Spread The Word

My sister Charly and I have been climbing in New Brunswick for the past two summers both indoors and outdoors and have adopted the climbing terminology in the area. One word we use frequently has sprung a lot of controversy. The word is ‘pincer’. By my definition a pincer is a super small rock hold that you use the very tips of your fingers to grab and are very undesirable to grab as they test both your mental and physical strength.

Pincer vs Crimper

A pincer could easily be confused with the common climbing term ‘crimper’, which is why most people don’t understand the point of the using the word pincer. The difference is that while crimpers are small and difficult to hold, a pincer is miniscule, painful to hold and so small they can often only be seen by a sharp eye. A pincer uses a much more concentrated amount of force to hold onto it and are also rarer. On a climbing route, a person desiring a lesser difficulty and less discomfort would choose a route with crimpers rather than pincers. You could say that a crimper would be an xs hold and a pincer would be an xxxxs hold.

The Controversy

Initially I thought that pincer was common climber terminology, until one day my friend questioned me about the origins and use of the word and I concluded that my sister and I had probably subconsciously invented the term ourselves. A very curious thing about the word is that even though I use the word often, only one or two people have ever questioned the use of the word pincer and infer what I mean when I use it. I think this implies that pincer rolls off the tongue well and is a natural term to the climbing lingo.

Going Forward

Pincer has the potential to become a popular word in the climber’s dictionary. It won’t be used as a word to replace crimper but rather to expand and refine the language. If you fully grasp what a pincer is and you enjoy using the word, I encourage you to say it and thereby spread the word.

Written By: Laura Bonga