Scrambling = "technical"

[Conor]

I've seen about 3 times in the last day (that will teach me to stay off facebook) scrambling be referred to as "technical". To me technical has always meant the need for ropes and harnesses. For example, i wouldn't describe crestone peaks's north butress as a "technical" climb because the average joe doesn't need rope, harness, protection. Skywalker couloir isn't technical for the same reasons.

My thoughts extrapolate to other disciplines. Canyoneering for example where technical will separate out the need for ropes/harness.

So, a 5th class peak may not neccesarily be technical, but it can be. That's Conor's taxonomy of climbing vernacular. What's your's? And if you equate any scramble as technical, are the terms redundant? And if you do a climb which you need gear, what do you say? "That technical scramble neccessitates gear."

Perhaps an unpopular opinion: calling a scramble like kelso "technical" is a product of trying to sound cool on social media.

[desertdog]

My definition has always been using ropes equals technical. The standard routes on the 14ers are hikes or scrambles. I think on the FB page it’s just lack of experience and not knowing the correct terminology , rather than “showing off”. As the FB has grown it has skewed mostly people new to hiking and climbing, which is fine.

[LetsGoMets]

I’ve always equated technical to not just gear, but also next level skill with that gear (above trekking). Some high level bouldering requires more technical skill (shoe usage, placement etc). Using axes and crampons (no rope) can be technical. I wouldn’t call the free solo accomplishments of AH non-technical, the technical climbing skill and use of gear (shoes) is real.

Most importantly perhaps, don’t let FB drag you down. To Richards point, they don’t know (like interchanging hike and climb), but they are new and stoked. We all had to learn somewhere.

[Conor]

Yeah, they're not "Bringing me down," I just thought it interesting. I didn't bust in a rain on their parade. But, it does bring up the question, if that isn't the mainstream use of the word, should someone/something be correcting them so it doesn't become mainstream? Or just let it happen how it happens?

[LetsGoMets]

Agreed on all that (and no good answer) however (IMO) Facebook is probably the worst place to attempt to educate haha.

[nunns]

I don't have much experience with "technical" climbing, but to me it means a type of climbing that would require specialized gear even for someone with a decent amount of experience. So to me class 5 terrain would be technical, unless perhaps it was only a very short section where the risk of injury from a fall was pretty minimal. Snow climbing where an experienced climber would have to use crampons/ice ax would be technical climbing. I have climbed Longs, Crestone Needle, and Wetterhorn and I wouldn't call anything I did on any of those standard routes "technical".
Hard to tell if someone is confused or just overstating what they accomplished. Methinks if it is in a Facebook post then it's more likely to be the latter.

Sean Nunn

[cnlevan]

As someone who has in the last couple years just started their foray into Class 3 climbing... I am guilty of attributing the word "technical" to them. I am sure that others who are new to more challenging terrain also aren't aware that it is supposed to be reserved for ropes and "actual climbing".

It seems that there isn't a word to describe to a layperson the change in difficulty from a class 2 to a class 3 without using the word... and "scrambling," to many people doesn't seem to do it justice. There are people who "scramble" up the large rocks going up Democrat and Quandary.

Maybe we should invent a new word somewhere in between "scrambling" and "technical" to help rate the 3-4 climbs.

So I would definitely just assume that it is out of innocent ignorance rather than a puffed up ego, and I would have to agree, that FB is maybe not the best place to help them learn. But if you see it on here... a politely informational comment can go a long way. We all just want to have fun and progress in this activity we love.

[desertdog]

It's interesting as it touches on a broader issue. I think there's a greater need to short cut things these days, it's more than just the correct terminology. I think it includes climbing techniques, safety basics, knowing when to bail, terminology, doing your own research, etc. When I started climbing I wanted to learn the "right way" to do things, wanted to improve my skills, and still try to learn from people that know more than me. I learned a lot from people on this page. I enjoy that part of this sport. I think my attitude was pretty common, but now not as much. If you did something stupid or got it wrong you were corrected. Usually, with good intentions from the person doing the correcting. New people to climbing were mentored. Often times now, I think if you did some correcting you would be called elitist or a know it all. There's a lot of posers out there and I think social media has added to this problem.

[OldTrad]

This is an academic question, and an interesting one that I had to think about. The subjective nature of the definition means there will be differences of opinion when applying it to any particular route.

“scrambling” does not equate to “technical”.

Non-technical means “beginner”. I.e., could most “hikers”, folks with little or no roped climbing experience, manage climbing Kelso Ridge? The answer is yes of course, and Kelso is a therefore a non technical route.

“Technical” climbing requires training and experience in the use of a rope and associated technical gear.

Experienced climbers may decide not to use a rope on terrain that is considered “advanced” or “technical” (non-beginner), but would typically think hard about that decision and weigh the risks before launching. In other words, if most experienced climbers would at least consider the use of technical equipment for a given section of a route, then that route is considered “technical”.

[seano]

For me, "scrambling" means class 3 or harder with no rope, and "technical" means rope. That of course implies that one person's scramble can be another person's technical climb. This is especially obvious in the Sierra Nevada, where many low fifth class routes were scrambled before modern rope technique was introduced in the early 1930s. Norman Clyde was scrambling some gnarly 5.4-5.5 lines wearing army boots in the 1920s.

[Bale]

What about “technical scrambling”
I agree with the OP’s assessment, “technical” climbing implies using specialized techniques, whether they be hand jams or belay anchors, or simply the use of a rope. Sort of a grey area but not as fuzzy as the line between “fourth class” and 5.4 IMO.
A “technical” route description seems to be more obvious in canyoneering.

[HikerGuy]

For me technical means use of some equipment that requires proficiency - ropes, axe/crampons.