Climbing route
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A climbing route (German: Kletterrouten) 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).