#101 Grades and difficulty

The diversity of mountain disciplines has given rise to a diversity of grading systems, used to assess the difficulty of a route before committing to it. This page presents the most widespread and most useful ones for gauging your level and tracking your progress. See also the #101 - Mountain vocabulary for definitions of the related terms.

Commitment grade

The commitment grade describes the physical intensity and overall risk level of an outing. It appears in guidebooks and lets you evaluate your physical and psychological level. The most widespread scale is that of the American National Climbing Classification System (NCCS). It takes into account the duration of the ascent, the number of difficult pitches, the maximum difficulty encountered, the level of commitment and potential route-finding difficulties.

• I: outing of a few hours, variable technical difficulty.
• II: half-day outing, variable technical difficulty.
• III: full day on the technical section, variable difficulty.
• IV: long day on the technical section; hardest pitch no harder than 5.7 (Yosemite scale).
• V: a day and a half on the technical section; hardest pitch at least 5.8.
• VI: several days with difficult sections requiring climbing and/or aid.

The site CampToCamp.org uses a similar scale (I to VI) which has the advantage of factoring in objective hazards separately via an X1 to X5 index, covering natural avalanches, serac falls, rockfall and fragile rock.

Climbing grades

France

The French free-climbing grading scale assesses the maximum difficulty encountered on a route. It combines a number and a letter (a, b or c), sometimes followed by a "+". The system is open-ended, with no fixed upper limit.

• 1: walking on a steep trail.
• 2: walking with occasional use of the hands for balance.
• 3: progression where the hands are used to pull yourself up; a rope is possible but not mandatory.
• 4 to 9: roped climbing.
• 4a to 5b: easy climbing — large, obvious holds, straightforward line.
• 5c to 6a: moderate difficulty — moves more demanding in strength and balance.
• 6a+ to 7a+: advanced level — requires regular practice, precise technique, finger strength.
• 7b to 9b+: expert level — dedicated athletes, intensive training several times a week.

North America

The Yosemite scale (YDS) is the reference system in the United States and Canada. It is divided into five classes.

• Class 1: simple walking.
• Class 2: light scrambling, occasional use of the hands.
• Class 3: scrambling, hands needed for balance. A fall is not fatal.
• Class 4: the boundary between difficult scrambling and easy climbing. A fall can be fatal; a rope is often used.
• Class 5: technical climbing, divided into subclasses:
• 5.0 to 5.7: beginner.
• 5.8 to 5.9: amateur climber.
• 5.10 to 5.11: experienced amateur (can be subdivided from 5.10a to 5.10d).
• 5.12 to 5.15: advanced to professional level (can be subdivided from 5.12a to 5.12d).

The suffixes R** (runout, widely spaced protection, long fall possible) and X** (very insufficient protection, potentially fatal fall) can accompany the grade to indicate the level of risk.

Aid climbing

The aid grade describes how easy it is to place protection and its ability to hold a fall. It combines a letter (A = all means allowed, C = clean, without damaging the rock) and a number from 0 to 5.

• A0/C0: no protection needed to progress.
• A1/C1: excellent placements, each piece theoretically holds a fall.
• A2/C2: good placements but few in number or hard to use. {color="blue"}
• A3/C3: difficult placements, falls of more than 20 m possible. {color="red_bg"}
• A4/C4: precarious placements, a fall with serious consequences.
• A5/C5: no solid protection, catastrophic fall.

Bouldering

Bouldering mainly uses two scales. The Sherman scale (V-Scale) runs from V0 (easy) to V16 (nearly impossible). The Bleau scale (France) follows a logic close to the free-climbing grade, with uppercase letters. Equivalences between the two systems vary from area to area.

Ice climbing

Ice climbing grades combine a commitment level (Roman numeral, I to VII) and a technical level written WI (Water Ice) followed by a number from 1 to 7+.

• I: short, simple route, close to an escape route.
• II: one or two pitches with few objective hazards.
• III: several pitches, a few hours to a full day, possible exposure to avalanches.

Mountaineering grades

The French alpine scale assesses the overall difficulty of a route, taking into account technicality, exposure and commitment.

• F (Easy): glacier or gently angled snow, little technique required.
• PD (Slightly Difficult): a few technical sections, moderate glacier.
• AD (Fairly Difficult): steep slopes, rock or mixed sections, for experienced practitioners.
• D (Difficult): sustained rock or ice, serious commitment.
• TD (Very Difficult): long, technical, committing, remote terrain.
• ED (Extremely Difficult): continuous difficulties, maximum commitment. Sub-levels ED1, ED2, etc. refine the grade.

Hiking and trekking grades

The hiking grade used in France pairs the letter T with a number from 1 to 5, complemented by an exposure scale from E1 to E4.

• T1: hiking. Well-marked trail, flat or gently sloping terrain. No experience required.
• T2: mountain hiking. Continuous trail, occasionally steep terrain. Sure-footedness recommended, trekking footwear.
• T3: demanding hiking. Trail not always visible, occasional use of the hands. Exposed sections. Solid mountain experience recommended.
• T4: alpine hiking. Tracks sometimes absent, hands necessary. Exposed terrain: grass, rock, easy snowfields. Stiff boots essential.
• T5: demanding alpine hiking. Route often without tracks. Exposed, steep terrain, climbing sections up to grade 2 at most. Alpine gear and techniques occasionally required.

The associated exposure scale:

• E1: a fall is always possible but a slide stops easily.
• E2: a slide can continue for a few dozen meters.
• E3: a slide not stopped immediately → violent impact, serious or fatal injuries.
• E4: falling is not an option — near-certain risk of death.

Ski grades

Coming soon.