Climbing Grades Guide: How To Use 7 Climbing Grade Systems

If you’re trad climbing, bouldering, or ice climbing, knowing the rock climbing grade of the route is essential. Climbing grades are a classification system for the difficulty and danger level of a climbing route or boulder problem.

Understanding climbing ratings can be difficult, as the numbers vary depending on the system used. The grades found online and in guidebooks are determined by those who climb the route, making them fairly subjective. The more people who climb a route and give their grade, the more accurate the grade is. When determining which routes to venture onto, you should look at the number of grades a route has received to verify the difficulty level.

There are many factors that determine a climbing grade, including the technical difficulty of moves, the strength and stamina required, and the difficulty of protection. Various grading systems weigh these factors differently.

If you’re not an advanced climber or only climb in particular styles, knowing the climbing grade is vital before setting out on the trail—particularly in alpine terrain, which is especially dangerous for beginners.

• Routes change over the years. A climbing path evolves as more people wind through the ascent, and the rocks and boulders change over time. A traveled rock can become smoother, making it too difficult to grasp and gear prone to breaking off. Guidebooks often mention when a well-traversed path needs a new grade.
• Climbing style also elevates the level of difficulty. Climbers should take into account both the style they practice and the grade when choosing an ascent path. For example, traditional climbing (or “trad” climbing) involves inserting and removing bolts and protective gear as you climb. In free soloing, climbers forgo all protective and climbing gear apart from climbing shoes and a chalk bag. Other styles of rock climbing include aid climbing, belay, ice climbing, free climbing,
• The difficulty level varies by climber. Even the strongest climber will struggle on some terrains if they’re shorter and can’t handle long reaches. Personal, physical, and psychological conditions inevitably play a role in any climb.

To determine the grade, climbers first look at the route difficulty and compare it to similar routes. They examine the angle of a big wall, size, and the number of holds, which are relatively easy to ascertain. Other factors are not as simple, such as rock friction, low angle slabs, orientation to the sun, and the condition of the route, which are best examined by experiencing the climb.

• Sunlight can make a difference in grading. Exposure to the sun can make a rock climb hard to read, while shade may hide elements from view. The sun’s movement throughout the day may change the difficulty of a climb. Weather, in general, has a significant effect, as cold, dry weather holds are generally preferable to humid air or summer heat.
• Terrain affects climbing style and impacts the climbing grade. For example, peak limestone is known for being “sticky damp,” which is the combination of the right temperature and humidity to make every hold feel perfectly solid.
• First-time climbers should seek out their local gym. Climbing and bouldering gyms have route setters, who specifically design quality replications of outdoor climbs at various climbing and bouldering grades.

There are both internationally accepted climbing grades and local grading systems. It’s helpful to understand at least a few, and how they compare to one another, before trekking to a route that’s too advanced.

1. 1. British trad grade: This grade system determines the overall difficulty by examining how trad climbing is used, and the hardest single move on the path. It breaks down into three grades: the adjectival grade (which assesses the route as easy, moderate, difficult, extremely difficult, severe, very severe, very hard severe, and extremely severe), the technical grade (which analyzes the single most challenging move on the route using a number-letter scale of 1 to >7b), and the combined British trad grade (which combines the previous two give an overall assessment of the route).
2. 2. UIAA grade: The official grade scale of the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation is used primarily in Germany and eastern Europe. This system usually applies to fully-bolted sport routes and indoor routes. The scoring ranges from 1-12 (12 being the most difficult) with plus and minus symbols.
3. 3. French sport grade: Sport climbing is climbing with bolts already placed throughout the rock, so climbers can focus on the strength and movements, and less on setting up gear. This French system is also used internationally for sport climbing with a mix of numbers and the first three letters of the alphabet to create a range of 1 to 9c.
4. 4. Fontainebleau boulder grade: This commonly-used system was developed in Fontainebleau, France, where bouldering is relatively common and is also known as the "font" scale. It uses the same 1 to 9c range as the French sport grade, but also adds a plus sign. If there is a lowercase “f” in front of a grade, that number is for the French sport grade, while a capital “F” ahead of the score signifies the Fontainebleau boulder grade.
5. 5. Saxon Switzerland grade: This scale is based on the UIAA grade but utilizes Roman numbers and the grade set by the first ascensionist. Subdivisions from grade VII are made with the addition of the first three letters of the alphabet. This scale is used exclusively in east Germany and the Czech Republic around the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.
6. 6. American scale: This grading system is exclusive to North America, and it’s used in climbing areas such as Hueco Tanks and Yosemite National Park. The scale ranges from 1-5.15, with expert climbs ranging higher. From 1-4, the scale covers walks that steadily increase in difficulty. At 5.0 and higher are the true climbing representations, with 5.4-5.7 suitable for first-time climbers, and higher grades for very difficult rock climbs. Since the 5 never changes, grades are often referred to simply by the decimal half of the grade. This scale also utilizes suffixes for safety, including G (the safest routes), PG-13 (safe for most climbers), R (stands for runout, or the possibility of a dangerous fall because of lack of protection), and X (extreme, where falling is likely to result in serious injury or possibly death).
7. 7. Scandinavian grade: This system is based on the UIAA grade, but uses a lower number for a similar level seen on the UIAA system. To differentiate between Scandinavian and UIAA, the former uses whole numbers while the latter uses Roman numerals.

Other grading scales include ice and mixed climbing, Yosemite decimal system for free climbing, Australian system, and the Hueco system (also known as the “V” scale) for bouldering grades.

Attempting climbing grade conversion from different rating systems can be overwhelming for a beginner, but the most common systems have some similarities.

• Similar numbers: The UIAA, the French scale, and Saxon Switzerland grades range all start at 1 and peak at 9-12, with the middle range of difficulty generally being fairly close.
• American scale: The American scale also falls into the above trend when looking solely at the second half of the grade. So, instead of a scale of 1-12, the American scale reads as 5.1-5.15 before hitting expert level grades. The .1-.12 numbers align with the 1-12 scores of the aforementioned systems.
• Commonalities for boulderers: For boulderers, the Fontainebleau grades are most common, along with the Hueco or V Scale. The Fontainebleau grades have a similar range as the trad climbing scales, generally ranging from 1-8, while the V scale uses letters V, B, and O, before adding numbers 1 and up starting at intermediate difficulty level.

While a sport climb and boulder climb may have comparable scores, that does not mean that the same climber could tackle both. These two styles of climbing are different and so it is just as important to be aware of the kind of climbing as it is the difficulty level. The same can be said for trad climbing and ice climbing.

Climbing is a high-impact activity with an elevated risk of serious injury. Practice, proper guidance, and extensive safety precautions are essential when attempting a climbing pursuit. This article is for educational and informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional instruction or guidance.

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