moving randomly at each rocky unevenness, never really grasping any, and the "head back" with each step. In this case, we are almost transformed from belayers into life coaches.
“Breath”
A close relative of the previous one and a classic friend's moral support, it is often uttered while one is already retrieving the rope, to shorten the climber’'s fall as much as possible.
“You get it.”
Einstein probably came up with the theory of relativity at the foot of a crag, overhearing a lively discussion between a climber hanging on the wall, an ardent believer that the move was morphological, and his fellow belayer, equally certain that the next hold was realistically “within arm's reach.” It is the classic phrase we hear from the belayer (in this case also a bit of a personal trainer) to the climber who is working on a project, perhaps studying individual movements, and it almost always generates a level of irritability that touches very high peaks. Despite this, it remains one of the most popular crag phrases ever.
© Drew Smith, Patagonia
“Match it.”
It falls into the subset of veteran climbing technique advice, and belongs to the large family of unsolicited suggestions such as: “full-crimp!,” “jump!,” “go static.” Often misplaced and therefore rarely useful.
“Clip it”
What sounds like frank and disinterested advice is in fact a kind of prayer, uttered in a situation where the belayer feels that all his qualities of dynamic fall arrest are about to be called into play. Trying to prevent the climber's impending long fall, he advises, with a veil of hope, to try to get the rope into the next quickdraw as soon as possible.
“Put your feet higher”
In contrast to the previous one, this is one of those phrases that sets off the zero-to-hundred nervousness level for those on the wall grappling with elusive handholds and, needless to say, nonexistent footholds. It represents an attempt to unlock that classic situation in which climbers can no longer climb or descend, prolonging this stalemate beyond any bearable time. But, since raising your foot on too high a foothold can lead to a more unbalanced situation, usually the most likely consequence is that you will fall. And the day will inevitably be compromised.
Daila Ojeda, foto de Esteban Lahoz SCARPA
“Going!”
A classic example of a climber's own gift of synthesis, this is the basic communication typical of someone who is super projecting a route bolt after bolt. More synthetic than him there is only the belayer, who, having reached the tenth “going,” rarely responds.
“Watch out!”
It is one of the few exclamations uttered by those who are climbing, which takes on various nuances depending on the local dialect. Synonymous in short with: “That's the last thing I can say before I fall!”, ‘Get ready to hold the rope quickly but also dynamically!’, ‘I'm about to panic’.
“Block”
Usually after “block” any attempt to have a conversation and, more importantly, to send the project dies. Because of the unequivocal tone with which it is shouted, it is understandable in any language in the world. The tone in which it is issued is a clear example of universal “nonverbal communication.”
Professional shooting with Nico Favresse, photgrapher Javi Pec
Alè!
It is the most typical and universally understood incitation by climbers around the world, and contains a billion different shades of meaning. Whether the climber is uncertain or reaching the chain, whether he is "on-sight" climbing or super working a crux, ‘alè’ always sounds good, making the climber feel supported and very confident in one's abilities. And, you can say it at any crag in the world, overcoming any language barrier.
