Vertical caving terminology and methods > Ladders, climbs and older techniques
A pile of rocks that can be used to provide footholds for a climb. While cairns are often used as survey stations when mapping caves, or as route finding markers during early phases of cave exploration, cairns that are made for climbing on usually have a much more stable structure, as they need to support the weight of a caver. In many cases, these are fairly small, providing a small amount of height so that a higher handhold can be reached. However, in some cases, they are very large, tall enough to provide handholds themselves, as they are taller than the person climbing them. Cairns used as a climbing aid may be free-standing, or partially supported by a wall.
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