Australian climbing grades. 14b to French, 5. ioTips for Using Climbing Grade Conversions Understand the Context: grades are subjective and can vary based on region, climbing style, and even the conditions on the day you climb. Our experienced setters create challenging and fun routes that cater to every climbing grade in Australia. Climbing Grade Conversion Chart (International). For example, the climb is graded 17R instead of just 17. 5 14b 5. There is so much conjecture of grades of routes, and boulder problems are worse as the moves are Australian climbing began pushing into higher grades in the late 1950s with the first grade 17. Climbing grades from “8” through to “22” under the “Ewbank” grading system used in Australia. COM 6B 6B+ 7B 8B CRUX RAN 16 to YDS, 16 to French, 16 to UIAA, 16 to British UK. But as the popularity of rock climbing burgeons globally, understanding the intricacies of climbing grades has become more confusing. Understand bouldering, sport, and trad climbing grades for accurate conversions. C guide to understanding ‘compound grades’. S. 8: Intermediate climbing that requires some skill on small handholds and footholds. The difficulties are listed in increasing order of difficulty. International Climbing Grade Conversion Chart The following is a very rough conversion I've pieced together by averaging other sources. Our Ultimate Guide to Climbing Grades provides it all! A continent of crags, diverse in terms of rock types and climbing styles. Explore the sheer endless climbing opportunities here on the world's largest rock climbing and bouldering platform. It lists climbing grades from 1 to 9c (the highest level) under each system to demonstrate equivalencies between the different scales. Jun 5, 2023 · What Are Bouldering Grades? Similar to any type of climbing, bouldering is graded with a series of numbers and letters. The climbing grades system is an important part of climbing. The hardest route in Australia is a 35, which is equivalent to a UIAA XII or French 9a. The V scale is a grading system used in bouldering to assign a difficulty rating to a problem. its super confusing because at certain points the french bouldering and climbing grades are similar, but at both ends they diverge pretty significantly. Sport Climbing The UK uses the French system of grading sport routes, which are climbs protected by bolts - generally when you’re climbing indoors or on bolted climbs outdoors. The actual climbing scale starts from grade 11, as per the definition only then the real climbing with hands and feet begins. 13d, also known as 8b in the French grading system, is considered to be exceptionally challenging and requires a legendary level of experience. 3/5. 2 5. Climbing & Bouldering Scale Converter for Trad Grade, UIAA, French Sport Grade, American Scale More info on the grades of sport climbing, bouldering, ice climbing & technical climbing! Jul 16, 2025 · The complete climbers guide to bouldering grades is here! Everything you need to know from history to training tips to send your project! The rock climbing grade 5. Rock Climbing Grade Conversion Chart French 6b 9b Yosemite 5. Jun 26, 2025 · News Congratulations - Australian 2025 Youth World Championship Team 04 Jul 2025 12:15 PM Welcome Rebecca (Beck) Hamilton – SCA's New CEO 26 Jun 2025 11:28 AM Together with the rock climbing community theCrag has developed and continues to develop a comprehensive and intuitive coverage of grades in the system. 12d 5. Consider the Climbing Style: sport climbing, traditional climbing, and bouldering can have different grading nuances. See the tables below to see what the numbers mean, with international rock climbing grades comparisons ranging from novice to super elite! Explore the Australian grading system: Understand high school and university grades, compare international equivalents, and navigate variations across states with our comprehensive guide. The rock climbing grade 5. Australian 23 28 31 33 35 37 39 UIAA IX+/X- Xll+ 6b Hueco/V Font/Bleau Bouldering Grades vo- vo VI 4 CRUX RANGE. Feb 15, 2011 · Hi Can someone help me understand the grading system in Britain. and metric measuring systems, other countries’ climbing systems are distinct: Germany, England, France and Australia all have their own gradings. It is part of the Ewbank system, which is also used for traditional and sport climbing in Australia. We feel this is much better captured in our new grading system. g. Universal grade conversion Back to contents In general, theCrag displays grades as they are entered and in the area specific context. 10c, also known as French grade 6b, is considered to be a difficult level of climbing. 11a, also known as 6c in the French grading system, is a challenging grade that requires expert level skills and experience. 