Rock climbing grade conversion The app is suitable for both novice and experienced climbers and offers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. Instead, simply use them as a guide to find the type of challenge you are looking for. In the table below I have created a direct comparison for you to use. outdoor grades. Also below, find 11 tips for better understanding how indoor vs. Bouldering Grades - Comparison Table Jun 5, 2023 · Out of all the rock climbing grades, the British climbing grading system for trad has given me a headache or two as it’s definitely one of the harder systems to wrap your head around. Bouldering and sport climbing are two siblings in the world of climbing. That said, even with a degree of subjectivity, climbers benefit from the attempt at a universal Pretty much agreed with this. Australian 23 28 31 33 35 37 39 UIAA IX+/X- Xll+ 6b Hueco/V Font/Bleau Bouldering Grades vo- vo VI 4 CRUX RANGE. A few decades later the Rock Climbing Section of the Sierra club working out of Tahquitz expanded on that grading system to come up with the YDS. Our climbing grades convertors (both classic routes and boulders) have been made by great climbers, traveling and climbing all around the world for more than 15 years. 13a 5 13b 5. Rock climbing grades conversion routes and boulders Feb 1, 2024 · The rock climbing grade 5. To do so, the algorithm takes a set of ascent tuples consisting of the ascent type, climber, route, and a time period as input and produces maximum a posteriori estimates of climber and route ratings. This guide includes information on climbing areas, seasons, finding partners, transportation, gear, local climbing guides, and more. I. S. And “35” currently being the highest climbing grade completed here in Oz. The British Trad Grade is a compound grade evolved from a climbing ethic strongly biased towards onsight traditional or ‘trad’ climbing. These bouldering grades differ from the grades used in traditional rock climbing, and use many different systems including: Huevo "V" grades-or the V-scale, Fontainebleau technical grades (Font-scale), route colors, Peak District grades, and British technical grades. Including Grade Wike & Table. 13c 5 13d 5. IMPORTANT – Below is a very rough table and it is impossible to provide an accurate conversion between technical difficulty of the hardest climbing – a sport grade/UIAA/USA grade – and overall difficulty of the full route experience from approach through climbing, conditions and descent – Alpine Grade. What Are Climbing Grades? Two climbing routes at an American climbing gym. Given the differences between the two styles, it’s difficult to convert roped climbing grades to bouldering grades. Rock Climbing Grade Conversion Chart French 6b 9b Yosemite 5. In this article we go over the nuances of rock climbing grades, indoor and outdoor, what they mean, and how to understand them. Here’s a comprehensive grade conversion chart, courtesy of the equipment brand, Bergefreunde. NZ 7: Vertical ice/rock that may not have adequate protection. 4 5 10b 5. . Share Oct 15, 2021 · The two bouldering grading systems are the V Scale (used in the United States) and the Font Scale (used outside the US). This is especially crucial at lower grades where nuances in grading philosophies and local climbing cultures can lead to variations. com Jun 10, 2024 · Rock Climbing in Thankhek, Laos and Green Climbers Home guide for 2024 A comprehensive guide for travelers looking to climb in Thakhek, Green Climbers Home, Laos. Find gear, guidebooks and tips for climbing from MEC. Climbing grades are a number or number-letter combination designed to correspond to the physical difficulty of a climb. Canadian Winter Commitment Grade: This combines length, hazard, and overall challenges. 1/5. 6c to V-scale. 2 5. A mistake often made is to combine the Australian & South African grades as the same, in fact they are about a grade apart and even more at the upper grades. Climbing grades provide guidance, suggesting the length of time an experienced climber might take to complete the route: Grade I: A couple of hours; Grade II: Closer to four hours; Grade III: Four to six hours (most of the day) Grade IV: One very long day; Grade V: Two days (requires an overnight stay) Grade VI: Two-plus days Mar 17, 2023 · Both 6a and 6a+ graded boulders in the font system convert into a V3 bouldering grade in the North American V-scale. Understand the Context: grades are subjective and can vary based on region, climbing style, and even the conditions on the day you climb. 