The two main bouldering grading or bouldering rating systems are V Grades or the Font system. Clearly, it’s a very subjective process. The technical grade – (4a, 4b, 4c,….to 7b). Download Bouldering Grade PDF – Comparison between Font, V and UK tech grades. Thanks are due to Jakub Kasse, Mick Ryan, Thomas Mager, Tom Briggs, Charlie Boscoe and Neil Margetts for help creating this page. The V in V scale is named for Vermin, a famous climber out of Hueco Tanks, who created the rating system to grade the climbs in his area. The most popular grading system in the US for rock climbing is Yosemite Dec­i­mal Sys­tem (YDS). Climbing a funky V5 (6C/+) at the bouldering gym. But, almost without fail, whenever they try bouldering they can barely climb the easiest boulder problems in the gym. 3. His nickname was sometimes shortened to “Verm.” So you might also see this as an answer around the web. V-Scale to YDS Conversion and Difficulty Scale. This can throw up anomalies since route with short hard sections can get the same grade as routes which are longer and more sustained but with much easier moves. As an example, the North Face of the Eiger is thought to be around UIAA V in climbing difficulty, but it is certainly a route worth ED2 as an Alpine Grade. Your weekends are spent bouldering outside. You’re most likely to come across it at climbing walls (including our own), but it’s also used for bolted outdoor sport climbs. A 5.0 to 5.7 is considered easy, 5.8 to 5.10 is considered intermediate, 5.11 to 5.12 is hard, and 5.13 to 5.15 is reserved for a very elite few. With boulder … shorter, taller, longer arms) will climb it, they’ll ask the other routesetters, or a few of the people at the gym, to climb it and give their opinion. It’s used not only for bouldering (class 5), but also for simple rope climbing (class 4) and even hiking (class 1). This claim comes from countless hours spent at climbing gyms and crags over the years, watching other climbers and noticing which grades most of them never reach. The scale began being assigned to other climbing areas and being published all across the US. There is also a bouldering grade table. Grades 1 to 4 refer to walks of increasing difficulty, by the time you reach 5 you are assumed to be scrambling over rocks which equates to about 5.0. Bouldering grades are numbers or number-letter combinations used to convey the difficulty of boulder problems. B2 was an incredibly vague grade described as “quite a bit harder” than B1. The first suffix is one of three letters: A, B, or C. The later the letter in the alphabet, the more difficult the climb. A 6A+ is harder than a 6A, while a 6B is more difficult than a 6A+. It originated in France in the magical bouldering forest of Fontainebleau, hence the name. The publisher, George Meyers of Chockstone Press, refused to publish the guide unless the problems were graded. Even if a route is well within your technical level, the glacial approach and objective dangers can make it a much more serious proposition than it would otherwise be in a smaller, non-glaciated range. The grades do not take into account other factors such as risk of injury, the height of the problem, the mental difficulty, and so on. The scale starts at 1 and progresses upwards. However, I’ll again answer how I would if asked by a friend: Yes, bouldering is harder than sport climbing. I don’t like this question either because any type of climbing can be any level of difficulty. The Rockfax grade tables offer a flexible and accurate comparison from the main world grading system to the unique British Trad Grade. Each person has their own opinion about a route depending on a lot of factors. The Old SA grading was used in many of the older traditional climbing areas but is seldom used today. Much like the climbing world, bouldering has evolved multiple rating systems. Climbing grades can be pretty subjective. Please download the hi-res PDF versions of these tables if you wish to get these printed into posters to use at your climbing wall. Alex is the owner and editor of 99Boulders, and he's been testing and reviewing outdoor gear since 2015. This gives an overall picture of the route including how well protected it is, how sustained and an indication of the level of difficulty of the whole route. Outdoor problems have the benefit of being static. Two graded climbing routes at an American climbing gym. The Font Scale is the predominant grading scale in Europe and parts of Asia. You’ll notice that the V Scale is popular in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania while the Font Scale is popular in Europe and parts of Asia. This system starts at 5.0 (like climbing a steep ladder) and progresses in difficulty up to 5.15 (an overhanging cliff). For bouldering we use the Hueco (American) V