Understanding Climbing Grades

The Subjective Nature of Grading

A grade is simply a consensus. The first person to successfully climb a route (the first ascensionist) proposes a grade. As more climbers repeat the route, they either confirm the grade or suggest it be upgraded or downgraded until a consensus is reached. Because morphological factors—like wingspan or finger size—play a massive role in climbing, a route that feels like a breeze to a tall climber might feel near-impossible to a shorter one, and vice versa. Therefore, view grades as guidelines, not scientific facts.

Roped Climbing: The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS)

In North America, roped climbing is graded using the Yosemite Decimal System. The system categorizes terrain into five classes, with Class 5 representing technical rock climbing that requires a rope.

The 5th class is further subdivided by decimals to denote difficulty:

• 5.0 – 5.7: Easy to moderate terrain. Plentiful hand and footholds. Ideal for beginners.
• 5.8 – 5.10: Intermediate terrain. The wall becomes steeper, holds become smaller, and technique becomes mandatory. At 5.10, the system introduces letter modifiers (a, b, c, d) to provide further nuance. So, 5.10a is easier than 5.10b.
• 5.11 – 5.12: Advanced terrain. Climbs are often overhanging or feature very small, technical holds. Requires dedicated strength and training.
• 5.13 – 5.15: Elite and professional terrain. Currently, the hardest sport climbs in the world max out at 5.15d, achieved by only a handful of athletes globally.

Roped Climbing: The French System

Outside of North America, the French sport grading system is widely used. It uses a number followed by a letter (a, b, or c) and optionally a '+' symbol to denote intermediate difficulties.

For rough comparison:

• A 5.9 (YDS) roughly equates to a 5c (French).
• A 5.11a (YDS) is roughly a 6b+ (French).
• A 5.13a (YDS) is roughly a 7c+ (French).
• The pinnacle 5.15d is graded 9c in the French system.

Bouldering: The V-Scale (Hueco System)

Bouldering requires a different grading scale because the difficulty is condensed. A 10-foot boulder problem might feature a single move that is harder than any individual move on a 100-foot sport route. In North America, the V-Scale is king.

• VB (Beginner): Extremely basic problems to teach movement.
• V0 – V2: Entry-level problems. Similar in physical difficulty to the crux (hardest) moves of a 5.10 or 5.11 sport climb.
• V3 – V5: Intermediate bouldering. Requires dynamic movement, specific technique (like heel hooks), and considerable finger strength.
• V6 – V10: Advanced bouldering. Dedicated projecting and training are usually required.
• V11 – V17: Elite bouldering. V17 currently represents the absolute limit of human potential in bouldering.

Bouldering: The Fontainebleau (Font) Scale

Common in Europe, the Font scale looks confusingly similar to the French sport scale but denotes completely different difficulties. It uses a number, a letter (A, B, C), and optionally a '+' sign. (Note the capital letters, which help distinguish it from sport grades).

For example, a V4 roughly equals a Font 6B or 6B+. A V10 is approximately a Font 7C+.

Don't Chase Grades

While progressing through grades is a fantastic way to measure improvement, becoming overly fixated on "grade chasing" can lead to frustration, poor technique, and injury. Focus on climbing a high volume of routes beautifully and efficiently, rather than solely trying to struggle your way up the next highest number.