5. Know what's up! Understand the standard scale systems of climbing grades and bouldering ratings with Pelican's ultimate guide. Make sure you’re comparing apples to The above appears courtesy of the American Alpine Journal. But the role of climbing grades stretches beyond mere progress tracking. One of the most critical aspects of the sport is understanding and navigating the grading systems that classify the difficulty of climbs. To tackle routes at this grade, climbers should be comfortable with various climbing styles, including slab climbing, vertical faces, and small overhangs. 11b, also known as 6c in the French grading system, is a challenging grade that requires expert level skills and experience. Sep 13, 2023 · Regional and International Variations Bouldering grades can vary significantly between regions and even within different climbing areas within the same country. This guide delves deep into the world of rock climbing grades, offering insights into their origins, variations, and how they compare internationally Mar 25, 2024 · Explore the ins and outs of climbing grade conversion with tips, challenges, and resources. In the 'Experienced' range (approx grades 19-24) Arapiles is particularly blessed. Apr 27, 2025 · The Class 5 category of technical climbing is then further broken down into the climbing ratings for the YDS: 5. 4 5 10b 5. Feb 4, 2015 · I don’t recommend that you blindly trust this table – there can be differences from country to country or even between climbing areas. The grades of Perth boulder problems are about right when compared to this and other areas I have bouldered outdoors in (NZ, Sydney, Tassie and Victoria). Understanding Climbing Grade Conversion Comparing Bouldering Grades When it comes to comparing bouldering grades, it’s essential to understand the differences between the various grading systems used in different regions Route Climbing Much like the difference between U. 12a at one old school crag, will be more like a 5. Come and climb with us today! Jul 25, 2022 · Every climber has their personal strengths and weaknesses. Please visit them on the web at www. 1-5. In this article, we will break down the various grading systems used in indoor climbing, including V-scale for bouldering and Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) for roped Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. 11c, also known as 6c+ in the French grading system, is a challenging grade that requires a high level of expertise and experience in sports climbing or lead climbing. This style allows climbers to focus on their movement and technique without the added challenge of placing their own gear. Read now! The rock climbing grade 5. 10 to YDS, 10 to French, 10 to UIAA, 10 to British UK. 11-5. It was developed by John “Vermin” Sherman in the 1990s and is the current system used in Australian outdoor bouldering. 15b 5. See the tables below to see what the numbers mean, with international rock climbing grades comparisons ranging from novice to super elite! Australian Grade In bouldering, the Australian Grade refers to a system used in Australia to rate the difficulty of climbing routes. com Below you will find a table that compares the different climbing grades across the five most popular systems. Together with the rock climbing community theCrag has developed and continues to develop a comprehensive and intuitive coverage of grades in the system. Our secret (or maybe not so secret anymore) tip for Rather, progression in climbing also includes improving on weaknesses, developing new climbing techniques, learning new climbing styles, and increasing confidence on the wall. This grade is suitable for advanced climbers who have a good amount of experience in lead climbing or sports climbing. Grades are used in rock climbing gyms and outdoors. This system assigns numerical values to climbing routes, ranging from 10 to 38, with higher numbers indicating greater difficulty. Feb 19, 2021 · Rock climbing grades are used to describe the difficulty of climbing routes. This grade falls under the VIII- category in the UIAA grading system and is equivalent to E3 5c in the British grading system and E4 in the British Trad Grade system. Learn about the Yosemite and French grading systems and how the two compare. Meaning that for example if you look at a crag in Australia you will most likely see sport and trad climbing grades displayed in Ewbanks and bouldering grades in V-scale. 33 to YDS, 33 to French, 33 to UIAA, 33 to British UK. 14b to UIAA, 5. 10c 5 5. Feb 1, 2024 · Description The rock climbing grade 5. Climbers attempting routes at this grade should have a solid foundation in lead climbing and sports climbing techniques. SENDY. It requires climbers to have advanced skills and experience in sports climbing or lead climbing. Sometimes the conditions and the state of the routes can also influence the grades. Read now! Climbing Grade Conversion Chart (International). Aug 18, 2017 · In this article we go over the nuances of rock climbing grades, indoor and outdoor, what they mean, and how to understand them. 13a 5 13b 5. 