Glossary of Mountaineering Terms

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Here are some mountaineering terms and acronyms that are understood on Everest, as well as certain words particular to the Himalayas:

AMS
Acute mountain sickness. This is what you may feel even if you go to a Colorado ski resort for several days: headache, fatigue, dehydration, trouble sleeping, nausea, rapid heartbeat. Of course, on the higher altitudes at Everest these symptoms can be exacerbated. They are best alleviated by proper acclimatization.

Belay
A method of maneuvering a rope to protect climbers and keep them from falling.

Bergschrund
A crevasse at the top of a glacier. The crevasse is caused by ice moving downhill and separating from the mountain.

Cheyne-Stokes phenomenon
An abnormal breathing pattern caused by living and sleeping at altitude, especially when one has not acclimatized correctly. Cheyne-Stokes is characterized by spells of rapid, shallow breathing during sleep, followed by periods of apnea lasting 30 seconds or more. The person usually awakes suddenly, starved for oxygen. The lungs require a buildup of carbon dioxide to breathe properly; however, in thin air, short, frequent breaths keep the level of CO₂ in the blood too low. The lungs "forget" to breathe until the CO₂ in them has accumulated sufficiently.

Chomolungma
Sherpa and Tibetan name for Everest meaning the goddess mother of the Earth.

Crampons
Ice pick-like points attached to the bottom of boots that help climbers in snow and ice.

Crevasse
A potentially large gap in a glacier caused by tension or shifting. On Everest crevasses can run 10 stories deep.

Col
An exposed pass in a mountain range.

Cwm
A Welsh word for high valley. In the case of Everest, it is the high valley formed by the west shoulder of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.

Dhal Bhaat Tarkaari
The traditional Nepali meal: Dhal (lentil soup); Bhat (cooked rice); Tarkari (vegetables)

Dudh
As in "Dudh Kosi", the main river of the Khumbu. Dudh literally means "milk."

Firn snow
Old snow changing into ice.

Gamow bag
A portable hyperbaric body bag with an airtight zipper that, when inflated with a foot pump, increases the pressure inside, resulting in a drop in altitude to the patient — a potential lifesaver to someone needing to descend immediately to a lower altitude/elevation, but unable to get there.

Glissade
A descending technique in which climbers slide down a slope either on their feet, as with skiing, or on their buttocks in a sitting position.

Hypothermia
A pathologic reduction of body temperature; climbers risk hypothermia because of exhaustion and the severe environment at altitude. Symptoms include impaired judgment, clumsiness, slurred speech, weakness and progressive mental impairment. In severe cases, victims lose consciousness and suffer heart dysfunction.

Hypoxia
Lack of oxygen.

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.