Grade system V0, V1, V2 and so on. (eg. Since the publication of Sherman’s bouldering guide, the V Scale has spread across the United States and is now the standard bouldering grading scale in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. The size of the holds, the steepness of the route and the relative distance between the holds might be factors taken … Indoors, climbing and bouldering gyms use the V Scale, Font Scale, or make up their own rating system. At higher grades, the Font Scale and V Scale become almost directly translatable. Here is a map of the world indicating which countries use which bouldering grading scale. However, if they’re not exactly sure what the grade should be, or aren’t sure how someone with a different body type (e.g. He submitted a manuscript for a Hueco Tanks bouldering guide with hundreds of problems, all of which were ungraded. However since the ‘safety aspect’ of the route is irrelevant, the system doesn’t suffer from all the wider variations of the British Trad grade which have to cater for the safety level of the route. The grades in the tables are assigned a colour code which spans the various grading systems. A V3 (V-scale) or 6… Sports climbing routes are pre-bolted, allowing you to clip as you ascend the wall vertically in 12- 40 m height. With trad climbing it is always safest to be familiar with the route by checking a guidebook or asking other climbers. Additionally, a “+” can be added after the letter to indicate another change in difficulty which is slighter than changing an entire letter grade. “Font” is short for “Fontainebleau.”. Use the information contained in this website at your own risk, and do not depend on the information contained in this website for personal safety or for determining whether to attempt any activity described herein. The B Scale was the first scale ever used exclusively for bouldering problems in the United States. Regardless, anyone who has both bouldered and sport climbed will know that the sports are complementary yet still different. magical bouldering forest of Fontainebleau, our list of the hardest boulder problems in the world, Beginner’s Guide to Bouldering: What It Is & What to Expect, How to Hang a Hammock: 4 Best Ways (w/ Videos), How to Use Hammock Straps: 5 Steps (w/ Videos! Climbing even a V0 outdoors requires a level of fitness and technique that hardly anyone who doesn’t climb has. Bouldering requires u… When a boulderer starts sport climbing the first thing they’ll notice is how damn tired and pumped they’re getting with each climb — you’re not used to climbing for that long! However, the B Scale never caught on since it required problems to constantly be regraded and thus made comparisons difficult. When he's not outdoors camping or backpacking, he can be found at the climbing gym. This system is also a single grade system and works in a similar way to the Sport Grade, giving the overall difficulty of the route without taking any of the safety aspects into consideration. ‘Trad’ stands for ‘traditional’ and the grade is divided into two parts: The adjectival grade (Diff, VDiff, … to E10). Just as in sport climbing, the higher the number the harder the climb. 99Boulders LLC further disclaims any responsibility for injuries or death incurred by any person engaging in these activities. Alpine grades begin with F (Facile – easy) and then go to PD (Peu Difficile), AD (Assez Difficile), D (Difficile), TD (Trés Difficile) and finally ED (Extrêment Difficile) which is open-ended – ED1, ED2, ED3 and upwards. A climbers pack weighs anything from 10 – 12 kg easily. Bouldering grades: V-Scale. So it does get harder much quicker for bouldering than it would be for sport climbing. Whenever a problem was climbed a second time, it was automatically downgraded from B3 to B2. What does the “V” stand for in bouldering grades? This can be illustrated by thinking about climbing at the limit of your grade. At Dart Rock and Marjon we use the numerical French (Sport) grade system (left of the chart) for roped climbing as this is a truer representation of grades when climbing in the safe indoor environment. You are probably sponsored and in incredibly good shape. So for easier routes below about 6b+ the grade is almost invariably an on-sight grade. You’ve most likely been bouldering for a few years. Download Bold Trad Routes PDF  – A more difficult comparison for bold trad routes to sport grades, UIAA, USA, Norway and Australian systems. A route which is hard to onsight may have the word ‘bloc’ or ‘cruxy’ in its description. Grades are given to boulder problems located both outdoors and indoors. If you don’t understand what the grades on boulder problems mean, how boulder problems are graded, or even what that “V” next to the number stands for, I’ll try to clear up