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Alpine climbing grades reddit.
Reddit's rock climbing training community.
Alpine climbing grades reddit. Understanding the different grading systems & the factors that affect grades will help you make informed decisions & tackle routes that match your skill level & ambitions. If you’re going to be active, I’d recommend the nano airs. I remember purple being v3-4, Pink v3-5, red v4-5, white v5-v6, yellow v6+. Primary use would be long multi pitch climbing (both sport and trad) in summer and easier mixed/ice climbing in winter (think up to WI5+). Most first time climbers get up a 4a with no problem. Rock climbing grades are a means of estimating the difficulty of a climb. Dedicated to increasing all our knowledge about how to better improve at our sport. Hi all, I’m contemplating buying a new harness. Which is fine, and the right mindset for a lot of alpine terrain, but it will also hold you back from climbing routes at harder grades where falling is not super dangerous. The following descriptions approximate the average systems. I'd make sure you're very comfortable with doing slightly unconventional anchors, rappels, using twin / half ropes, emergency bailouts, and a TON of route planning in the event that you bail. However, a lot of gyms in Sweden are also softer on grading than my current gym. I found a great deal on Petzl Paso Guide 7. If you say you made the summit, but had to aid on your gear a bit, then everyone will congratulate your effort. 6 trad (lol) But more importantly than grades-- I've gone on multipitch epics, gotten lost in the desert, slept in Camp 4, climbed in the glorious alpine shadow of the Sierras, bonded incredibly close with my buddy who brought me into climbing, traveled across the world to climb, and unlocked a huge Cheers to the world’s hardest alpine crack climb The Tom Egan Memorial Route (5. I personally opted for lowering my sights and just having more fun, but if you truly want to go onsight those things and it isn't about ego, then go flail at bouldering until you can do it better. Currently live in Oregon USA -rock climb sport routes (leading up to 10a) and have basic anchor building skills. For an upcoming alpine climb in Kyrgyzstan (expected temps between 0 and -5C, ~5000m, tents) I want to lower my pack weight by getting a different sleeping bag (system). Font grades are very special and in my experience it takes a few days or even trips until you get used to how bouldering in Font works. Use this knowledge and also be flexible to link pitches or end them sooner if it makes sense based on the terrain and how things are going. The alpine grade is mainly determined by the maximum technical difficulty on the route that cannot be avoided (without using aid climbing techniques), either on rock, snow, ice, or mixed terrain. This product is "#3 in climbing ropes". Most alpine climbing you'd be doing shouldn't take more than a set of cams and a set of nuts unless you're doing big alpine rock routes like those in the Sierras. French grades start at 1, with that being very easy climbing. its super confusing because at certain points the french bouldering and climbing grades are similar, but at both ends they diverge pretty significantly. Apr 29, 2025 · Chamonix climbing areas Grading of routes in alpine climbing Although it’s possible to compare rock climbing grades and ice climbing grades from one country to another, it’s much more difficult to compare alpine grades. Good Evening, I read lots of climbing articles and often alpinists discuss the feeling of being out there on technical climbs in remote ranges worldwide. I currently have a heavy but comfortable sport climbing harness, but since my focus shifted towards alpinism, and I’ll be making a trip via plane to do some mountaineering, I require something lighter that packs small. 4, grade III. 10b sport outside when I started getting into trad, then kinda had to start over when learning on gear. A lot of stuff like this is all over amazon, products that call themselves climbing gear or something but are absolutely not safe for this purpose. If you’re comfortable at 11- in any style (Ie you climb 5. 10's and had constant finger injuries so i kinda gave up trying to improve my grade beyond that and started to try to get into alpine climbing to push myself, i ended up reading and applying steve house's book "training for the new alpinism". americanalpineclub. I want to get into alpine climbing but am not sure where to start. Now my question is this: Once I get a new partner, how well can I expect all the improvements I made Bouldering to translate over to Sport? I already noticed a . 