Mountaineering

What is mountaineering?

Mountaineering is another term for mountain climbing.

How to climb mountains

A mountain climb can take days to complete. It requires clothing for cold and wet weather, camping equipment, and equipment required to climb a tall mountain or one with ice, snow or rock. Climbers also face serious dangers including severe weather changes like blizzards, avalanches of snow or rocks and falls down the mountain.

Equipment

Helmet – worn to protect the head against falls
Ropes – used by climbers to go up steep mountain slopes
Harness – a belt that connects a climber by rope to other climbers; it helps them go up or down a mountain, and guards against falls
Backpack – to carry climbing equipment 
Tent – to sleep in on hikes that take days to complete

Sport lingo

Gear – climbing equipment
Sheer face – a very steep surface of rock or ice to climb
Self arrest – a technique of rolling the body to stop a slide down a snowy slope, so theclimber doesn’t fall off the mountain and suffer serious injury
Avalanche – a dangerous fall of snow and ice that could injure climbers