One of the most common ways of measuring the grade of a climb is the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS).
There are five classes in the Yosemite Decimal System. The class is number before the decimal. Class 1 is like walking down the street. If you fall you were either pushed or were not paying attention. Class 2 is like walking up a hiking trail, rocky beach, or sloping hill. If you fall you might hurt yourself but not seriously. Class 3 is equivalent to scrambling up large boulders using your hands to help you get up. If you fall you might break a bone. Class 4 is when you are using your hands and feet to ascend. It is recommended to use a rope and safety equipment because if you fall from a large height you will sustain serious injuries. Class 5 is what is generally thought of as rock climbing. It is required to have a rope, safety equipment, and other climbing gear. You are using technical maneuvers with your hands and feet. If you fall, you are dead or very seriously injured. Under class 5 there are subdivisions depending on how hard a climb is. A basic guide of the subdivisions: 5.5 easy, 5.10 medium, 5.12 hard, >5.14 Extremely hard. There are all of the numbers in between these numbers as well as further subdivision with A, B, C, and D. (5.11, 5.13b, etc. ).
Also included in YDS is the Grade of a climb. This is written using a Roman Numeral. The Grade of a climb is meant to give a general idea of how long a climb will take.
Grade I ----1-2 Hours
Grade II---- Less than a half of a day
Grade III---- Half day
Grade IV---- Full day
Grade V ----Two days
Grade VI ----Multiple days
Grade VII ----More than a week
There is also a protection rating included in the YDS. The Yosemite Decimal System Protection Ratings tell climbers how well the route is protected using either fixed or placed protection. This
rating, combined with the class rating (5.9, 5.10a, etc) helps the climber assess if the climb is worth the risk and if a fall is likely according to the climber's ability level. The ratings are as follows:
G: good, solid protection. If using proper climbing techniques, the climb is very safe.
PG: Pretty good protection. A few moves might leave the climber exposed to a dangerous fall, but overall the climb is safe.
PG-13: Shaky protection. The climber may have to climb high above the last piece of protection, but a fall will most likely not be fatal or cause serious injury.
R: Poor protection, or "runout." The climber will have to climb very high above his/her protection, and a fall from such location will result in death or serious injury. Make sure you have health insurance before climbing!
X: Extremely dangerous. Very, very poor protection available. Do not fall - ever - because a fall will likely cause death.
There is also similar rating scale for bouldering. VO-V3 is easy, V4-V5 is medium, V6-V9 is hard, V10-V15 is very hard. The "V" is short for John "Vermin" Sherman.
There are other systems, but this is the most common system that I have seen used in climbing gyms in the United States.
There are five classes in the Yosemite Decimal System. The class is number before the decimal. Class 1 is like walking down the street. If you fall you were either pushed or were not paying attention. Class 2 is like walking up a hiking trail, rocky beach, or sloping hill. If you fall you might hurt yourself but not seriously. Class 3 is equivalent to scrambling up large boulders using your hands to help you get up. If you fall you might break a bone. Class 4 is when you are using your hands and feet to ascend. It is recommended to use a rope and safety equipment because if you fall from a large height you will sustain serious injuries. Class 5 is what is generally thought of as rock climbing. It is required to have a rope, safety equipment, and other climbing gear. You are using technical maneuvers with your hands and feet. If you fall, you are dead or very seriously injured. Under class 5 there are subdivisions depending on how hard a climb is. A basic guide of the subdivisions: 5.5 easy, 5.10 medium, 5.12 hard, >5.14 Extremely hard. There are all of the numbers in between these numbers as well as further subdivision with A, B, C, and D. (5.11, 5.13b, etc. ).
Also included in YDS is the Grade of a climb. This is written using a Roman Numeral. The Grade of a climb is meant to give a general idea of how long a climb will take.
Grade I ----1-2 Hours
Grade II---- Less than a half of a day
Grade III---- Half day
Grade IV---- Full day
Grade V ----Two days
Grade VI ----Multiple days
Grade VII ----More than a week
There is also a protection rating included in the YDS. The Yosemite Decimal System Protection Ratings tell climbers how well the route is protected using either fixed or placed protection. This
rating, combined with the class rating (5.9, 5.10a, etc) helps the climber assess if the climb is worth the risk and if a fall is likely according to the climber's ability level. The ratings are as follows:
G: good, solid protection. If using proper climbing techniques, the climb is very safe.
PG: Pretty good protection. A few moves might leave the climber exposed to a dangerous fall, but overall the climb is safe.
PG-13: Shaky protection. The climber may have to climb high above the last piece of protection, but a fall will most likely not be fatal or cause serious injury.
R: Poor protection, or "runout." The climber will have to climb very high above his/her protection, and a fall from such location will result in death or serious injury. Make sure you have health insurance before climbing!
X: Extremely dangerous. Very, very poor protection available. Do not fall - ever - because a fall will likely cause death.
There is also similar rating scale for bouldering. VO-V3 is easy, V4-V5 is medium, V6-V9 is hard, V10-V15 is very hard. The "V" is short for John "Vermin" Sherman.
There are other systems, but this is the most common system that I have seen used in climbing gyms in the United States.
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