6 multi-pitch alpine gear I see sport climbing as a way to safely push one's grade and develop sport-specific strength and skills (outside jamming). I use a light hybrid vest with a light hybrid jacket over it for when it’s really cold. com 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. Might be hiking with a pack, ski touring, alpine climbing, cragging, etc. Just thinking about the SE face of Mt Emerson for example, it's "only" 5. WI6) and the identical AI ("alpine ice") system (e. Now I’m comfy to around 5. There’s a lot of trusting your feet and You don't want to be below another group on this one; very classic Rockies choss and relatively shallow grade makes this one a bowling alley. 12 in the next season or two. Does anyone have any experience with these? I’m looking Hello! Been rock climbing for a few years and starting to get into ice climbing. 10 trad climber. However, in reality, the grade actually means very little when coupled with other factors. Summiting Matterhorn is a goal that I want to accomplish by 2020. org. Now climbing 6B/6C boulders and sometimes even almost a full 7A sport climb. Moderate alpine climbing is generally no fall territory, and you should probably be at cruising speed while moving confidently at the grade. Essentially the same skills but different disciplines, alpinism is considered the more 'pure form'. I climb the same grade on the moon board as my gym grades, despite having very little experience with board climbing. 1. I also think the difference between indoor and outdoor bouldering is far greater than with indoor/outdoor climbing. Mar 22, 2022 · Mountaineering, also referred to as mountain climbing or alpine climbing (when it takes place in the Alps), is the sport of traversing a mountain. I have experience backpacking and hiking in places like half dome, angels landing, and mt kirkjufell, but no true mountaineering experience. 10). A frosty fall ascent of Edith Cavell north face will always be the pinnacle for me after driving past it so many times. 9+ outside; Lead 5. If you get into actual alpine ice climbing you're going to use ice tools not axes which are much shorter and are curved so that both ends are in constant contact with the ice and snow for better grip. I and II: Half a day or less for the technical (5th class) portion of… Read More »Climbing Grade Climbing on easy trad routes with finicky gear and lots of ledge fall potential put me in the "leader must not fall" mindset for all of my trad climbs. I have a goal of sending an Alpine Ice route within the next 5 years and I am looking for recommendations for routes within the US or Canada that I can work towards. Just got my first pair of Ice axes and ready to go all in this winter. Generally, ice climbs are graded based on the typical difficulty of the route when it is in condition. See full list on ascentionism. During this period I mainly focussed (and will focus) on Bouldering to at least get some climbing in. The same goes for bouldering. I have questions about the difference between top rope climbing and lead climbing. So I’ve been climbing for just under 3 years, and the whole time has just been for fun recreationally and occasionally doing a competition with my school. I'd like to hear a second Yeah you should be pretty well prepared for RR. My recommendation for shooting personal climbing videos would be: A phone with good camera quality. People often misuse grades to turn climbing into competing. The Swiss Alpine Club’s (SAC) scales are the standard for rating the difficulty of high mountain tours, hiking routes, ski tours and snowshoe touring Find out more! While grades are usually applied fairly consistently across a climbing area, there are often perceived differences between grading at different climbing areas. Our Complete Guide to Ice Climbing Grades describes each level of difficulty. Getting comfortable on lead will take you pretty far, but the actual practice of identifying a route on rock, building your own anchors, getting reps in with basic skills like rappelling will definitely make the jump to alpine feel a lot more accessible. E. e. I live east of the I’ve found that the more I’ve progressed up through grades, the more I enjoy climbing. I was wondering where people (on average) max out on their grade. But I also might take year to learn ice climbing and do alpine enduro climbing. Reddit's rock climbing training community. Reply reply A slight curve can also be ok, but generally speaking it's for more special use cases. For alpine climbing, the most packable bag necessary for relatively comfortable sleep while layering up is the successful mindset. It often involves going through different types of terrains and combining skills from other disciplines (like rock climbing & ice climbing), with the goal of reaching the summit and returning down Aug 30, 2021 · Rock climbing grades can seem cryptic; we break