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No 186, June 15, 1999
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Rock Craft | Bouldering | Destinations | Training
Recommended Reading | Gear | Higher Education | Ratings

Open-ended debate

Most bouldering areas in the United States rate problems with the V system, developed at Hueco Tanks in the late 1980s. Prior to that, most areas used some form of the closed-ended B-system developed by bouldering pioneer John Gill.

The V system is open-ended — currently ranging from V0- to V14, but with V15 and V16 just around the corner. Success on most boulder problems usually depends more on power than endurance — on roped climbs the opposite is usually true. That is why different rating systems are used for each discipline and the reason V grades and typical Yosemite Decimal grades, used for routes, can't be directly compared. Nevertheless numerous attempts have been made, most placing V1 at 5.10+/5.11-, V5 around mid-range 5.12, and V10 at 5.14-.

Also note that because boulder problems consist of relatively few moves, the perceived difficulty of a problem can vary widely between climbers of different sizes or those with different strengths. For example, a climber with small fingers may think a crimpy problem is only V5, whereas his buddy with the Jimmy Deans thinks it's V8.

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Rock Craft | Bouldering | Destinations | Training
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