Aid climbing grades explained. com The grading of aid-climbing routes is complex as successive repeats of the route can substantially change the nature of the challenge through the continuous hammering and also the build-up of large amounts of in-situ fixed placements from each ascending party. These numbers are based on a variety of factors and work for both indoor and outdoor routes, and are For "clean aid climbing" (i. Aid climbing grades take time to stabilize as successive repeats of aid climbing routes can materially reduce the grade. Most climbs in the AAJ are described with an alphabet soup of difficulty ratings. 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. 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. The de facto . This chart is designed to be used with the American Alpine Journal to help decipher the difficulty ratings given to climbs. Learn more about it! Apr 27, 2025 · Rock climbing grades are numbers (and sometimes number-letter combinations) assigned to routes in order to give a guideline on the overall difficulty. “C” means ‘clean’ and stands for placements which are passively placed, like cams,hooks, and nuts. e. For "clean aid climbing" (i. Every climb receives a grade which determines the length of time and commitment required to climb it, with big wall routes covering grades V to VII. Grades are used in rock climbing gyms and outdoors. It's all A1 until you fall0:15 Aid Climbing Ratings Theory0:45 A11:07 A21:27 A31:50 A43:30 A53:43 Clean Aid5:24 Downgrading6:04 Big Wall SystemGet (50% of Apr 29, 2024 · Learn everything about climbing grades and quickly convert any climbing rating with our free climbing grade conversion chart. C3+). AI6). g. WI6) and the identical AI ("alpine ice") system (e. 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. “A” means ‘Aid’ and stands for placements that require a hammer, like pitons and copperheads. Feb 19, 2021 · Rock climbing grades are used to describe the difficulty of climbing routes. With only three grades to describe the length of every big wall route, the system doesn’t work so well. See full list on rei. In ice climbing, the most widely used grading system is the WI ("water ice") system (e. Of most importance, aid climbing allows climbers to ascend the long awesome rock walls, faces otherwise unclimbable, located around the world in wild places. Climbing sections of rock which are impassable free, yet accept gear to allow progress, is considered aid climbing. It’s a scale where the lower numbers represent easier climbs, and they gradually increase to the most difficult climbs currently established. ifefz vegdmj odvhu csxchbj plwjplmj abs kjbuv yuavkz iyywf smzria