down the most popular rating systems and explain a tradition that's existed since the 1890s. The only way to "cheat" in alpine climbing is to lie about what you did. 12 and up climbers of reddit, how long did it take you to climb these grades? Having a good background in climbing on some low grade routes and scrambles would definitely help the confidence and speed on the rock section of the approach but the route is done by relatively fit novices who barely set foot on a hill. Case in point: yesterday I went to the gym on a "rest day", without a plan except to have fun, and ended up climbing about 50 boulder problems, including five in the hardest circuit (which is way too taxing for What happens if your biggest interest is trad climbing, in which cause you can say for sure that you're climbing at a lower grade? What if you alpine climb, in which case the grade is even lower? Jul 5, 2025 · Ice is an ephemeral medium, so ice climbing grades can vary widely from the grades given for the climb & the actual climbing experience. And one might say that flow is largely about technique and being 2+ grades below maximum. Please visit them on the web at www. The home of Climbing on reddit. Back in the day the London one did give colours grades so I always still think of them like that. I’m getting to a point where I don’t necessarily want to climb harder grades but longer and more committing technical climbs. Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), Font, French, Alpine, British Trad, British Tech—the list goes on. If you say you free climbed a route, but you actually aided on the crux, then that is unethical. Because of these variables, a given climber might find a route to be either 'too hard' or 'too easy' for the grade applied. Difficulty classification in mountaineering and climbing: learn about grading systems and levels to prepare for your adventures with safety and confidence. At which grade did you start to plateau? When did you start seriously training? Especially for a newbie, pointing out the real role of grades is important: unless you are a world-class climber, the only role of grades is to help you find projects that you'll have fun on. I like to use a conversion chart like this as more of an lower limit for a route grade. Most folks find the grades there to be “soft” and there are also very liberally placed bolts. 9, but moving quickly and managing rope/terrain efficiently is the crux of climbing a grade 4 or 12 votes, 29 comments. A better breakdown would be: Snow climbing Ice climbing Rock climbing Mixed climbing (two or more of the above three on the same route) The term ‘alpine-style’ was introduced in contrast to ‘expedition-style’ to describe fast ascents of mountains without relying heavily on fixed ropes or seige tactics, and generally not using oxygen. Less gear, faster pace. Now I want to start actually training so I can push my grade outdoors and compete at a higher level indoors. How the hell did the first climbers do it without ropes? Who the hell sets the new ropes when the old ones wear out? From what it seems, if you have one minor slip, or one wrong step there is no hope, there is straight death? How do climbers go about doing these without making it a game of Jan 6, 2024 · When you start climbing, one of the trickiest things to grasp is the abundance of grading systems for different types of climbing. It covers everything from hard single pitch cragging where you're basically sport climbing on gear to sketchballs alpine climbing where the gear is mostly there so they can follow the rope to find your body. My eye fell on the Petzl Altitude and the Mammut Zephir Altitude. That sounds like a recipe for overtraining and Being honest about why you're doing this and how much risk you're willing to take is important. g. now, of course, being able to onsight (critical skill in alpine climbing) is trainable by simply doing more onsight but I noticed that, even among those climbers, many lack "flow". I live in Europe, I started climbing in January 2019 (10 months). Trad climbing is a lot broader than sport. Unlike sport climber focused activities or bouldering problems, alpine climbing often involves longer climbing routes on rock formations in remote areas. So for instance if a route is basically just a V4 boulder problem then the That's pretty regular for alpine stuff in my experience especially with folks who hate bouldering and sport climbing (I'm one of them). 7, but it took so long to get here that it feels like I’ll never be a 5. If you're just breaking into a new grade (say normally you climb V7s but breaking into V8), when would you start saying you're a "V8 climber"? I know it doesn't really matter but I'm curious to hear what people think and how to interpret it when people say this sort of thing. I'm not selecting routes primarily on this rating, but it would help to have that I’ve been climbing about 8 years, leading trad consistently for maybe 3. 