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Climbing Mount Stuart

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https://wordcraft.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/756604565/m/539108333

October 06, 2009, 17:58
wordcrafter
Climbing Mount Stuart
The theme I'd planned for this week is put aside, in favor of mountain-climbing terms from an article in today's Wall Street Journal.The two climbers get an early start.trailhead – the place where a trail begins
October 07, 2009, 18:58
wordcrafter
They start at 2:00 AM because they are trying to complete a 2-3 day trek in a single day.

alpine start – a very early start for a climb, before sunrise. Made to get better snow conditions (before the sun's heat), or to complete the descent before nightfall, without gear for camping overnight on the slope.
October 08, 2009, 20:12
wordcrafter
crampon – a set of spikes to be fastened onto a boot, for climbing on ice
October 09, 2009, 08:33
Robert Arvanitis
Might even fit back with "words that just sound naughty"


RJA
October 10, 2009, 09:22
wordcrafter
You can belay a rope, or belay with a rope.

belay – to secure something (e.g., a climber) at the end of a length of rope
(also, nautically: to secure a rope by winding it on a cleat or pin)
October 11, 2009, 19:28
wordcrafter
Having reached the summit, they face a difficult descent.couloir – a deep mountainside gorge or gully
scree – a mass of small loose stones forming or covering a slope on a mountain.
[probably from Old Norse, ‘landslip’]
October 12, 2009, 20:28
wordcrafter
angle of repose – the maximum slope at which of a pile of loose material such as sand can be made into a mound before it begins to slide

Here's a practical use — if you're a doodlebug.