12b, the other a grade of 5. Grade conversion between the two scales isn’t easy—the Font Scale has more grade options than the V Scale, and both scales are subject to regional differences and individual climbers’ body types, opinions, and skill sets—but in general, here’s how the two scales Climbing Grade Conversion is a versatile tool that is designed to assist climbers in navigating the complex grading systems used in rock climbing and bouldering. Both 6b and 6b+ graded boulders in the Fontainebleau system convert into a V4 grade in the V-scale bouldering grading system. Climb may be in remote area. Now let us see how bouldering grades compare. Jan 1, 2025 · Rock Climbing Grade Conversion Chart Labels: Rock Climbing. Location: Pocatello, ID, USA. Rock grades in the high 20s (on the Ewbank scale). Meaning that for example if you look at a crag in Australia you will most likely see sport and trad climbing grades displayed in Ewbanks and bouldering grades in V-scale. Bouldering Grade Conversion. Grade VII: Remote big walls climbed in alpine style. This is because the difficulties Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. Some climbers compare the difficulty of a boulder problem graded 5 in the Font system to a 6b sport climb, but such a comparison fails to account for the differences in endurance and skills, like resting, needed in one and not Mar 30, 2023 · Rock climbing grades. I-II: 1 or 2 pitches near the car, but may need to be avoided during avalanche season. Apr 10, 2025 · Comparing between mixed climbing grades and the Yosemite Decimal System and other standard rock climbing grades is difficult, as the variables are many. Introduction to Rock Climbing; Grades and Grade Conversions; Route Gear Styles; Get started rock climbing & bouldering Grades Europe Region: 849,122: Whether you are transitioning from Fontainebleau to Hueco Tanks or vice versa, our converter ensures seamless grade conversion. In general, theCrag displays grades as they are entered and in the area specific context. This chart accurately compares the French scale with Adam Ondra on the sport climbing route Silence, the hardest free climbing route in the world and the first-ever at 9c (French), 5. Sponsored By ROCK HARDWARE: International Climbing Grade Conversion Chart. 9. One has a grade of 5. Grade VI: Two or more days of hard technical climbing. These grades are designed to introduce fundamental climbing techniques and build foundational strength and confidence. With ClimbGrades, you can easily calculate and compare rock climbing grades, making it easier for you to plan your climbing adventures. The reason being that the width of grades on a specific scale are not comparable or that grades are not linear across the whole scale. e. Traditional Climbing ‘Trad’ climbing is where a leader places protection in the rock as they climb up. if a route boils down to just a single boulder problem (roped bouldering, something quite common where I live) then the grade of that boulder problem determines how low the route can be graded. Dec 28, 2024 · Bewildering, subjective, unnecessarily complex, just plain mad! All of these insults have been leveled at the British grading system for traditional (trad) rock climbing. 13b, also known as 8a in the French grading system, is considered to be an extremely challenging level of difficulty in sports climbing or lead climbing. Grades can be subjective and may vary Feb 14, 2024 · Bouldering Grades Conversion. Sustained M6 mixed climbing or grade 23 rock, with cruxes of M7 and/or grade 25-26 rock. 6b to V-scale. Free, instant climbing grade converter to help you understand foreign grading systems. The Our climbing grades convertors (both classic routes and boulders) have been made by great climbers, traveling and climbing all around the world for more than 15 years. Universal grade conversion Back to contents . This is where the rock climbing YDS system begins, hence the “5. This grade is reserved for elite climbers who have years of experience and have honed their skills to an exceptional level. Grade V: Typically requires an overnight on the route. 5, for example, was a hike that included a fair amount of scrambling up steep surfaces and hence The adjectival grade is the first part of the grade, and attempts to give a sense of the overall difficulty of a climb. The climbing becomes delicate (slabs, etc. As the grade increases holds get smaller and fewer with more technical transitions between. Note that we’ve omitted some rarely seen scales for brevity and that the only climbing grades worth comparing are those that rate free climbing. Those from 15 to 18 are the average grade that climbers are leading while from 19 -25 would be above average grades for on-sighting. You may remember from the section on the Yosemite Decimal System that climbs in the United States will have a difficulty rating and then, if necessary, a second Aug 30, 2021 · Conversion chart of all 10 climbing grade systems. This grade fragments into two distinct portions, namely – Adjectival Grade: As the name suggests, the adjectival grade is an adjective grading for all rock climbing factors. Grades 8 to 11 are extremely easy beginner grades and 12 – 14 are easy climbs. 