Someone points at a climb and says, “That was my project. I sent it today.” They were working on it, and today they completed it. They are not saying it was their first try.
The short answer
| Word | What the climber means |
|---|---|
| Send | Complete the climb from its start to its finish without falling. |
| Flash | Send the climb on your first attempt. You may have watched someone else or received advice beforehand. |
| Project | A climb you are working on and have not yet sent. It might take several attempts or several sessions. |
A flash is also a send. A send after earlier unsuccessful attempts is not a flash.
Three things you might hear
“I flashed the blue one.”
Leah watches a friend climb the blue problem. She then completes it on her first attempt. She has flashed it: watching first does not rule out a flash.
“I sent it on my fourth try.”
Omar comes off the same climb three times. On his fourth attempt, he climbs it from the start to the finish without falling. That is a send, but not a flash.
“That orange one is my project.”
Nina has tried the orange climb and wants to come back to it. She has managed some of its moves, but not the whole climb in one go. It is her project. When she completes it, she can say, “I sent my project.”
What about a first try today?
If you tried a climb yesterday and complete it on your first attempt today, it is still a send after earlier attempts. Calling it “first try today” makes that clear; it is not a first-attempt flash.
You may also hear onsight for a first-attempt send without prior information. Beta means information about how to do the climb, such as advice about the moves. This guide uses flash for a first-attempt send where prior beta is allowed.
Check the distinction
You watch someone climb, then finish it on your first attempt. Can it be a flash?
Yes. A flash allows prior information, including watching someone else.
You finish on your first attempt today, after trying it last week. Is that a flash?
No. You have sent the climb, but it was not your first attempt on it.
You can do all the moves separately but have not linked them from start to finish. Have you sent it?
Not yet. Doing the separate moves is progress on the project; a send puts the whole climb together.
Keep the words for later
The Climber speak list includes these three words alongside seven more you may hear at the wall or crag. It covers both bouldering and roped climbing. These are the same terms and meanings used in our wordsearch.
Your vocabulary
Climber speak
Ten climbing terms and their meanings, including flash, send and project. Add the list once to revisit the words over time. A free account is needed.
Climbing term
beta
Meaning
Information about how to climb a route or problem.
Climbing term
crux
Meaning
The hardest move or section of a climb.
Climbing term
flash
Meaning
Completing a climb first try with prior information, without falls or rests on the rope.
Climbing term
onsight
Meaning
Completing a climb first try without prior information, practice, falls or rests on the rope.
Climbing term
redpoint
Meaning
Leading a climb without falls or rests on the rope after practising it.
Climbing term
project
Meaning
A climb you are working on but have not yet completed cleanly.
Climbing term
send
Meaning
To complete a climb without falling or resting on the rope.
Climbing term
pumped
Meaning
Having tired, tight forearms that make it harder to hold on.
Climbing term
crag
Meaning
A cliff or outdoor climbing area.
Climbing term
topo
Meaning
A diagram or marked photograph showing climbing routes.
Keep exploring
Try finding the same ten terms in the climber speak wordsearch.
For the shapes people point to at the wall, see jug, sloper, pinch and crimp with labelled diagrams.
For your own climbing record, explore Boulder Log. A note such as “orange climb: fourth attempt, sent” describes a different result from “blue climb: first attempt, flashed”. Use the details that matter to you.
References: Movement’s climbing terminology guide and theCrag’s definition of send.