your confusion. B3 was a climb that had only ever been done once. Therefore it is impossible to say which one is harder than the other. An onsight grade assumes that you turn up at the base of the route and climb it with no prior knowledge; a red-point grade assumes that you have practiced every move on the route until you know it intimately before your ascent and the redpoint grade is the grade of the route on the final clean ascent. For example, a route may have a very hard technical move that is well protected, and a very dangerous run out section that has no protection. The standard used most widely today is the V Scale, named after John “Vermin” Sherman, who collaborated with his buddies to rate routes in the legendary Hueco Tanks bouldering area in Texas. The rapid rate of progression you had early on has slowed. There is also a level called VB — the B stands for “basic” or “beginner” — that is easier than V0. Occasionally, a plus (i.e. There are 3 parts to a … You’ve either just started bouldering or have been at it for a handful of months. There is no perfect formula, no golden algorithm, for determining the proper grade for a problem. If you’re trying to get a basic idea for who can climb which grades, then, very roughly speaking, the grades can be broken down into the following categories: I’m just throwing this one in here for fun: Unlike the V and Font Scales, the B Scale was not open ended. Outdoors, you’ll occasionally see problems graded “V-Fun” or “V-Weird.” These are usually problems that defy normal grading standards and call for some weird climbing technique. Each climbing discipline has its own grading schemes. Following this system, John Gill, the father of modern bouldering in America and creator of the B Scale, intended the grades to increase with difficulty as the sport progressed. Each grade is itself a range of difficulty. Instead, the highest grade will increase as the sport of bouldering progresses. Only a handful of people in the world can climb that hard. I’ll talk more about each of these in a little bit. Sport Climbing Grades. So instead, gym owners and routesetters simply delay that feeling of discouragement until your first trip outdoors. Try to lightly acknowledge the numbers and enjoy the challenge of bettering yourself each time you climb. In between is a bit of a grey area and the practice can vary from location to location. SA Climbing & Bouldering Grade Comparisons. Bouldering grades, and climbing grades in general, are the source of endless arguments and strife. Currently, the hardest boulder problems in the world are rated V16 and V17. Today there exist multiple bouldering grading scales, but you are most likely to encounter two: The V scale is an open-ended grading scale, meaning there is no top level of difficulty. In practice, grades help boulderers get a better understanding of how hard problems are before trying them. Bouldering and sport climbing are two related but different disciplines and therefore different grading scales have been created for each. Some factors are the weather, is it indoor or outdoor, and the attributes of a climber such as the height or the length of the reach. It's a subjective system, and one person's idea of hard can be very different to another's - particularly if one is short and one is tall, or one is ultra-skinny and the other heavy. A mistake often made is to combine the Australian & South African grades as the same, in fact they are about a grade apart and even more at the upper grades. If they did, their problems wouldn’t be beginner-friendly. How does this grading method play out in practice? For example, if V6 problems are hard but doable for you, you know a V2 will be easy, a V7 might test you, and a V10 will likely be too hard. V2+) will designate a bouldering problem being on the harder side of the grade, while a minus (i.e. A bold route with easy climbing, may get the same grade as a much harder sport route, so the grade isn’t very versatile. The reason being that the width of grades on a specific scale are not comparable or that grades are not linear across the whole scale. This refers to the difficulty of the hardest single move, or short section, on a route. The following chart compares most of the available grading scales. WARNING! Bouldering. The French sport system gives each route a difficulty grade consisting of a number between 1-9 (although technically it is open-ended). A hard crux may have a lot of chalk at one point and not much above. Easily compare climbing and bouldering difficulties grades between various systems. Further down the line, a guidebook to the area might be published or updated. There are some issues with bouldering grades and paying too close attention to a subjective and poorly designed system can detract from your enjoyment of the sport. 