Meaning of portaledge | Babel Free

Definitions

A portable tent system used by rock climbers to sleep in during a climb lasting multiple days.

Examples

“A ferocious storm kept the two men trapped on a portaledge—an artificial tent platform hung from pitons over the vertical void—for seven days and nights.”

“[Warren] Harding, renowned for being tough and hard headed, had climbed the route in the days before portaledges, hanging every night in cramped and claustrophobic hammocks called 'Bat tents' which would fill with water when it rained.”

“Have you ever been shy to go to the bathroom when you're on a date at someone else's house? Well, when you're living on a portaledge, there's no room for such modesty.”

“It's your little pod, and on El Capitan specifically, you end up spending a tremendous amount of time in these portaledges, it becomes your home. It's where you cook. It's where you sleep. It's where you eat. It's where you go to the bathroom. Anytime you're not climbing, you're in these portaledges.”

CEFR level