Lead climbing (also known as “Sport” Climbing, see below): An important form of recreational climbing in which the climber starts at the base of a route, then climbs upwards pulling a rope behind him for protection (i.e. without the benefit of a rope from above). From time to time the rope is passed through a carabiner attached to the rock via some kind of anchor (known as a running belay, or runner), thus affording the climber some degree of protection should he/she fall. The degree of safety depends crucially on the quality of the anchors available, and the distance between them. A falling climber will typically fall over twice the distance between him/her and the last runner.