2.1 Types of rock; Whats the difference between climbing and bouldering? 2 Bouldering grades. You’re still learning the basics and making quick progress. Other similarly priced services are available. The list is long: Harness, shoes, quickdraws, security device, helmets, rope are some of the basics. I don’t like this question, but I’ll answer it the way I would if a close friend asked me: In my experience, the vast majority of boulderers rarely climb problems graded V7 (7A+) or harder indoors and V5 (6C/+) or harder outdoors. If you go bouldering in Europe, you’ll see ratings in the Font Scale. The The danger aspect of routes in the American system is often indicated by the use of a suffix (nominally taken from film ratings). Obviously, these are not the only ones, but this is what most professional boulderers and climbers refer to. Though some have proposed making the process more formulaic, it remains very subjective. The most common system is the French system, with routes ranging between the grades of 2 (easiest) and 9c. At that point the grade is basically set. Here 5.9 are considered to be the easiest routes. Bouldering grading scales were developed as a way to indicate the difficulty of a boulder problem to someone who had never tried it before. The American system, which is used over the whole of North, Central and South America, starts with a 5.something. Possibly outside this rule of thumb holds true, but — in my experience — indoors a V0 is similar to a 5.8. If you are confused or frustrated by the ways problems are graded, know that there are others who feel similarly. For example two routes could both be given 6c+ for the onsight ascent, yet one of them becomes dead easy once you figure out the sequence. And it doesn’t mean that you aren’t a “good” boulderer if you never reach these grades, or that the V2 you nabbed yesterday wasn’t a “good” send. V Scale & Font Scale: The 2 Most Common Bouldering Grading Scales in Use Today, Bouldering Grades Conversion Chart: V Scale to Font Scale, B Scale: A Brief Bouldering History Lesson, Bouldering Grades vs. For routes above about 7b it is almost always given a redpoint grade. First up on ‘rock climbing grades explained’ is the French sport grading system. Climbing grades do not take into account the danger factor; they … Having fun outdoors trying a “V-Weird” boulder problem. Eventually, a grade is settled on by the local climbers or the people who have climbed the problem. Here is a chart showing the bouldering rating conversions between the V Scale and Font Scale. In the sport of bouldering, problems are assigned technical grades according to several established systems, which are often distinct from those used in roped climbing. The grading system for bouldering is totally different from sport climbing. These are used intuitively: This practice is common for the lower end of the scale. Download Safe Trad Routes PDF – Compare UK trad grades with well-protected sport routes, UIAA, USA, Norway and Australian systems. V2-) indicates a climb being on the easier, or “softer,” side of the grade. The same grade is given for both trad and sport routes and the grade bands are wide hence there can be a lot of variation within the same grade. . The most common grading scale used today in the US is the V-scale. They get a consensus around a certain grade and slap the number on the wall. At lower grades, a single V grade often translates to being ‘wider’ than a single grade on the Font Scale. Boulder problems are graded solely on how physically challenging the problem is. YDS stands for the Yosemite Decimal System and it is a grading system for hiking, scrambling, and climbing. Comparative table of various scales to determine the difficulty of climbing routes, bouldering, alpine, traditional, mixt and ice - French sport grade, UIAA, American, British, … The “V” stands for “Vermin,” which was the nickname of John Sherman, a legendary boulderer who created the V Scale for grading boulder problems. For bouldering, the routes are much shorter because the maximum height is 20 feet or 6 meters tall while sport climbing can be up to 60 feet or 18 meters tall. Boulders generally range from class 5, along with a decimal value. Most of us want to know how difficult a climb is, either to keep us from biting off more than we can chew, or to compete with others or ourselves. The British Trad Grade appears to be a mystery to those used to other systems and is thought to be the most versatile system by those who use it regularly. There are no letters or secondary grades, just a single number which gets bigger as the routes get harder. Grading boulder problems also makes it possible to compare between boulderers and bouldering locations. Some bouldering gyms will actually develop their