Hello, I've tried reading the Wikipedia article on the difference between free climbing/solo climbing etc. but I'm still a bit confused. Take for example the crag description for Harborough Rocks:
"Super soloing or family picnic venue in summer"
What does 'soloing' mean in this context, does it mean climbing without ropes or protection higher than one would if bouldering? Or does it mean climbing on your own with protection? Or does it mean something else...?
It's a bit messy, they mean climbing without ropes.
Technically soloing means climbing by yourself (so you can rope solo), but 90% of the time it's used to mean no ropes, even though this is a bit ambiguous.
Climbers: free climbing - not pulling on gear/aiding
Everyone else: free climbing - not using any ropes, ie soloing
This is usually followed with 'like that French bloke who climbs buildings'. Or, occasionally, 'they didn't free climb El Capitan - I saw it on the telly and they had loads of ropes!'
And free climbing - when you climb on rock without using equipment to make progress, i.e. no pulling on gear - all the moves are figured out and completed using what nature gave you.
and aid climbing - when you climb a rock but pull on gear to progress, most often when the rock is extremely compact, steep and/or overhanging on terrain which most people would be physically unable to climb free. Again there are subsectors within aid climbing - clean aid is when you use on gear which does not damage the rock, whilst when given an A grade (rather than c) it means you will use pegs or drilled rivets and hooks to make progress. Some A graded routes can be climbed clean but at a harder grade because the placements are less secure.
Riiight ok thanks for the info folks! I'm going there this afternoon so we'll see how it goes, taking plenty of bouldering mats. Hopefully it will stay dry - I think it will. Thanks all.
> ..or in the case of winter, small sac, boots, Crampons & 2 axes. That's all!
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