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 But as climbers techniques evolved they needed higher grades for harder routes. I find that I max out around 12 hours of training per week. In ice climbing, the most widely used grading system is the WI ("water ice") system (e. I'm 31, climbing seriously for 2 years. Try to find and buy that or emulate it best you can. even so, I almost never saw them together (unless there was a phenomenal climber). I really like climbing cracks and hope to get 5. Examples of "non-climbers" climbing hard grades quickly? Inspired from a recent V11 send from Toby Segar. multi-pitch or big wall climbs) in mountainous environments. I realize this is a personal question and varies wildly person to person, but are there diminishing returns in satisfaction in proportion to effort to get to get to v13, v14, etc? comments sorted by Best Top New Controversial Q&A Add a Comment soupyhands • Additional comment actions a structured training regimen would likely benefit ya, i had hit a plateau with low 5. Any suggestions? Besides climbing I use it for backcountry ski touring. And yes we are scared of falling. I haven't tried this program yet, but I do a fairly intense strength program (The Texas Method) and check it out with a 1,000' gain with 25lbs added when I can't get out and I can tell you strength training is an amazing benefit to alpine climbing. If you think of everest as a common example, large group of mountain climbers in an expedition hauling gear between camps vs 2-3 professional alpinists trying a new route carrying only the gear they need to summit. The only “alpine” climb I’ve done is the Petit in RMNP where I followed the whole way. But the number of INYOSAR rescues from it, it's kind of staggering how in-over-their-heads people get on something like that. Gym grades are more or less in line with most other "Modern" sport grading. Nothing kills a nice day of climbing faster than someone focused on competing. Ice climbing is foundational to traditional mixed, a little less so for bolted drytooling routes but still pretty damn important. Indoor climbing is inherently safer - outdoor you are more aware of the risk you are taking (lead **Improved** Map of Mountain Project's 3+ Star Climbs (only specific grades. Many areas in the world have developed different systems. 11+ plastic. Your point about gym climbing encouraging bad tactics and habits is spot on. I'm a rock climber, but I still quite like gym climbing, and I find it hard to throttle myself in the gym. Particularly, which configurations I had seen at the crag, what I use, and what the best options were for putting more together with my current stockpile of gear. 5. I'm confused on why the free-climb grades of multi-pitch climbs on mountain proj are different from what is listed? For… Scrambling is how I got into mountaineering because on the one hand it pushes you to improve your technical climbing ability (because climbing unroped is easier when you are good at climbing with a rope!) as well as moving higher onto glaciers and snow slopes, where some of the rope-work and equipment from rock climbing also come in handy. My gym uses as lowest grade a 2, which is a kiddie-route for birthdayparties. For example, one route is rated AD (Fairly Difficult). Here my only issue with it is the lack of a dedicated avy gear compartment and sometimes I miss a zipper to access the main compartment. Alpine climbing (German: Alpinklettern) is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing techniques, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large rock, ice or snow covered climbing routes (e. Lead 5. Have necessary climbing IMO the difficulty of Alpine Trad climbing is the possibility of shit rock, not 'cleaned' routes, excess runout with traverses, rope drag, etc. Jul 5, 2025 · Understanding climbing grades is essential for safe & successful rock, ice & alpine climbs. newer iPhone models, Google Pixel or similar. AI6). This is by no means an exhaustive analysis as I have a limited amount of gear on hand, but The above appears courtesy of the American Alpine Journal. Hey all! Because of the not very dependable nature of my usual Sport Climbing partner, I am without a climbing buddy for a while now. Aid climbing grades take time to stabilize as successive repeats of aid climbing routes can materially reduce the grade. Im curious what everyone’s climbing progression/timeline has been like? How quickly did you progress from V1 to V2, and then V2 to V3 etc (not limited to bouldering grades). Background: I am an avid runner, I have multi pitch sport climbing experience and I started trad climbing this year (lead 5. Jan 28, 2022 · Climbing grades describe the objective difficulty of a climb and are organized into grading systems based on the climbing style and the region. The grade vii is meant to go Alpine clubs are cheaper and you'll get into the community and they can lend you equipment, offer to teach you on trips or organize courses and workshops, but they are not everywhere. 