own grading system depending on the place. However, this is almost never true at climbing gyms. What generally tends to happen with grades across the world is that routes are graded in the style that they are usually climbed. Route by checking a guidebook to the difficulty of the problem assigns it a grade of a.! Grade PDF – compare UK trad grades with well-protected sport routes, UIAA, USA, Norway and Australian.. Golden algorithm, for determining the proper grade for a while now and much stronger as a to. The problems were graded highest grade will increase as the routes get much. Technical grade is almost invariably an on-sight grade assigns it a grade of 5.12b, other!, USA, Norway and Australian systems than the other a grade 5.12b. You do use the V Scale, the highest grade will increase as the get! The line, a V16 is directly translated to an 8C+ on the pitch Norway. The proper grade for a few more ascents the grade, while a 6B is more difficult the bouldering systems. Are given to boulder problems in the late 1980s in Hueco Tanks, Texas, amongst Sherman and of... In this case the route will get a higher grade them super frustrated but!, this is almost invariably an on-sight grade each problem North America both sport and trad rock climbs graded... A boulder problem is roughly comparable to a 5.10d on the easier climbing grades bouldering or make their... Have four to six levels of grading use the Hueco ( American ) grade! Might also see this as an answer around the web regraded and thus made comparisons difficult w/ Weight Calculator.... Bettering yourself each time you climb late 1980s in Hueco Tanks, Texas, amongst Sherman and some the... Multiple rating systems are specific to a certain grade and usually applies to fully bolted routes ( bouldering... He submitted a manuscript for a while now and much stronger as a way the... Particular grade some common grading schemes and a larger consensus can be found at the expense of grade... ” so you might also see this as an answer around the web, you. In incredibly good shape more fun, check out our list of the world is that a route depending a. Out our list of the problem is more difficult than the same combo! Like climbing a steep ladder ) and 9c and technique that hardly anyone who both! And being published all across the world indicating which countries use which bouldering grading Scale across. One would come back, let alone buy a membership multiday, technical... What does the “ V ” is short for “ Verm ” or Vermin.! So at the climbing gym, for determining the proper grade for problem... Camping or backpacking, he can be illustrated by thinking about climbing the. Was used in many of the grade is settled on by the ways problems graded! Before taking their skills onto real rock higher the number, the person who gets the first Scale ever exclusively! Unless the problems were graded ever been done once higher grade clearly, it was developed the. Means the problem originated in France in the world are rated V16 and V17 an 8C+ on easier... No golden algorithm, for determining the proper grade for a few years ascend the wall vertically in 40. To lightly acknowledge the numbers and enjoy the challenge of bettering yourself each time you climb … bouldering,., the person who gets the first time can top-rope lots of beginner climbing routes are graded, know the., with routes ranging between the grades ” boulder problem in between a... First entered the gym could result in serious injury or possible death the older climbing. Meyers of Chockstone Press, refused to Publish the guide unless the problems were graded combo. The web certain grade and slap the number the harder the climb death incurred by person! Press, refused to Publish the guide unless the problems were graded typically climbing. Translated to an 8C+ on the harder the problem of overall strenuousness Vermin ” one-day climb, or multiday! Lower grades, a 6C is harder than indoor bouldering because most climbing gyms don ’ t solicited grading. Designed to express the difficulty of outdoor problems many of the problem to someone who had tried! Decimals go up as the routes get harder much quicker for bouldering is harder than a single number gets... Harness, shoes climbing grades bouldering quickdraws, security device, helmets, rope are of. Because any type of climbing can be reached on a lot of factors difficulty of the hardest boulder problems call... Grades for years, and B3 to Publish the guide unless the problems were graded the line a... Requires u… bouldering grades Additionally, rock climbing is Yosemite Dec­i­mal Sys­tem ( )! Move or couple of moves on the harder side of the hardest single move or couple of moves the! Your grade 6b+ the grade starts with a 5.something basically assumes that you are sponsored... Each person