Redpoint, Pinkpoint, Greenpoint, Bluepoint: All the Point Terms You’re Probably Saying Wrong

“Nice flash,” my husband Casey said as I untied my knot at Mt. Lemmon outside Tucson, Arizona.

“That wasn’t a flash,” I said, explaining that I’d hung on the rope twice, so it wouldn’t qualify as a flash, nor a redpoint.

For many climbers, the difference between an onsight, a flash, a send, and a redpoint—let alone a headpoint!—is confusing and obscure. And for most of us, using these terms properly really doesn’t matter when it comes to our day-to-day climbing. But for the pros—or anyone with a project dominating their life—it’s kind of everything. Understanding these terms is also helpful if you follow climbing news and want to correctly grasp the magnitude of any given achievement.

While there are dozens upon dozens of techy terms and colorful slang out there in our sport, this article is only focused on the -point terms, which date back to the ’80s. First, let’s find out what you already know.

Climbing ___point Words Quiz

Before we school you on climbing -point words, test your knowledge with this quick, six-question quiz. Jot down your answers, spray about your high score, then test your buddies. Solutions are at the end of the story (to make it harder for you to peek).

1. Which of the following describes a pinkpoint?

a. Sending a route that has chipped or glued holds
b. French freeing—which includes grabbing a quickdraw or bolt
c. Leading a trad route with pre-placed gear
d. Climbing with bold moves, including high feet, heel hooks, and dynos

2. What is the correct term for working a trad route on toprope?

a. Headpoint
b. Deadpoint
c. Toppoint
d. Redpoint

3. True or False: In the record books, a redpoint counts as an official “send.”

4. In which country was the term “redpoint” first coined?

a. Scotland
b. Germany
c. The United States
d. Argentina

5. Which of the following is not a commonly used ____point term?

a. Deadpoint
b. Purplepoint
c. Ecopoint
d. Brownpoint

6. True or False: It’s possible to pinkpoint and deadpoint a route at the same time.

Climbing ___point terms: A primer

Redpoint

Definition: To cleanly climb a route that you’ve tried before without falling or hanging on the rope

In a sentence: After projecting Era Vella (5.14d) for eight years, Tim Emmett finally redpointed it this past autumn on his last go. 

Origins: Redpoint (or rotpunkt in German) is the decades-old grandparent of every climbing -point word. As legend goes, German climber Kurt Albert was crashing at Wolfgang Güllich’s house in the 1980s, when he noticed a red dot on the lip of the coffee pot that had to be aligned with the spout in order to pour out their precious send fuel.

Soon after, Albert started painting a red circle at the bottom of a route when he began projecting it. Once he had climbed the route without falling, he would color in the red circle to signal to all in the Frankenjura that it had been freed. Not exactly Leave No Trace, but let’s give Albert the benefit of the doubt and assume he cleaned off the paint after each route saw a repeat.

Additional context: If a headline declares that a climber sent a route, it’s safe to assume that they redpointed it. For sport climbing, “redpoint” generally includes pre-hung quickdraws; for trad climbing, “redpoint” means gear that the climber placed on lead.

Pinkpoint

Definition: To climb a trad route with pre-placed gear or, if you’re really crusty, with pre-hung quickdraws

In a sentence: I didn’t want to faff around with a bunch of nuts on that heinous finger crack, so I decided to just pinkpoint it.

Origins: While the term pinkpoint seems to have first emerged in the `90s to describe a send involving pre-placed quickdraws or trad gear, the term is more commonly used only in a trad climbing context today. This is due to the fact that perma-draws have become increasingly common in sport climbing, particularly on extremely steep, difficult climbs.

With pink being one diluted step down from red, the term “pinkpoint” represents an ascent that is slightly easier, and not quite as pure, as a redpoint.

Additional context: A well-known case in pinkpoint? When Tom Randall and Pete Whittaker first sent Century Crack (the 5.14b offwidth roof first dubbed Chocolate Starfish as an aid route), they sent it on pinkpoint. After receiving extensive backlash from the climbing community, they returned for a redpoint just a couple weeks later.

Greenpoint

Definition: To climb a sport route with trad gear, skipping bolts and placing your own protection instead

In a sentence: You know you’re crusty when you hate bolts so much that you’re willing to risk a 30-foot whip and X rating to greenpoint an otherwise perfectly safe line. 

Origins: Legendary German climber Wolfgang Güllich, the first climber to redpoint 5.13d, invented the greenpoint (or, grünpunkt) in Germany’s Frankenjura in the 1980s, according to Planet Mountain. “Green” refers to an all-natural (and somewhat ethically superior) style of climbing that trad climbers prefer over clipping permanent bolts.

Additional context: Although the notion of greenpointing never quite caught on to mainstream climbers, there are still a few routes that see it regularly, including Boulder Canyon’s Crank It (5.13+) and Austria’s Prinzip Hoffnung (E9/10; 5.13d/5.14a).

While the tensions between sport climbers and trad climbers have subsided over the past decade or two, some old-schoolers cling steadfastly to the notion that a naturally protectable climb ought not include bolts. The other reason one might greenpoint is simply to escalate the challenge, such as Will Moss’s rope solo of China Doll (5.14a R) or Connor Herson’s all-gear send of Empath (9a/5.14d).

