Two Systems
In the U.S., climbing grades are broken into two systems: the V-grade system used for bouldering, and the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) used for grading routes. Why are there two different systems? Because for many decades one style of climbing—routes—was pretty much all anyone cared about. Bouldering did not become its own discipline until the 1980s. By that time, climbers realized that the system they used for grading routes did not translate well to boulder problems. So, they created one that did.
V-grades: A Brief Guide
Invented by bouldering legend, John Sherman, in the 1980s, the V-grade system (the “V” stands for Vermin, John’s nickname in his early years, as in John “the Vermin” Sherman) has become the de facto grading system in the U.S. and a number of other countries. Envisioned as an open-ended system, V-grades are prefaced with a “V”, starting (originally) with V0 and continuing with V1, V2, V3, etc. all the way to V17, currently the hardest confirmed grade in the world. There is no limit on how large a V-grade can get so, if climbers keep getting stronger, grades will keep going up.
On the bottom end of the scale, however, a problem arose in the 1990s as climbing gyms and general awareness led to a bit of an explosion in bouldering. When Sherman created V-grades, he did so, in his own words, “just for me and my friends in Hueco.” Since John and his friends were already fairly accomplished climbers, their notion of what was an “easy” boulder problem, for instance a V0, was not necessarily the same as that of a brand-new climber.
As a result, the easiest grade on the V-scale, V0, is not technically very easy or, to be precise, is not necessarily a grade that beginner climbers would enjoy starting on. So, in the 90s, a group of boulderers added an additional grade at the bottom of the scale—VB, or “V-Beginner”—to capture the many, many fun problems that were easier than V0. And that is the system we use today.
At PRG, V-grades start at VB and top out at V17, though the vast majority will be in the range of VB to V11.
In addition to the number grades, V-grades also use a “+” and “-” modifier to indicate “harder” or “easier”. For example, a V2- is an “easy” V2, and a V3+ is a “hard” V3.
Finally, you can use the following chart as a rough to general comparison of climbing ability to V-grades:
Novice: VB- to V0+
Beginner: V1- to V2+
Intermediate: V3- to V5+
Advanced: V6- to V8
Expert: V8+ to V11+
Professional: V12 and above
Yosemite Decimal System: A Brief Guide
The Yosemite Decimal System has a long and varied history. Originally developed as a way to classify various hikes (from Class 1 – an easy flat hike – to Class 5, a sheer rock wall requiring ropes for safety), the system evolved over the years to provide a way to measure the difficulty of climbing routes, all of which were considered Class 5.
The original climbing system was developed by California climbers, and grades started a 5.0, where the ‘5’ indicated that it was an aforementioned Class 5 climb, and the number after the decimal point indicated how difficult it was. Grades continued 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 etc. and originally topped out at 5.9 (so, including 5.0, there were a total of 10 possible grades, which is why it’s a decimal system).
Unlike bouldering, the easiest grade 5.0, is not just easy, it’s so easy that it’s almost never used! The reason for this is that in the 1950s, when this system began, climbing equipment was not at the level it is today—when you are a few hundred feet off the ground, climbing in hiking boots, with little protection and a rope that might break if you fall too far, you want to know that the scariest route you can do is truly one where you will not fall.
As such, 5.9 was thought to be the hardest grade that anyone would ever climb. But advances in equipment as well as skill, soon proved the need for 5.10 and then, in the 1970s 5.11.
Around the same time, climbers began to use “+” and “-” to further refine the system, just as we do with V-grades. And, to make things even more confusing, in the 70s, a famous Yosemite Valley climber, Jim Bridwell, decided that “+” and “-” wasn’t refined enough for harder routes of the time. So, he proposed a system that broke down routes that were 5.10 or harder into four levels, marked by letters “a”, “b”, “c” and “d”, rather than “+” or “-“.
As a result, the modern system of YDS grades is an open-ended system starting at 5.0 and going up to 5.15d, with grades 5.9 and below using a “+” or “-” to indicate hard or easy (e.g 5.7+ or 5.9-), and grades 5.10 and above using “a”, “b”, “c” or “d” to indicate the same a (e.g. 5.10a is an easy 5.10, whereas 5.11d is a hard 5.11).