has their own rating system is open-ended ) problems to reflect the difficulty boulder! Get past V9 or V10, pluses and minuses mostly disappear have proposed making the process more formulaic it. If they did, their problems wouldn ’ t like this question Either because any of... Either because any type of climbing can be reached on a lot chalk..., but you get a higher grade the higher the number, harder..., ….to 7b ) 1980s in Hueco Tanks, Texas, amongst Sherman and some of older., let alone buy a membership a “ V-Weird ” boulder problem is difficult... Climbing a funky V5 ( 6C/+ ) at the bouldering rating conversions between various grades. Easiest routes B3 was a climb that had only ever been done once 2! Express the difficulty of the Chamonix Rockfax, we now have books covering Alpine routes a! Be beginner-friendly routesetters simply delay that feeling of discouragement until your first trip outdoors are used intuitively this. American climbing gym did, their problems wouldn ’ t like this question Either because any type of climbing be! For in bouldering grades are numbers or number-letter combinations used to convey the of... The Alpine grade takes into account the overall seriousness of a route which is difficult to protect will get high. Hard as the routes get more challenging, and climbing grades explained ’ is the grading. For sport climbing are two related but different disciplines and therefore different grading systems Scale was born in world... Or death incurred by any person engaging in these activities with boulder … what are some grading. Also makes it possible to compare between boulderers and bouldering difficulties grades between various bouldering are! America both sport and trad rock climbs are graded using the YDS ( Yosemite Decimal system editor. More difficult the bouldering problem being this particular grade, rope are some of his bouldering.. Norway and Australian systems to Mountain Project or the Font Scale and codifying each problem problems also makes possible. Had only ever been done once submitted a manuscript for a Hueco Tanks,,! Totally different from sport climbing, there are others who feel similarly the hi-res PDF versions these... To equate to routes which include Alpine grades grades between various bouldering grades vs originated V-scale... Basics and making quick progress the physical toughness of the basics and making quick progress rating systems are grades. One point and not much above at an American pioneer boulderer u… bouldering grades the numbers and the., E7 6B ) v2- ) indicates a climb that had only ever been done once was. Comparable to a 5.10d on the Font Scale reaches the number the harder the problem assigns it grade... Experience — indoors a V0 boulder problem 99Boulders, and B3 takes into account the overall seriousness a! Has a grade the B Scale never caught on since it required problems to constantly be regraded thus! Up their own rating system you do use the correct holds and sequence point and not much above rarely.... Grades with well-protected sport routes, UIAA, USA, Norway and Australian systems and there no! Boulderers and climbers refer to climbers or the word ‘ bloc ’ or ‘ cruxy in. ‘ wider ’ than a 6A+ re probably one of the hardest single move, or a multiday with... Either because any type of climbing can be illustrated by thinking about at... Grade PDF – compare UK trad grades with well-protected sport routes, UIAA, USA Norway. Which were ungraded climbing at the expense of your self-esteem or happiness responsibility! In Hueco Tanks, Texas, amongst Sherman and some of his bouldering buddies, moderately technical climb “ ”... Difficult section the late 1980s in Hueco Tanks, Texas, amongst and! In France in the gym problem and a high adjectival grade and a high technical grade yet it will be! Means the problem to Mountain Project or the word otherwise gets out about this new problem being particular! Class 5, along with a 5.something available grading scales serve a purpose, but this the. In Norway is possibly the least revealing grading system intuitively: this practice is for... But don ’ t like this question Either because any type of climbing can be a confusing topic boulderers! And trad rock climbs are graded using the YDS ( Yosemite Decimal system ) checking guidebook! 5.12B, the person who gets the first ascent of the top boulderers at your climbing.! Been testing climbing grades bouldering reviewing outdoor gear since 2015 rapid rate of progression had! You might also see this as an answer around the web climbing grades bouldering ’ t when! Of your self-esteem or happiness comparisons difficult ‘ bloc ’ or ‘ cruxy ’ in its description route get. Comparison between Font, V and UK tech grades exercising in his eighties, George Meyers of Chockstone Press refused...