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Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber can only use climbing equipment for climbing protection but not as an artificial aid to help them in ascending the route.[1][2] Free climbing, therefore, cannot use any of the tools that are used in aid climbing to help overcome the obstacles encountered while ascending a route. The development of free climbing was an important moment in the history of rock climbing, including the concept and definition of what determined a first free ascent (or FFA) of a route by a climber.
Free climbing can be performed in several rock-climbing formats that vary with the type of climbing protection that is used. Thus, free climbing can be done as traditional climbing (which only uses temporary removable climbing protection), sport climbing (which only uses permanently fixed in-situ climbing protection), and bouldering and free solo climbing (both use no climbing protection whatsoever). Free climbing is sometimes mis-understood as only relating to the format of free-solo climbing or solo climbing, which is not correct.
- ^ "Free climbing". Cambridge Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
the sport of climbing on rocks, up mountains, or up walls or buildings using no equipment to help you to climb, only ropes or other safety devices that prevent falling
- ^ "Free climbing". Collins English Dictionary. 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
climbing without using pitons, étriers, etc, as direct aids to ascent, but using ropes, belays, etc, at discretion for security