15d 5. Apr 29, 2024 · Learn everything about climbing grades and quickly convert any climbing rating with our free climbing grade conversion chart. 4: Easy climbing with large handholds and footholds, suitable for beginners. Instead of obsessing over the grade in the guidebook, climb routes that fit your climbing style. Australian – The system used in Australia and New Zealand is perhaps the most logical of all. What does the R mean? Sports climbing or lead climbing is the required climbing style for this grade, which involves ascending a pre-determined route using fixed protection such as bolts or anchors. Find rock climbing routes, photos, and guides for every state, along with experiences and advice from fellow climbers. 12b 5. Safety is managed using both top and bottom belay techniques. Both indoor and outdoor bouldering is graded, but you’ll find that outdoor climbing will use either the V-Scale or the Font-Scale, which are the two most common bouldering scales Jun 23, 2024 · Indoor Climbing Grades Explained Are you new to indoor climbing and feeling overwhelmed by all the different grading systems? Understanding climbing grades is essential for tracking your progress and choosing appropriate routes. ‘Compound problem’ is the term I’m using to describe what you The Australian Numerical System is used primarily in Australia and New Zealand for grading rock climbing routes. Mar 31, 2017 · Climbing grades can be confusing. Make sure you’re comparing apples to Feb 15, 2011 · Hi Can someone help me understand the grading system in Britain. Ice climbing: this Description The rock climbing grade 5. Learn more about it! The rock climbing grade 5. The easy routes are truly world-class and perhaps unrivalled for refining the art; they feature fissures for bomber placements, chicken-heads and jugs galore. C3+). 14b to British UK, 5. 9-5. If you look at a crag in France, you will most likely see sport and trad climbing grades Elementary grading: 1 + 1 = 3. The ‘F’ (French) grade of a route is how technically hard and sustained a route is. Rockfax guidebooks cover routes in areas of mixed sport and trad climbing so we tend to go for the redpoint grade in the 6c to 7a region however we do make a slight qualification of the Rockfax ‘onsight’ grade; we use the ‘first try – easiest method’ grade. May not include an ascent to the summit of a mountain. Coming from our frustrations of always trying to figure out what grading systems are used in which country and what do they mean in your own system, we have created this simple but hopefully helpfull comparison table. Before we start… Types of Climbing Climbing is a very broad term that includes many types of activities. There is a sea of grading styles worldwide for climbing, view a scale comparison, courtesy of the American Alpine Club. Yosemite Decimal System, French, UIAA, British UK, British Trad Grade, and Australian. The V in the V scale stands for “Vermin” which was John Sherman’s nickname. In addition, the skill level of the climber has also been included. 12c at a new school crag. Please remember that grading a route is very subjective to the location and the person giving the grade. Factors such as local climbing culture, unique rock types, and individual grading styles contribute to these variations. Below you will find a table that compares the different climbing grades across the five most popular systems. By Kyle Dunsire Nobody would argue that grading boulder problems is a tricky business; subjective, inconsistent and prone to variation. Just in the same way that a 5. i am trying to work out how this translates in British Grades. Note: The tool can take a few seconds to appear below. 12: Hard to difficult, technical May 31, 2020 · Everything you need to know about climbing grades in one place. Each grade conveys the difficulty of the route. Sports Climbing Grades Comparison TableConvert YDS To French To Australian For "clean aid climbing" (i. 10: Intermediate but more technical grade that may have overhangs. Maybe I'm dumb and it's all over the Internet, not sure why I had a hard time with this. In the Australian grading system, it is classified as 23. Rock climbing: this means using your hands and feet to climb up a vertical rock surface. But fret not – here is the AB. These grades provide climbers with essential information about the technical challenges, physical demands, and overall complexity of a route Aug 27, 2024 · The Extremely Severe grade is also broken down into 10 further sub-grades from E1 to E11. Free, fast, and easy-to-use climbing grade converter. Some rock climbing rating scales, such as UK trad climbing, go the extra mile by incorporating a general safety indicator for routes that are tricky to protect or pose inherent risks. 