No 186, June 15, 1999
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Climbing by numbers
Climbing defies numbers, but that doesn't keep us from trying to rate difficulty. In the United States, our difficulty grades are a modified version of the original Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), where hiking was called class 1 and 2, scrambling class 3 and 4, technical free climbing class 5, and aid climbing class 6 (now classified with "A" ratings).
Originally subdivided into 5.0 through 5.9, 5th-class grades quickly outgrew these boundaries and broke out of decimal mode into 5.10, 5.11, up to 5.14 and rising. It's now normal to subdivide the upper grades into + and - or a, b,
c, and d.
Grades generally apply to the average male body type. Hand size can make a huge difference in crack-climbing areas, where a petit woman may be forced to offwidth a wide hand crack, or may get perfect finger locks in a nightmare "tips" layback. Short climbers may be shut down on thuggy, reachy climbs, but may dance up tiny, closely spaced crimps that baffle a more massive climber. If a pitch is pumpy, it'll be graded harder than its hardest moves; a steep and sustained 5.12 may have no single move harder than 5.10. Grades apply to the hardest single pitch of a climb.
Unprotected, dangerous climbing will get the same grade as if you made the same moves with a bolt at your waist. Some areas, however, use additional notations like "pd" (protection difficult), "R" and "X" (dangerous and deadly, respectively), or "s" and "vs" (serious and very serious) to warn the leader.
Grades in foreign countries will be baffling at first, though all but the British systems generally follow the above rules. The two-part British system gives the single-move difficulty 4a, 5c, etc. and an overall grade that accounts for sustained climbing and protection difficulties S (severe), VS (very severe), HVS (hard very severe), and XS or E (extremely severe), with "E" grades extending from E1 to about E9.
Length grades
In addition to single-pitch difficulty, long climbs may be given a Roman numeral overall or length grade, which factors in the remoteness of the route and its continuousness. Inconsistently applied, varying between areas, changing with the times, and often disputed, these grades are vague at best. In general:
- Grade I and II: Short crag routes. These ratings are seldom used.
- Grade III: "Half-day" outings. Note that Grade III climbs might be free-soloed by an expert in under an hour, or get an inexperienced team benighted. Examples: Diedre, Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire; T2, Eldorado Canyon, Colorado; Royal Arches, Yosemite, California.
- Grade IV: Full-day climbs, generally with 5.10 or harder climbing, often involving aid. Many parties will have no problem getting benighted on a Grade IV if they're climbing inefficiently. Examples: VMC Direct, Cannon, New Hampshire; Traditional Route, Whitesides, North Carolina; The Scenic Cruise, Black Canyon, Colorado; East Buttress
of El Cap, Yosemite.
- Grade V: "Wall" routes start here. Grade V's usually provide a good long day for experts going light, while aid routes may take two to three days if done "wall style." Grade Vs ascend major, difficult rock features; routes under 1000 feet must have exceptionally difficult or serious climbing. Examples: D1, the Diamond, Colorado; Moonlight Buttress, Zion, Utah; West Face of Sentinel, Yosemite.
- Grade VI: "Big walls." With the exception of speed ascents in civilized wall playgrounds like Yosemite Valley, Grade VI's are major multi-
day affairs. Times even for "normal" ascents vary greatly within the grade three days for the mostly free Nose of El Cap, seven for the nearby Mescalito, which is mostly aid. Some aid climbing is almost always required on Grade VI climbs. Examples: The Nose, Salathé, and Zodiac on El Capitan, Yosemite; West Face of North Howser Tower, Bugaboos, British Columbia; The Radiator and Peyote Dreams, Streaked Wall, Zion; North Face of Mount Hooker, Wind Rivers, Wyoming.
- Grade VII: Extreme and remote alpine big walls. This is a relatively
new grade, not well defined. It seems to be the consensus that a
climb within a few miles of any road cannot be Grade VII regardless of its difficulty or danger, and remote climbs must involve 10 days or more of extreme climbing, with massive logistical problems on approach, descent, and on the wall itself all accompanied by threat of severe storms and other mountain hazards. Examples: The Great and Secret Show, Polar Sun Spire, Baffin Island; The Grand Voyage, Great Trango Tower, Pakistan; Slovenian Direct, East Face of Cerro Torre, Patagonia.
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