Vertical caving terminology and methods > Ladders, climbs and older techniques
Moving along a traverse by leaning from one wall to the other. For wider traverses, this might involve having hands on one wall and feet on the other, and slowly shuffling sideways. This approach comes with a significant risk of falling if the traverse becomes too wide, or if strength runs out before reaching a point where it becomes possible to stop bridging. Depending on how far apart the sides are, it can require a lot of strength to push back to upright with the arms, so it is quite a committing method when used on wide gaps. Alternatively, bridging may involve putting feet on one wall, and sitting against the opposite wall, or pushing against it with the back. This is typically much safer, but reaches its limit when shoulders are on one wall and toes are on the other. Bridging is often used for traverses with a ledge on only one side, where a sloping angle is needed to avoid slipping off the ledge.
<< Thrutch, shimmy | Handhold, hold, jug, pocket >>
This page is not intended to be viewed this way, please load the entire article. This version exists only to make it easier for search engines to understand the contents.