14a, also known as 8b+ in the French grading system, is considered to be exceptionally challenging and requires a legendary level of experience. Compare sports climbing grades across different systems. See the links below for alternatives. 13c 5 13d 5. org. There are many easy to mid ranged routes on offer, which makes this site well suited to all levels of climbing ability. 12c, also known as 7b+ in the French grading system, is considered to be a very challenging level of difficulty in sports climbing or lead climbing. It is only from grade 25 upwards that bolts start to kick in. Jul 25, 2025 · Understanding climbing grades is essential for safe & successful rock, ice & alpine climbs. I had a hard time finding a chart online that converts the Sherman V-grade system for bouldering into the Yosemite Decimal System for climbing. Climbing Grade Conversion This document provides a comparison of rock climbing grading systems used in France, the UIAA, the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), the British, Australian, and level of difficulty. Aug 13, 2024 · Rock climbing is a sport that combines physical strength, mental endurance, and a deep connection with nature. Here's the link if you're interested. Learning how to read indoor rock climbing routes is an essential skill to pick up as a new climber, so here’s a comprehensive guide to teach you the basics. Understanding the different grading systems & the factors that affect grades will help you make informed decisions & tackle routes that match your skill level & ambitions. The grades begin at 1 for the easiest routes and increase numerically with the difficulty. on the other hand, i think the french system, which is more holistic, reflects actual climbing performance for a particular bouldering grade better than the US system Feb 1, 2024 · Description The rock climbing grade 5. This grade is suitable for climbers with intermediate experience and a solid foundation in climbing techniques. Jun 26, 2025 · News Congratulations - Australian 2025 Youth World Championship Team 04 Jul 2025 12:15 PM Welcome Rebecca (Beck) Hamilton – SCA's New CEO 26 Jun 2025 11:28 AM International climbing grades explained Learn how to make sense of the different systems used for grading rock climbs and boulders In its starkest form we have the Australian free-climbing grading system which starts at 1 (presumably scrambling) and with successive increments of difficulty goes up as high as 34 currently, I think. 10b, also known as 6a+ in the French grading system, is considered a difficult level of climbing. Read: What Is Non Technical Climbing? Some of the rating systems in this article are used for a specific form of climbing. americanalpineclub. To successfully climb at this grade, climbers must possess May 26, 2011 · The comparison on the Australian bouldering site (it still works just has not been updated for ages) is as good as conversion as you will get. This grade requires advanced climbing skills and techniques, making it suitable for experienced climbers. Just wondering for anyone who climbs at a boulder lab gym in Australia, I know it can be difficult/inaccurate to make grading comparisons, especially because it varies from gym to gym, but what would be the rough comparison from boulder lab's 1-9 rankings compared to the V rankings in America? Mar 17, 2023 · Confusingly, both bouldering and french climbing grades use the same numerical system to grade climbing routes and boulder problems. National Climbing Classification System (USA): NCCS grades, often called “commitment grades,” indicate the time investment in a route for an “average” climbing team. At home i can Trad lead Aussie grades 16 - 18, and sport upto Grade 20. As such we welcome feedback on grades and new developments in that area. Having climbed in the USA, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, my experience is that grade conversion sheets are really only accurate to +/- 3 grade increments. but i would really like to be able to try to make some comparisns. Here we aim to shed a little light… Convert North American climbing grades to UK and European scales, and compare bouldering V-grades to roped climbs. Sep 25, 2023 · Climbing is a universal sport, spanning from remote walls in Alaska to the sunny sport climbing routes of Spain. But, throw in sit-starts and traverses, and things really seem to go pear-shaped. Aid climbing grades take time to stabilize as successive repeats of aid climbing routes can materially reduce the grade. Roped Climbing Grading Systems: YDS, The French System, and Australian Grading These three systems encompass a