Note that the term “greenpoint” is sometimes used as a synonym for “ecopoint” (see below).

Headpoint

Definition: To redpoint or free solo a usually sketchy trad route after practicing the moves on toprope. Some climbers only use the term to describe the process of practicing a route in a safer, less “pure” style , not to refer to the ensuing send-go. The term can also refer to the entire process of rehearsing a route on toprope, then sending it on lead or free solo.

In a sentence: He couldn’t help but notice a few climbers giving side eye as he headpointed the route to dial his rack and beta. 

Origins: The etymological origins of this one are unclear, but it brings to mind the idea of getting your head on straight before tying into the real challenge.

Additional context: As projecting techniques advance, the headpoint has evolved from a synonym for “cheating,” especially on UK gritstone, to a standard tactic that’s given us everything from Dave MacLeod’s X-rated lead of Echo Wall (E11) to Alex Honnold’s free solo of Free Rider (5.13a; 3,000ft). For anyone looking for a primer on the practice of headpointing, British pro climber Franco Cookson wrote a thorough guide for UK Climbing.

Deadpoint

Definition: To make a dynamic move, reaching a new climbing hold just as your momentum expires

In a sentence: This route was clearly set by someone at least four inches taller than me; I had to deadpoint three times to send it. 

Origins: This term is a bit of an anomaly among the -point terms, because rather than referring to the style in which you climbed a route, it describes a single move. The “dead point” (noun) of a move is the point at which forward motion ceases. Today, you’re more likely to hear climbers using “deadpoint” as a verb to describe a dynamic, reachy move.

Additional context: In a recent reflection, former Climbing editor-in-chief Matt Samet described how important the deadpoint is to high-level climbing. He explained that the brief moment of weightlessness is what allows you to readjust and hone your grip on your next hold before moving upward.

Ecopoint

Definition: To climb with minimal impact on the environment, primarily with regards to how you commute to a climbing area

In a sentence: Last weekend, I embarked on an ecopoint challenge involving a one-hour train ride, 10-mile bike ride, two-mile approach, and three routes at the crag. 

Origins: Like rotpunkt, “ecopoint” traces its roots to Germany. The ecopoint movement in climbing began in 2021, and today a grassroots collective spreads info and inspo to encourage more climbers to reduce their environmental impact.

Additional context: Unlike most of the other -point climbing terms, this one doesn’t effectively describe the style in which you climb a specific route. Rather, it showcases your approach to a day of climbing or to the adventure of climbing more broadly.

Like most environmental movements these days, ecopointing has gained more steam in Europe. We’ve seen Babsi Zangerl cycle to the crag in Austria. We’ve watched Séb Berthe sail across the Atlantic Ocean and take a three-week bus trip to climb The Dawn Wall on El Cap. And we’ve witnessed Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold bike more than 2,000 miles to attempt Alaska’s Devils Thumb. (Holistically speaking, Caldwell and Honnold’s objective became more of a “petropoint” in view of the support van, massive production crew, and helicopters involved in capturing the process for their Nat Geo doc.)

You can read more about ecopointing and how to integrate it into your own climbing here.

Brownpoint

Definitions: 

• To climb a route in poor style—think anything that might trigger the question “Is it aid?” in the ClimbingCircleJerk subreddit or among the trolls of Instagram
• To lose control of your bowels on a climb

In a sentence: I can never be seen in J Tree again; not only did I brownpoint by meandering off route to take a nap on a ledge, but then I shit myself at the crux. 

Origins: The roots of this unsavory -point term remain murky. Perhaps the secondary meaning of the word came into existence following the viral plight of one climber on Squamish’s Boogie ‘til You Puke (5.11b), now affectionately known as “Boogie ‘til You Poop.”

Additional context: Before it comes to a brownpoint, consider some responsible ways to prepare for and dispose of your waste in a climbing environment.

Bluepoint

Definitions: 

• To belay someone on an impressive send that you want to create a personal association with for your own ego
• To not climb because your belayer shuts you down

In a sentence: 

• My greatest climbing achievement last year was a 5.14c bluepoint—I didn’t short rope my climber once. 
• When I got home from the crag that day, I wrote an elegy for my bluepoint—for the redpoint that could have been, the send that never would be … 

Origins: The origins of the first meaning of the obscure term bluepoint are unknown, but can be found in an April 2020 Mountain Project forum, as well as this September 2023 Mountain Project forum).

In January 2026, California-based climber and offwidth enthusiast Evan Wisheropp suggested a different meaning for the term “bluepoint” after his partner refused to belay him one more time due to the cold and encroaching darkness (see video evidence earlier in this story).

Additional context: While anyone who’s experienced a bluepoint will no doubt harbor some resentment about what was left unsent, they ought to consider a more grim alternative: a deadpoint, but in a more literal sense of the term. If your belayer is exhausted, freezing, or simply not feeling it, chances are their belay will be sub-par, perhaps even sub-safe. Do you want to deck because your belayer is pissed, or go home unscathed? You can always return another day for that greenpoint, pinkpoint, or glorious redpoint.

Quiz Solutions

1. c.
2. a.
3. True
4. b.
5. b.
6. True

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