As confusing as this is, it is the system that is used in every climbing gym and every climbing area in the U.S. It should be noted that modern training and equipment (most notably climbing shoes with their sticky rubber and climbing ropes that are strong enough to hold an 18-wheeler) have made the easiest grades largely obsolete. So, you are unlikely to find anything graded below 5.3 in an indoor facility. Because of this, our guide below starts here, rather than at 5.0.
Novice: 5.3 to 5.5+
Beginner: 5.6- to 5.7+
Intermediate: 5.8- to 5.9+
Advanced: 5.10a to 5.11d
Expert: 5:12a to 5.13d
Professional: 5.14a to 5.15d
Some Final Notes on Grades
Now that we have covered the main points on how grades work in climbing there remain a few subtleties to keep in mind.
Grades are relative, but they are not truly subjective.
Climbing grading is technically referred to as a consensus-based system. This means that, back in the old days, grades were determined by a rigorous process of debate, argument, beer-drinking, bourbon and taunting—generally around a campfire—until everyone present reluctantly agreed on a number. That number (and letter, or symbol) became the grade that the local guidebook author would dutifully record in his next edition.
And, despite the obvious concerns with this process, it actually works quite well in practice. Once you have completed a handful of climbs in a given grade range, and developed a “sense” of that difficulty, you will find that, for number grades at least, there is remarkable reliability from one area to the next.
In other words, if you can send most 5.9s in your home gym, you will likely be able to send most 5.9s at your local crag, or even at another gym. What’s more, you will likely agree that one 5.9 is of similar difficulty to another. The same is also true for V-grades.
Unfortunately, there is a belief among some climbers that, due to this process, grades are subjective, meaning that they are merely “a matter of opinion.” This is clearly not true, however. If it were, then grades would be effectively random, and what you call a V2, someone else would call a V10 or VB, depending on entirely personal factors, like how good you felt on the day you sent it, or if you were in a bad mood, or the phases of the moon, for instance.
But, as we have discussed, this isn’t actually the case. The fact is that, with few exceptions, the vast majority of climbers generally agree on the vast majority of grades. This means that grades represent an objective measurement of difficulty, one that climbers can learn how to judge, and reliably apply to new climbs as they encounter them.
So, the issue isn’t that grades are entirely subjective—and, therefore, not useful—it’s that grades aren’t entirely precise—and, therefore, there is room for debate.
Where most debate occurs in grades is whether problems are “hard” or “easy” in the grade. While two climbers will generally agree that a given climb is 5.10 or V3, they will frequently disagree on whether that same climb is 5.10a or 5.10b, or solid V3 or V3+. One reason for this is, of course, the consensus grading approach is not very precise and does have a subjective component—i.e., perceived difficulty.
But, in addition to this, whether or not a given climb “feels hard” depends greatly on relative, but concrete, differences among climbers–notably height, weight, and reach. A V3 that has particularly long moves on it will feel harder to a climber with short arms, while a V3 with high footholds will feel easier. In addition, modern climbing gyms do not truly use a consensus-based grading system. Grades on artificial climbing walls are typically chosen by the route-setter, and rarely benefit from feedback.
As a result, we recommend that climbers take the grades in their gyms with a grain of salt, viewing them as rough guidelines, rather than precise measurements of difficulty.
Develop Your Own "Internal" Grading System
One valuable trick to measuring your personal progress more precisely and reliably is to create your own personal grade calibration. What does that mean? Well, as an example, if you are consistently sending V3s in the gym, but have a below average wing-span, it’s likely that there are occasionally V1’s that you cannot reliably do, because they have a reachy move. It you can send 9 out of 10 V3s, the tenth one may not actually be V3 for you, it might be V4 or even harder, because of that one reachy move. On the other hand, you may find that one of those V3s, is easy enough that you flashed it while the others took you multiple tries. In that case the problem may be V2+ for you, rather than V3.
Having your own calibration for grades helps you choose problems that are appropriate for your workouts and reduce your frustration.
All material is reprinted with the permission of the author. Copyright 2022 David H. Rowland. All rights reserved.
