Climbing route

Part of a series on
Climbing
Alpine climbing routes on the north face of Les Droites in the Alps
Lists
Climbers Piolet d'Or winners IFSC victories Equipment Knots Historical events Grade milestones Eight-thousanders Terminology
Types of rock climbing
Aid Big wall Multi-pitch Bouldering Highball Competition Speed Free Sport Traditional Solo Free solo Deep-water solo Rope solo Top roping
Types of mountaineering
Alpine Mixed Via ferrata Himalayan Alpine style Expedition style Ice Dry-tooling Scrambling Hillwalking
Other types
Buildering Canyoning Crane Grass Commercial Parkour Pole Rock hopping Rooftopping Roof hacking Slide Tree
Key actions
Abseiling Belaying Leading Redpointing Jumaring Self rescuing Simul climbing Techniques Traversing
Key terms
Anchor First ascent FFA FFFA Grade Route Beta Guide Pitch
v t e

A climbing route (German: Kletterrouten) is a path by which a climber reaches the top of a mountain, or rock/ice-covered obstacle. The details of a climbing route are recorded in a climbing guidebook and/or in an online climbing route database, and will include elements such as the type of climbing route (e.g. bouldering route, sport climbing route, traditional climbing route, ice climbing route, and alpine climbing route, etc.), the difficulty grade of the route–and beta on its crux(es)–and any risk or commitment grade, the length and number of pitches of the route, and the climbing equipment (e.g. climbing protection gear) needed to complete the route.

There are definitions as to what is a valid ascent of a route (e.g. the redpoint in rock climbing), and the class of ascent (e.g. onsighted, flashed). The first ascent, first free ascent, and first female free ascent, are often recorded for important routes. After a route is established, variations can be created (e.g. directessimas, sit starts, or enchainments), and climbers will try to improve the "style" in which the route is climbed (e.g. minimizing aid climbing or other supports such as oxygen or fixed ropes). Some climbers limit the in-situ protection (e.g. greenpointing), or even free solo the route. Others 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. 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 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).