Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or any other part of the body to ascend a steep object. It is done for locomotion, recreation and competition, and within trades that rely on ascension; such as emergency rescue, military operations and high voltage tower maintenance.

When climbing indoors, or at a ‘sport’ crag, the leader clips their rope, via quickdraws, into pre-existing bolts. On a bolted route, it is generally safe to fall at any time. Having this high level of safety allows the leader to focus on the physical aspect of climbing up the rock.

When trad climbing, the leader must place their own gear in the rock. To be safe when trad climbing, the leader must focus on finding gear placements and then select the right piece of gear to fit. This adds a technical and mental aspect to the route.

Climbing is done in gyms on walls, rocks (bouldering), mountains, sport, trad, ice, and alpine.