Scouts: Climbing Merit Badge

Curriculum

3 Sections
28 Lessons
Lifetime

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Preliminary Skills
Preliminary skills that are helpful for understanding before getting into climbing & repelling.
11
Hand-on Climbing Skills
This section will help you understand how to manage & use your climbing gear and an introduction to climbing, belaying, & repelling.
14
In-Person Class Expectations
3

5) Verbal Signals

Explain the importance of verbal signals and demonstrate them for climbers, rappelers, belayers, and boulderers with their spotters.

Using clear and concise verbal signals is essential during climbing, rappelling, and bouldering to help make sure everyone understands. It allows you to communicate with your partner quickly. Here’s a quick guide to the key verbal signals used in various scenarios:

Common Climbing Signals:

Climbers:
- “On Belay”: Belayer is ready.
- “Climbing”: Climber is starting to climb.
- “Take”: Remove slack from the rope.
- “Slack”: Give slack in the rope.
- “Ready to Lower”: Climber is ready to be belayed down.
- “Lowering”: Belayer tells the climber he is lowering him on belay.

Rappeler’s:
- “On Rappel”: Repeller is ready to rappel.
- “Rappelling”: Repeller is descending the rope.
- “Rope”: Warning about the rope being dropped from above.

Belayers:
- “Belay On”: Belayer is ready to belay.
- “Belay Off”: Belayer is not ready to belay.

Boulderers and Spotters:
- “Spot”: Spotter should be attentive to the Boulder.
- “Falling”: Boulder is about to fall.

4d) Summon Aid