Essential Spain-Spanish climbing vocabulary

How to sound really Spanish when climbing in Spain

Photo: Climbing in Bellus, comunidad de Valencia (the wall in sun is el Aventador)

Rock Features

• Chorrera: tufa

• Cazo: jug

• Regleta: crimp

• Canto: edge

• Romo: sloper

• Pinza: pinch

• Invertido: undercling

• Chimenea: chimney

• Diedro: dihedral

• Placa: slab

• Desplome: overhanging wall

• Techo: roof

• Paso: the crux

Climbing Moves

• Bicicleta: drop knee

• Bavaresa: lieback

Belay Commands & Safety

• Pilla! Take!

• Baja! Lower!

• Me voy! Falling! (lit. I’m leaving)

• Cuidado! Be careful/watch me! (to the belayer)

• Atento! Pay attention (to the belayer)

• Estoy contigo! I’m with you!

• Cuerda! Give me rope!

• Dame cuerda! Give me rope!

• Para! Stop! (so you can clean the quickdraw on the way down)

• Asegurar: to belay

• Me aseguras? will you belay me?

• Te aseguro! I’ll belay you

• Aseguradora/asegurador: the belayer (feminine/masculine)

• Voy! Literally “I go”, but in the context of climbing it can mean “I’m climbing” (starting from the ground or restarting after hanging on the rope)

• Listo? (speaking to a guy). Lista? (to a woman): Ready?

• Desmonta la reunión! (or simply Desmonta!) Clean the anchor!

Equipments

• Reunion: anchor

• Mosquetón: carabiner

• Cinta or cinta expres: a quickdraw

• Chapas or parabolts: Sport climbing bolts

• Químicos: glued-in bolts

• Pies de gato: climbing shoes (not cat feet:)

• Arnés: harness

Misc.

- Rock climbing gym: el rocodrómo (gymnasio = workout gyms with weight machines)

- I want to join (telling the locals you want to go climbing with them): me gustaría (or quiero) apuntarme

- Do you have a seat for me (in the car)? Tienes hueco para mi?

- Climbing crag (literally means “school”): escuela

- topos: croquis or reseñas (de escalada)

- chalk: el magnesio

- climbing route: la vía

- multipitch: largos

- French grades: 5s = quintos, 6s = sextos, 7s = séptimos

Colorful Adjectives and Phrases:

- Cool, awesome (to describe a climb or a crag): es guay/una pasada/chula/guapa/de puta madre ("de" is important otherwise it means something very vulgar)

- Awkward (climbing route, body position): feo

- Polished: pulida

Ways to congratulate your partner after a send:

• 🤜 De puta madre tía! F’ing awesome! (use tío if talking to a guy): Note: again do not miss the “De” in the beginning,

• Eres una máquina or Qué máquina!: You’re awesome/cool (gender neutral phrase)

• Eres un crack or eres una crack (feminine): You’re awesome!

Misc.

• Me mola! I love it

• Me ha flipado or estoy flipando! I’m shocked/freaking out/f’ing crazy.

• Venga! or animo! Come on!

• A tope! Used alone it’s a cheering expression to mean Come on, be strong, you’re the best!

How to pour apple cider in Asturias

---

Those are some common ones I came across during my two years climbing and living in Spain.

Got any interesting climbing vocabs or phrases to share? Please leave them in the comment below.