What is Redpointing? And Other Climbing Jargon…

If you're new to climbing, you might find that you hear many words thrown about that you simply don't understand because of your lack of experience. Redpointing is when the climber successfully climbs a route they practiced beforehand; to stop you from getting dizzy, we'll go over other jargon you may hear when you're on the rock.

We'll discuss Redpoint, Pinkpoint Onsight, Flash, and others.

And by the way, understanding these (beyond just sounding cool) is essential for your safety, in some cases, and also helps you know what it is you are achieving when you (and others) go out onto a crack or to your local climbing gym.

What is Redpointing or Redpoint?

Redpoint Meaning: Redpointing is when the climber successfully climbs a route they practiced beforehand. Practicing can come in a few forms, including attempts that they made previously or top-roping said route before they say, lead climb it.

When it was first established, climbing redpoint meant when a climber completed an ascent without falling, and the route was done under the climber's power. Without additional aid, gear and rope are never weighted, which is the birth of free climbing in Europe.

This definition of redpoint climbing isn't used this way anymore. Climbers instead refer to a redpoint route, as I've stated in the first example, just completing a route they've practiced.

You also may hear some climbers use redpointing when they talk about their climbing ability.

Before they climb, they might refer to the route they are about to send as close to their redpoint. This means that the route in question is close to the most complicated route they've completed previously, aka the peak of their climbing ability.

Can You Rest On a Redpoint?

Even some of the most complex routes in the world have a rest point, so yeah, it's okay to rest even for a few minutes. The pros have been known to rest for 5+ minutes, or some take a full knee bar to have a shake out to replenish their energy a little before they continue climbing.

Should I Redpoint a Route?

That's totally up to you. Resting or falling a couple of times doesn't mean you can't continue climbing unless you want to push yourself like many climbers in Germany once did.

You can play by the rules if you want to or don't. Do what you want if you're safe and those around you are safe.

Where Did the Term "Redpoint" Come from?

There's a whole documentary featuring Alex Megos which you can watch, or you can read the following line;

"The term round point came from the German word 'Rotpunkt,' when a red dot is painted on a route that signals that it can be climbed freely without aid. This trend started in Frankenjura, a historic rock climbing area in southern Germany".

On-Sight

Onsight Meaning: Onsight climbing or onsighting refers to when a climber successfully finishes a route without prior knowledge. This means no beta from their partners or climbing friends. On-site climbing can occur when a climber may choose a route randomly, climb the wrong route, or climb a route that anyone else hasn't climbed before.

Retro Onsight

A retro onsight refers to when you've previously climbed a route (or had been given information) but have completely forgotten about the information you were told. This occurs if you haven't risen the route in years or have a memory like a goldfish.

Flash

A flash is when you climb a route for the very first time and complete it on your very first attempt. This type of climbing implies you've had previous knowledge of the route, whether someone has given you a beta, taken the time to analyze the route thoroughly beforehand, or watched a climber before your turn to learn from their attempt/mistakes.

Regardless of where you gather the information, this type of climb is an awe-inspiring feat and one that many people strive for.

What is a Retro Flash

A retro flash is similar to a retro onsight; you might have forgotten you've climbed this route in the past, and you've only since found out that you have had a previous attempt, thanks to checking your journal after you 'fashing' the climb.

What is Pinkpoint?

Redpointing used to mean climbing without falling (and some climbers still refer to it as this, as do I), placing all the gear on lead.

Pinkpointing is when the gear was already placed, and you just clipped as you went along.

This means when someone says they have climbed redpoint, by today's standards, it's technically a pinkpoint.

What is Greenpoint?

A Greenpoint is when you cleanly lead a sport route using only the traditional gear and not using the bolts or pins pre-placed on the route.

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