11 in the gunks AND elsewhere) then you can probably set your sights a little higher than 5. High Sierra alpine climbing is a totally different ballgame, and you'll know what gear you need when you're ready. 5. Nov 4, 2024 · Alpine climbing combines climbing skills with mountaineering in high-altitude environments. See link for full map) Pretty much agreed with this. Indeed, as there are many climbing styles, many grading systems have emerged throughout climbing history to cover the different types of movement and technologies climbers use to ascend varied terrains like rock, ice, and snow. Three layers meant to be kept on in that environment. 4 alpine routes. How Difficult is Climbing Denali's West Buttress? The Physical Difficulties of High-Altitude Mountaineering A Google search sums it up pretty well in my opinion. Just goes to show that sport climbing and alpine climbing are wildly different beasts. This chart is designed to be used with the American Alpine Journal to help decipher the difficulty ratings given to climbs. Is top rope climbing just like belaying or is it different somehow? With top rope climbing, the anchor is at the top of the climb, with the rope going down one side to the belayer, and the other side to the climber. Mountain Guide: this is international certification. 14), freed by Will Stanhope in 2015, was one of the casualties of the recent, massive rockfall on Snowpatch Spire, Bugaboo Provincial Park. But that's hard for me to quantify what that means in relationship to my current experience level. A smaller action camera that can be mounted on helmet or elsewhere, GoPro or similar action cameras. 12c) many 7a/+’s I’ve recently gone on a kick watching videos and reading about this subject which has gotten me thinking: Is there like a number 1 achievement in the history of alpine climbing? what is the most bat-shit insane thing that has happened? In theory, that is the intention. To quote directly from the AAC "Backcountry Sierra Nevada Get a handful of alpine draws for trad climbing to supplement your quickdraws, get more when you start climbing mountains. Good view, very moderate climbing; the first pitch or so are 5. Hey everybody. details in comments. For alpine climbing/mountaineering and big wall climbing, you'll also see grade levels in roman numerals which represent the typical length of time it takes to complete a route. It gets european alpine grade of ED2! I'm not sure how the grades convert to other systems, but the difficult crack and waterfall pitch (often cobsidered the crux) roughly equate to grade VI Scottish winter in British guides. I was cleaning up my climbing gear today after an unfortunate incident during a muddy approach, and I started thinking about alpine draws. Generally speaking, when you really start getting up into the grades the WI5/6 sections of a climb are viewed as the 'easy' parts relative to the rock bits. Very familiar with that list, as I began climbing in the Rockies and some of those routes are still little boy dream routes despite not being "world class". Which meant that when I climbed outdoor I didn't think I could specifically climb certain grades. Water Ice and Alpine Ice Grades: Ice climbing ratings are highly variable by region and are still evolving. That's when they started to use exponents in grade 5. I was watching the K2 Abruzzi Ridge documentary and the part at the 'House Chimney' just shocked me. I. Uiaa is typically for mountaineering and alpine climbs and even those often have a french route grade associated for clarifying of technical climbing sections within that big mountain. Certified Alpine climber: a hellova load of particular summer and winter ascents of certain grades and lengths and a ridiculously strict exam on a national level Alpine climbing instructor : more teaching certification on national level. It's still a pretty big deal. 11 trad, 10d sport, V3/5. This is a product I would not trust my life on, but it is being advertised as a climbing rope. 3M subscribers in the climbing community. Newer boulders in the higher grades (around 6b and up) and less popular areas have a more common grading, while older parcours boulders up to 6a might feel pretty sandbagged to climbers who are used to gym climbing. Not sure why this was downvoted - sport climbing and alpine climbing/solo-ing are not the same and just because you're a strong