A climbing route () is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, a rock-face, or an ice-covered obstacle. Climbing routes are recorded in a climbing guidebooks and/or in online climbing-route databases. Details recorded include the type of climbing route (e.g. bouldering route, sport climbing route, traditional climbing route, ice climbing route, or alpine climbing route, etc.), the difficulty grade of the route–and the beta for its crux(es)–including any risk or commitment-grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment (e.g. climbing protection gear) that is needed to complete the route.
Definitions have been agreed on what determines a valid ascent of a route (e.g. the redpoint in rock climbing), and on the classes or styles of ascent (e.g. onsighted, flashed). The coveted first ascent (FA), first free ascent (FFA), and first female free ascent (FFFA), are chronicled for most routes. After a route is established, variations can be created (e.g. directessimas, sit starts, or enchainments), and climbers will try to improve on the style in which the route is climbed (e.g. minimizing aid climbing or removing other supports such as oxygen or fixed ropes). Some climbers will try to reduce or limit the in-situ climbing protection (e.g. greenpointing) or will try to completely free-solo the route. Others seek to set speed climbing records on routes.
The ascent of ever-harder routes is an integral key part of the history of climbing, and each type of climbing has notable routes that set major new milestones of difficulty. There are ongoing debates amongst climbers about routes including the naming of routes, the creation of new routes by artificially altering the surface (e.g. chipping in rock climbing), the role of completely artificial indoor routes (e.g. The Project), the level and maintenance of in-situ climbing protection on routes (e.g. providing permanent bolted protection anchors) and the ethical issue of retro-bolting (e.g. turning traditional climbing routes into safer sport climbing bolted routes).
Details recorded
Climbing routes are usually chronicled in a climbing guidebook, a climbing journal (e.g. the American Alpine Journal or the Himalayan Journal), and/or in an online route database (e.g. theCrag.com or MountainProject.com), where the key details of the route are listed, such as:
Physical details Climbing area (or crag). Routes are often clustered together in a general "climbing area", which is also known as a "crag". Notable climbing areas include: El Capitan (for big wall climbing in the US), Clogwyn Du'r Arddu (for traditional climbing in the UK), Buoux, Verdon Gorge and Ceuse (for sport climbing in France). Route name. While rock and modern ice climbing routes can have any name, offensive names are removed from databases and guidebooks. In countries such as France the person who created the route names it, whereas in others such as the US and UK, the first person to ascend the route names it (e.g. the Realization/Biographie controversy). Alpine routes tend to have names based on the peak or the first ascender and the geological feature, such as the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur. Type and condition of the surface. Different types of rock, such as limestone, granite, or sandstone, present different challenges in terms of friction and types of holds. The typical condition of the rock (e.g. solid or crumbling, or dry and damp) might be noted. Ice climbers will differentiate between the type of ice (e.g. water ice, permanent alpine ice), and the stability of the ice surface (e.g. sheet ice, thick ice). Graphical topo of the route. Most guidebooks will include a photograph or drawing showing the line of the route. For more complicated routes (and for longer multi-pitch routes), a more detailed "topo" (short for topographic) illustration will include symbols for key obstacles (e.g. roofs, overhangs, aretes) and key features (e.g. corners, cracks) encountered on the route; and information on the crux(es). Length and number of pitches. A key detail is the length of the route, which can vary from a few metres for a bouldering route, to several thousand metres for a big wall climbing or alpine climbing route. Longer routes are broken up into "pitches", which are less than a rope length; climbers will lead each pitch one at a time. For example, The Nose is over 880-metres long, and breaks up into 31-pitches.
Climbing details Type of climb and equipment needed. A key detail is whether climbing protection is already in-situ (i.e. sport climbing), or must be inserted while climbing (i.e. traditional climbing). The protection equipment needed on traditional climbing routes will vary depending on the type of challenge presented (e.g. crack climbing, slab climbing, etc.). Some routes may require aid climbing and/or abseiling equipment. Grade of difficulty and risk. Routes are graded for their difficulty – particularly for the crux(es) – and the availability of adequate protection. Each route type will use the appropriate grading system such as: boulder grades, sport grades, traditional grades, aid grades, or ice grades. Big wall grade and alpine grade systems have additional grades for the level of commitment and seriousness of the route. Estimated timings (for longer routes). Multi-pitch climbs (e.g. big wall and alpine climbs) will include details of the estimated timetable for the route, which might go from hours to several days and weeks. These timings may include additional information on key milestones that need to be reached in a given time to achieve the overall route timetable and to complete the route safely with sufficient provisions. History of first ascent (FA), first free ascent (FFA), and first female free ascent (FFFA). Guidebooks record the first person(s) to do the FA, FFA, and FFFA, including the "style" of the ascent and whether it was practiced beforehand by top roping. The type of aid used for the FA might be recorded, as well as near-FFAs that used minor aid. On alpine routes, the first winter ascent is recorded. Popularity and other feedback. Modern guidebooks will include a popularity rating for individual routes in the climbing area (e.g. awarding 3-stars to the most popular/best-regarded routes, which are often called "classics"). They may also include additional climber feedback (or beta) on the route such as whether it requires muscle power, balance/footwork, or strong fingers to be successful.
