Simply put, rock climbing grades describe the difficulty of a route. The main use of assigning route difficulty is to help other climbers judge whether it is suitable for their level. Climbing is rife with technical jargon, and trying to decode the abbreviations can seem daunting. However, always remember: climbing grade systems are devised by people who sleep in the dirt and live in caves. Each one is designed to be simple.
Converting Grades and Setting Goals
Converting climbing grades from one country or one type of climbing to another can be confusing. Climbers use climbing grades to test and compare their progress in the development of their climbing abilities. You might set climbing goals in terms of your ability to climb a particular grade or route, which can be motivation to train harder and get stronger.
It is common wisdom in the climbing community for beginners to advance up the grades fairly methodically when lead climbing. A lead climber who can barely lead 5.10a without a fall but who wants to push their limits to 5.11a generally will try and succeed first at leading 5.10b, 5.10c, and 5.10d routes before moving on to attempt a 5.11a.
Climbing Styles and Challenges
Climbers all have different strengths, weaknesses, and movement styles. Because of this, you may find the lower grade of two routes to be harder simply because it doesn’t suit your climbing style. On top of this, different climbing areas will have different standards, even within the same grading system.
Grades give us a general idea of the difficulty of a route, established through consensus over time relative to other climbs.
Grading Systems and Training at Home
Sport Climbing Grades
Climbers predominantly use two grading systems to determine the difficulty of roped climbing routes: The Yosemite Decimal System and the French Scale. The "5" refers to the “Class” of the hike, scramble, or climb. A "1" would be relatively flat land while a 5 is a rock wall that requires a rope and/or other gear to climb.
Exercises Beyond the Gym
If you are actively looking to start training but don’t have access to a climbing gym, I put together a couple of useful articles that detail exercises you can do at home to improve your bouldering and grip strength.
Consistency and Progress Tracking
The primary purpose of climbing grades is to provide climbers with a consistent and objective way to communicate the difficulty of a climb. They help climbers select routes that align with their skill level and allow them to track their progress as they improve.