Jumar
A technique of climbing a rope with a mechanical device that will slide up a rope, but lock on the rope as you pull down.

Moraine
Dirt and rock debris on the side of, in front of, and on top of a glacier formed by the erosive power of glaciers and their movement.

Namaste
Traditional Nepali greeting of Hindi and Sanskrit descent. It literally means, "I salute the God which dwells within you."

Neve
Granular snow

Piton
A sharp metal tool used by climbers that can be jammed into crevasses to assist with ascending a vertical slope. Climbers tie ropes to the outer edge of the piton, called the "eye."

Rappel
To descend a mountain using a rope secured to the body.

Sagarmatha
The Nepali word for Everest. Means "Mother Goddess of the world."

Serac
A potentially dangerous block or tower of ice found in glacier crevasses, which can collapse and cause avalanches.

Sherpa
A tribal name for the people of Tibetan descent who live generally in the Khumbu and Solu valleys of Nepal. Sherpa was originally "shar pa", which in Tibetan means, "People from the East." Sherpas came to nepal roughly 700 years ago over the Nangpa La Pass near Mount Cho Oyu, about 10 miles west of Everest.

Sirdar
Sherpa word for the lead Sherpa on a climb or trek.