5 5. Sometimes the conditions and the state of the routes can also influence the grades. The best way to approach the conversion is to travel, go climbing and get used to the different grades! Have fun! P. I like to use a conversion chart like this as more of an lower limit for a route grade. Rock climbing grades conversion routes and boulders Feb 4, 2015 · I don’t recommend that you blindly trust this table – there can be differences from country to country or even between climbing areas. This lead climbing grades comparison table is designed to help climbers convert from YDS to French and back to French to Yosemite. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned climber, our climbing grade conversion cha Mar 17, 2012 · Indoor rock climbing gyms have two types of rock climbing available, bouldering and sport climbing. com is a rock climbing community website where climbers can find information about rock climbing routes, gear, news, forums, photos, videos and more It was designed to rate hiking trails in general, not just climbing, 4 was the starting grade for a leisurely technical hike and 5 was the starting grade for a vertical surface that actually required climbing. Both 6c and 6c+ in Font, convert to a V5 bouldering grade in the V-scale Jun 5, 2023 · It’s so easy to get caught up with the grades, but it’s a good idea not to place too much weight on grades while climbing. There are grade systems for bouldering, grade systems for sport climbing, grade systems for aid climbing and so on but even grade systems for the same style don’t always translate well between each other. May require a bivy on route. 5 14b 5. Aug 18, 2017 · Climbing grade conversions are not perfect but there are several systems used to compare them. Our Ultimate Guide to Climbing Grades provides it all! The ratings of each grade is determined purely from input responses provided by you, the climbing community. ) or hard (by opposition or Interlocking in slits and chimneys). Jan 28, 2022 · Australian Climbing Grades. 12 route. Begin your climbing journey with grades like V0 or 1A. 3/5. Here is a chart showing the bouldering rating conversions between the V Scale and Font Scale. Understand bouldering, sport, and trad climbing grades for accurate conversions. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples! grAId applies the well established Whole-History Rating System (WHR) to climbing and creates accurate predictions of route grades in the process. Though this is technically also where bouldering grades begin as well. . Tips for Using Climbing Grade Conversions. Understanding Climbing Grade Conversion Comparing Bouldering Grades Sustained WI4+ to WI5 ice, M5 mixed climbing, or grade 20 rock, involving tenuous, delicateclimbing, with crux sections of WI5+ ice, M6 mixed, or grade 22-23 rock. The grades are as follows – Easy; Moderate; Difficult; Very Feb 9, 2024 · Start with Beginner-Friendly Grades. These factors include everything, such as rock texture, height, rigidity, and hold placement distance. Consider the Climbing Style: sport climbing, traditional climbing, and bouldering can have different grading nuances. [2] Mar 21, 2022 · See the chart below for an illustrated comparison of indoor vs. 7. At lower grades, a single V grade often translates to being ‘wider’ than a single grade on the Font Scale. Bouldering Grades vs Climbing Grades. International Climbing Grades Comparison Chart: May 31, 2020 · To help orient and understand the systems, here’s what you need to know about climbing grades. The two main free climbing grading systems (which include the two main free climbing disciplines of sport climbing and traditional climbing) are the "French numerical system" and the "American YDS system". South African rock climbing grades are very similar to Australian, with the exception that the upper end of the scale is currently at 41. Popular Posts January 01, 2025 Peaks and Canyons Video Series. Behind the grades: Grades are often debated in climbing because they aim to measure difficulty in objective terms, but the many variables in what makes a climb hard, and who is doing the climbing, make objectivity impossible. And it was linear, so a trail rated 4. At the lower levels, there is much crossover between grades and makes it more difficult to translate, but the higher the grade is the easier it is to compare. An important trigger for the increasing research attention has been the transition of the sport to a competitive as well as recreational activity and this has been heightened with the inclusion of sport climbing in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic schedule. By gear, I mean whether they can place any wires or cams in the rock. See full list on guidedolomiti. Sep 5, 2021 · Free Climbing: using only one’s hands and feet, and the natural features of the rock, for upward progress. ) as well as a certain degree of specific training: Ⅴ – + Fifth grade: Holds and supports are very rare and small. Making sense of all these grades will only start to click in to place if you are motivated to Nov 12, 2006 · Difficulty Grades and Conversions - Rockclimbing. Gym to Outdoor Bouldering Grade Conversion Chart Illustation: Claire Eckstrom Low-end Bouldering Grades V0 Online Conversion Tool for Climbing Grades & Bouldering Grades: Trad Grade, UIAA, French Sport Grade, Boulder Grades, American Scale & many more. 12d 5. Understanding the different grading systems & the factors that affect grades will help you make informed decisions & tackle routes that match your skill level & ambitions. Bouldering is a bit different than some other forms of rock climbing and it has its own grades, the V-scale, for defining the difficulty of the climb. Sports climbing grades are graded using different systems across different regions. 