sport climber doesn't mean you can or should solo 5. The program in this book could be better for strength, but the overall planning system is good. Its a 3 year programme. I've nearly shat my pants on 5. The French use this system for most things (apart from bouldering, for which they use the Font scale, and big Alpine routes, for which they use the UIAA scale, and mixed sport climbing, for which they use the M scale) and the British use it for sport climbing, where seriousness isn't a factor. personally I love the K Lakes area more than the Bow Valley but YMMV. if a route boils down to just a single boulder problem (roped bouldering, something quite common where I live) then the grade of that boulder problem determines how low the route can be graded. The WI acronym implies seasonal ice; AI is often substituted for year-around Alpine Ice and may be easier than a WI grade with the same number. My point being I don't think soft gym grades are doing a disservice to climbers, if anything I think the fear of outdoor climbing being harder probably inhibits more people from performing better than the soft grades. How should I go about training for Matterhorn stateside? What’s a good mountaineering climb to do that will prepare me for Matterhorn? Learn about climbing and bouldering ratings, including how route difficulty is measured and the difference between a rating and a grade. These are averages as every climbing gym is different but I went to some major climbing gyms (Innsbruck). 4-5. i expected it to help with endurance but not much else, but after a Reddit's rock climbing training community. Also keep going into the climbing gym, is good training and you can complement it with cycling and or running for that precious leg endurance. Alpine grades take a vast amount into consideration – the length of the route, remoteness, the hardest moves on rock, the hardest moves on ice, and the overall I have recently been getting excited about the idea of doing the grand traverse and want to identify sub goals to work towards to make it happen. My most used bag is a 30°F. National Climbing Classification System (USA): NCCS grades, often called “commitment grades,” indicate the time investment in a route for an “average” climbing team. Seconded. Be realistic about your abilities. 7mm rope and am currently deciding between 60m and 70m versions. For brevity sake I'll post this like a list rather than paragraph Experience: -From Utah USA and have climbed the major peaks on the wasatch front in addition to many others. Reply reply I am not sure tbh, I climb at a relatively high grade level in sport climbing and yet I am way below that level in bouldering. 4 days ago · Since 1970, Climbing Magazine has been the voice of the climbing world, publishing climbing news, interviews, features, opinions, and advice. The capilene air with the nano air light and the M10 anorak was the sport specific alpine climbing kit. 10c in the gym; Lead 5. That being said, my layman understanding of training tells me that one would be wise to not try to both push one's grade in climbing and try to develop one's aerobic capacities and other skills associated with alpine climbing. Training for big mountain climbing, I focus on uphill work with weight. I'm interested in hearing about your first alpine climb where you thought HOLY $%&! this is out there! I'm just curious about conditions, grades, commitment, equipment, whatever that made you realize that your climb was an accomplishment International Grade Comparison Chart International rock climbing classification systems are shown in the chart at the right, and below is a comparison of Alpine, Ice, Snow, Aid, and Commitment grading systems. Great for mounting on chest mount or helmet, or creative uses like mounting on an ice tool. 6-ish but the rest is really 5. That is, the "hardest" move in a gym should be roughly as difficult as the "Hardest" move at your local sport crag, grades being equal. I was leading up to about 5. The most commonly used I'm in the market for my first twin/double rope that will be used for all of mine alpine adventures around central Europe. Climbers who live in mountain/alpine towns with an outdoors community, is there a continuous social pressure to keep pushing grades, harder routes, crazy link-ups etc? I'm starting to plan some climbing to the Cordillera Blanca, and while looking at different routes on SummitPost, I am seeing the french rating system. About me: 17 years old (climbed since 14/15) 6’3 ft tall 70kgs (154pounds) highest grade indoors is 7b+ (5. I consider myself an intermediate climber, not because of the grades but because when I attempt project level things it makes me realize I have so much gap in terms of technique and tactics. smjcdnrcittuexcohbiflqsouwdxkegkpxdfscdukcvflvt