subject: Rock Climbing Grades - what are rock climbing grades and how to climb 3 grades harder [print this page] Rock Climbing Grades - what are rock climbing grades and how to climb 3 grades harder
In rock climbing the term grade is used to describe the overall difficulty and danger of the climb. Rock climbers generally aspire to be able to climber harder grades as that is an accurate measure of their skills as a rock climber.
The factors that contribute to thedifficulty of a climb and thus its grade are:
The technical difficulty of the moves
The strength required
The stamina or endurance required
The level of commitment, and the difficulty of protecting the climber.
So improving as a rock climber and being able to climb at higher or harder grades is an indication not only of that persons skill as a rock climber but their overall physical shape and conditioning as well.
Tohelp confuse you the different types of rocking climbing have different types of grading systems.
For Free Climbing there is:
The Yosemite Decimal System invented by the Sierra club
The YDS class (class 1-6)
The YDS grade (grade 1-7)
The YDS protection rating
The British Grading system (used for traditional climbs)
The Adjectival Grading system (easy,moderate, etc)
The Technical Grade
UIAA
French Numeral Grades (1a,1b,1c,2a,2b, etc)
Brazillian Grading system
The Ewbank system
Then you have a seperate grading system for mountaineering which is another form of rock climbing
IFAS (International French Adjectival System)
Romanian
New Zealand
Alaskan
Then there is a grading system for Ice Climbing, a grading system for bouldering, a grade system for aid climbing!
WOW. If it was up to me there would be one grading system easy, medium, hard, very hard, and 'make your will out to me'
So once you decide on the type of rock climbing you want to pursue get familiar with their grading system so you can relate to how hard a climb you have ahead of you.