10c 5 5. Learn how bouldering V-scales compare to YDS for route climbing, understand the journey from indoor to outdoor climbing, and explore international grading systems. The Australian climbing grade scale for technical scrambling and rock routes, another open-ended rating system, runs from 1 (~YDS 3) to 39 (5. COM 6B 6B+ 7B 8B CRUX RAN The following chart compares most of the available grading scales. 15d 5. Progress Gradually Mar 25, 2024 · Explore the ins and outs of climbing grade conversion with tips, challenges, and resources. This will be influenced by many aspects, including seriousness, how sustained is is, technical difficulty, exposure, strenuousness, rock quality, and any other less tangible aspects which lend difficulty to a pitch. What protection lead climber gets, and how serious the climbing is, is totally dependent on whether they can find any weaknesses in the rock to be able to place gear. Grade IV: A full day of technical climbing, generally at least 5. Sep 12, 2016 · The research base for rock climbing has expanded substantially in the past three decades as worldwide interest in the sport has grown. However, in 1996, American mountaineering legend and father of modern dry tooling, Jeff Lowe estimated that an M8 was equivalent to a 5. Coming from our frustrations of always trying to figure out what grading systems are used in which country and what do they mean in your own system, we have created this simple but hopefully helpfull comparison table. The following is a very rough conversion I've pieced together by averaging other sources. Rock Climbing grades conversions. Understanding the diverse grading systems in bouldering requires a reliable grade conversion table. The idea of the Trad Grade is to give a representation of the whole climb, including overall difficulty, how good the trad climbing gear is (or isn’t) and the hardest single move on the route. In the United States for sport climbing and other forms of rock climbing we use the Yosemite About this Sports Climbing Grades table: This is a lead climbing grade conversion chart. The most prominent grade systems are:. I run rock climbing courses in the UK and abroad and have grown up from a young age steeped in the world of trad rock climbing and my aim in this blog is to give you a brief overview of the basic rules governing the UK Tips for Using Climbing Grade Conversions. 15d). Aid Climbing : pulling or standing on gear attached to the rock for upward progress. 15d (American YDS), and XII+ (UIAA). 12b 5. The Australian “Ewbank” grading system, where “1” is the lowest grade for example; an inclined walk. At higher grades, the Font Scale and V Scale become almost directly translatable. 2 days ago · Understanding climbing grades is essential for safe & successful rock, ice & alpine climbs. ” before the rest of the YDS grade. When you provide an answer to "Which is difficult?", the algorithm will update both the grades' ratings accordingly. outdoor bouldering grades stack up, and for planning your first outdoor bouldering excursion. The Old SA grading was used in many of the older traditional climbing areas but is seldom used today. 15b 5. Any climbing gym you enter will have an abundance of these grades to encourage beginner climbers. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples! Oct 23, 2023 · Discover the intricacies of climbing grades with our comprehensive guide. Related Questions What Does the V stand for on the V-Scale? V stands for Vermin, which was a nick-name for the person who created the V-Scale Convert rock climbing grades between French, YDS, British, and UIAA systems. Sep 16, 2021 · Bouldering Grades Conversion Chart: V Scale to Font Scale. Bouldering Grades Grade III: Most of a day for the technical portion. Our user-friendly interface and accurate calculations make ClimbGrades the go-to It requires a good climbing technique applied to the various rock structures (chimneys, crevices, corners, etc. There are grade systems for bouldering, grade systems for sport climbing, grade systems for aid climbing and so on but even grade systems for the same style don’t always translate well between each other. Compare climbing and bouldering grades in different systems and regions using this chart. Class 5: Rock Climbing. French System: Apr 29, 2024 · During the 1930s the Sierra Club adopted a variation of the Welzenbach scale to rate hikes and scrambles in the Sierra Nevadas. sbdn kruy wygdraz fkbcx nrqcvft xowg tbsow agutmq vyykwo chemnyd mhc jtw vnheg kyxxchsz bpkide