majority of bolted routes set around the world. This grade falls under the VIII- category in the UIAA grading system and is equivalent to E3 5c in the British UK grading system and 22 in the Australian grading system. I and II: Half a day or less for the technical (5th class) portion of… Read More »Climbing Grade Oct 23, 2023 · The Australian climbing grade system, also known as the Ewbank System, was invented in the 1960s by an Englishman who emigrated to Australia. A route beyond your skill level can be more than just frustrating—it can be hazardous. . Below you will find a table that compares the different climbing grades across the five most popular systems, that are: French – The French system is an internationally recognised system for Australian climbing grades Occasionally I’ll come across climbs in Australia and the grades have an R next to the number. e. Sports Climbing Grade Conversion Calculator. Also, view the explanation of climbing grades below (very useful for climbers new and experienced). The higher the grade, the harder the route is. To Mar 30, 2023 · Rock climbing grades Behind the grades: Grades are often debated in climbing because they aim to measure difficulty in objective terms, but the many variables in what makes a climb hard, and who is doing the climbing, make objectivity impossible. There is sport climbing at higher grades but trad is the trump card. Jan 28, 2022 · Our converter below enables easy climbing grade conversion between the world’s five most popular grading systems for free climbing. Climbing at Arapiles is a mixture of superb rock and technical moves on often steep and spectacular ground. Years of experience play a crucial role in tackling routes at this grade. At 1UP Bouldering, we pride ourselves on our expert route setting for boulderers of all levels. The free climbing grading is an open (upper) ended quantized system, from grade 1 up (the highest being 32 for now). To tackle routes at this grade, climbers must have a solid understanding of lead climbing or sports climbing techniques. i have read the forums and websites and have a reasonable grasp. This grade is suitable for climbers with advanced experience and skills in lead climbing or sports climbing. 9, also known as 5c in the French grading system, is considered a difficult level of climbing. The climbing style associated with this grade is sports climbing or lead climbing, where climbers ascend a pre-determined route using fixed bolts or anchors for protection. The numerical technical grading describes the hardest (crux) move on the climb. [8] In the 1960s John Ewbank developed the Ewbank System for grading climbs, the world's first open ended system. 10a, also known as 5C+ in the French grading system, is considered a difficult level of climbing. 10d, also known as 6b+ in the French grading system, is a challenging grade that requires a high level of expertise and experience in sports climbing or lead climbing. 5 5. The best way to approach the conversion is to travel, go climbing and get used to the different grades! Have fun! P. For a brief explanation of UK traditional climbing grades follow this link. Our climbing grades convertors (both classic routes and boulders) have been made by great climbers, traveling and climbing all around the world for more than 15 years. Knowing which climbing What's the difference between bouldering grades? The Font Scale, V Scale, what else? We explain everything in our review. The chart below shows a conversion between the Fontainebleau bouldering scale and the french climbing scale. Depending on where you climb in the UK you could find anything from a 4a to an E9 or even an HVS, and don’t get us started on the Australian, European or American grading systems. 1/5. 14b to Australian. . See full list on climbinghouse. Anyways, since I had a hard time I just made one. It uses a single number to represent the technical difficulty, length, exposure, quality of rock, and protection that contribute to the difficulty of the route. There are no equivalents of class 1 - class 4 in the Australian climbing grading (that I know of), all grades being assigned to technical rock climbs. Quickly convert climbing grades between different systems: French, YDS, UIAA, and more. aid climbing equipment is used but only where the equipment is temporary and not permanently hammered into the rock), the most common system is the C-system (e. Again the routes that are 25+ are incredibly good. What's the difference between bouldering grades? The Font Scale, V Scale, what else? We explain everything in our review. Sep 15, 2012 · Climbing grades can be a bit of mystery for those new to the sport, or indeed those visiting an area adopting a system different to that used in their home crags. 5-5. pdwdse cxb nhqhpon umyb tajkqr eusp ooze krld tgeefs cgc