Route terminology
In rock climbing
Climbers will often differentiate climbing routes by the general types of challenges they present. For example, in rock-climbing the four main types of challenges are:
Crack climbing, are routes following a system of crack(s) that the climber uses to ascend the route; the width of the crack dictates the techniques needed, and crack-climbs are further differentiated by the body parts that can be 'jammed' into them. Face climbing, where the rock face is fully vertical, unlike in slab climbing, and is largely featureless, unlike in crack climbing; face-climbing routes are typically sustained and exposed, and longer multi-pitch routes can become big wall climbing. Slab climbing, where the rock face is 'off-angle' and not fully vertical; while the softer angle enables climbers to place more of their body weight on their feet, slab climbs maintain the challenge by having smaller holds. Overhang (or roof) climbing, where the rock face leans back at an angle of over 90 degrees for part or all of the climb, and at its most severe can be a horizontal roof; most of the hardest modern climbs are continuously overhanging.
In mountaineering and alpine climbing
Mountaineering can take place on a broad range of routes, not all of which reach the peak of the mountain in question. They will be typically long multi-pitch routes with a mixture of rock, ice and/or snow surfaces. The most straightforward route to the peak is often the easiest and thus the busiest, is typically called the voie normale. These routes generally follow a ridge that rises at a less steeper angle then other options to the top (e.g., the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn), or an easier angled slope that rises to a col that can then follow a summit-ridge to the top (e.g., the south-col route on Mount Everest).
After the first ascent, climbers will look to ascend via the main ridges and the main faces of the mountain. While face-routes are typically more severe due to their greater steepness, there are many notable ridge-routes that are equally serious undertakings due to their length and complexity (e.g., Everest's North East Ridge, Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge or the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's South East Ridge ). Climbers will also look to climb prominent features on the faces such as couloirs (e.g., the SuperCouloir), and ribs, spurs or pillars of rock (e.g., the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur).
North-face routes are often the most challenging as their northerly aspect means that that they are more ice-covered and avalanche prone all year round, and they are hit by more serious weather systems than the other faces (e.g, the famous 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger). The Great north faces of the Alps are considered major testpiece routes for aspiring alpine climbers. All major climbing peaks will have many routes on all of their main faces, some following different crack systems or physical features, and others being harder technical refinements and variations of earlier routes.
For variations of routes
When a rock climbing or mountaineering route has been established, variations may be subsequently added, a typical one being a more "direct" line (e.g. a direct start or direct finish) of the original route, also called a direttissima in alpine climbing, and thus not avoiding the difficult obstacles that the original route went around (e.g. a roof or an overhang, or a section with minimal holds). Boulder climbers might add a harder sit start "SS" (or sit-down-start, "SDS") variation to a boulder route (e.g. the SDS of Dreamtime is graded well above the standing start version). Alpine and big wall climbers often seek to link established routes together in a larger enchainment (or "link-up") route (e.g. the notable Moonwalk Traverse of the entire Cerro Chaltén Group in Patagonia).
For types of ascents The definition of what is classed as a valid ascent of a climbing route is a redpoint. Many routes may not be climbed on the first attempt, and will require days (and in some cases, years) of attempts; when a climber undertakes such a task, it is sometimes called projecting a route (i.e. the route becomes a "project"). When a climber does climb the route on their first attempt without any falls and without any prior knowledge of how to climb the route (which is called beta), it is known as an onsight; where the climber had prior beta on the route, it is known as a flash. Alpine climbers distinguish whether the ascent was made in summer or in the more difficult winter season (e.g. it was not until 2021 that K2 was climbed in winter).
Climbers will also seek to improve the "style" in which a route is climbed. A route that uses a lot of aid climbing will be reclimbed with less and less aid until it is eventually "free climbed" (i.e. using no aid, either as a sport or a traditional climb). Greenpointing refers to the process of even removing any existing in-situ sport climbing protection bolts to ascend the route as a cleaner traditional climb. Alpine climbers seek to complete established high-altitude "expedition style" routes in alpine style with no supplemental oxygen or any fixed ropes, and even alone. Free solo climbers seek to ascend a route with no protection equipment whatsoever (e.g. as in the 2018 film, Free Solo). Some big wall climbers set speed records on routes (e.g. The Nose).
Debates about routes
Naming of routes