A Gaggle of Climbers? What's In a Name?

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Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 2, 2007 - 01:15am PT
Groups of different species of birds have unique names, mostly derived from middle English. Why shouldn't the different sub-species of climbers have their own names? Ones that are imaginative and clever, that in one word whimsically or seriously sum up the characteristics of those people. Poetry.

Alpine climbers, ice climbers, classic climbers, climbers in Camp 4, wannabe climbers, novice climbers, sport climbers, and so on - each should have its own group name, or possibly names.

Some possible examples:
A frost of ice climbers
An inspiration of classic climbers
A solitude of solo climbers (but they don't come in groups)
A hang of Valley climbers
A multitude of sport climbers
A persistence of novices
A bounce of boulderers

What other ideas do people have? Bearing in mind that this is for fun, not to be nasty - anyone who says "A plague of sport climbers" or similar isn't playing fair.

For more ideas, some bird group names:
A bevy of quail
A brood of hens
A cast of hawks [or falcons]
A charm of finches
A colony of penguins
A company of parrots (I wonder if Crimpie knows?)
A congregation of plovers
A cover of coots
A covey of partridges [or grouse or ptarmigans]
A deceit of lapwings
A descent of woodpeckers
A dissimulation of birds
A dole of doves
An exaltation of larks
A fall of woodcocks
A flight of swallows [or doves, goshawks, or cormorants]
A gaggle of geese
A host of sparrows
A kettle of hawks [riding a thermal]
A murmuration of starlings
A murder of crows
A muster of storks
A nye of pheasants [on the ground]
An ostentation of peacocks
A paddling of ducks [on the water]
A parliament of owls
A party of jays
A peep of chickens
A pitying of turtledoves
A raft of ducks
A rafter of turkeys
A siege of herons
A skein of geese [in flight]
A sord of mallards
A spring of teal
A tidings of magpies
An unkindness of ravens
A watch of nightingales
A wedge of swans [or geese, flying in a "V"]

We often see these birds while climbing, and so it's helpful and erudite to know what we should call them in our TRs. For more, see http://baltimorebirdclub.org/gnlist.html
paganmonkeyboy

Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:16am PT
a herd of dirtbags ?
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:17am PT
Hey Anders,
Isn't there a name for these names of groups, like sesquepatalia or sumthin?
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:20am PT
A glower of nailers.
Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:23am PT
a bowl of JTree climbers?

Ed Hartouni

Trad climber
Livermore, CA
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:23am PT
probably better: a clod of dirtbags
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 01:28am PT
The English name is simply collective noun. There are a lot more - just google it, or see http://users.tinyonline.co.uk/gswithenbank/collnoun.htm

I didn't have much luck with the Latin word - I don't have a very good dictionary, and the on line ones didn't do it.
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:33am PT
A brace of jammers.
paganmonkeyboy

Trad climber
the blighted lands of hatu
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:37am PT
a smattering of rap bolters...
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:39am PT
Sesquipedalian: given to or characterized by the use of long words or many syllables.

Hmmm. I still say I recall a book of these groupings with a curious title something like this word.

It had all manner of names for groups of things; like a name for a group of vampires, such as a coven of witches and so on...
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:43am PT
A spirit of alpinists.
Jaybro

Social climber
The West
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:54am PT
A hang of sportclimbers.
Mighty Hiker

Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
Topic Author's Reply - Mar 2, 2007 - 01:55am PT
An ascent of alpinists.
An aspiration of alpinists.

And other attractive alliterations.
Jello

Social climber
No Ut
Mar 2, 2007 - 01:59am PT
A squeeze of offwidthers
A tweek of finger crackers
A tendon of crimpers
A twist of backsteppers
A slide of slab-masters
A twinge of toe-jammers
A Gaston of crack-pullers
A push of mantellers
A confusion of mixed (rock and ice) climbers
Jay Wood

Trad climber
Fairfax, CA
Mar 2, 2007 - 02:04am PT
A rush of speed climbers

A spite of supertopians

A splash of deep water soloists

A sketch of C4 aiders

A scab of OW specialists

A blow of posers
Loomis

climber
Blava nie, ty kokot!
Mar 2, 2007 - 03:12am PT
A cowardly group of climbers emulating cackling around the camp fire.

This does not apply if you are from central Europe. The run outs are way more severe than Tuolumne meadows
Crimpergirl

Social climber
St. Looney
Mar 2, 2007 - 07:46am PT
A beanie of boulderers
sean_barb

Trad climber
Suburb of Moore's Wall
Mar 2, 2007 - 08:33am PT
A spray of boulderers.
JEM

Social climber
so cal
Mar 2, 2007 - 08:42am PT
Too much ...

You guys gotta lay off the weed. It didn't taste like av-gas did it?

JEM
BlazeOn

Trad climber
Asheville, NC
Mar 2, 2007 - 08:47am PT
definately gonna use a "spray of bouldererererers"

A crust of trad climbers
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