British trad climbing grades. The Rockfax grade tables offer a flexible and accurate comparison from the main world grading systems to the unique British Trad Grade and UK Tech Grade. The two parts identify two distinct route characteristics. For grade comparisons, the Rockfax grade tables are a useful guide. See the Rockfax grade table presented below for the full list. Many areas in the world have developed different systems. 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. Each adjectival grade has a normal technical grade range associated with it. Free, instant climbing grade converter to help you understand foreign grading systems. The system for grading traditionally protected climbs in BMC guides is the traditional, two-part British grade, a combination of the adjectival and technical grades. Though they may look similar, the UK trad and French grades do not align as they were developed at different times and in different places. The adjectival grades range from Easy to E11, while the technical grades range from 3 to 7b. This table contains just a few of the different roped climbing grading scales; for simplicity’s sake, we’ll stick to the main ones! In the UK, you’ll find the French sport grades (left column) and British trad grades. There are grade systems for bouldering, grade systems for sport climbing, grade systems for aid climbing and so on but even grade systems for the same style don’t always translate well between each other. Compare sports climbing grades across different systems. Universal grade conversion Back to contents In general, theCrag displays grades as they are entered and in the area specific context. ). Meaning that for example if you look at a crag in Australia you will most likely see sport and trad climbing grades displayed in Ewbanks and bouldering grades in V-scale. UK grades, French system and US grading. Scary doesn’t necessarily mean lethal, however, and subsequent videos of the crux whip have highlighted the wiggle room within the E11 grade. Mar 27, 2020 · Get some trad climbing gear: https://bit. ly/3bxzYx4 Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of British Trad climbing grades. Climbing Grade Converter Easily convert climbing grades between different systems including French, Yosemite, UIAA, British, and much more. This is a numerical value, usually starting from 4 and going up to 7, followed by a letter ‘a’, ‘b’ or ‘c’ and which follows the adjectival grade. Get help comparing bouldering, sport, and trad climbing grades. Aug 26, 2007 · The British Trad Grade appears to be a mystery to those used to other systems and is thought to be the most versatile system by those who use it regularly. Sep 24, 2025 · Although bolted sport climbs tend to be given a single French grade, traditional climbs in Britain are graded using two figures, an adjectival and a technical grade. Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), Font, French, Alpine, British Trad, British Tech—the list goes on. Mar 25, 2024 · Learn how to convert climbing grades, common challenges, and resources for accurate conversions. Yosemite Decimal System, French, UIAA, British UK, British Trad Grade, and Australian. British (Traditional): this complex system includes two grades: the adjectival grade (overall difficulty) and the technical grade (specific moves' difficulty). Most grade systems are specific to a certain style. . Online Conversion Tool for Climbing Grades & Bouldering Grades: Trad Grade, UIAA, French Sport Grade, Boulder Grades, American Scale & many more. 14. UIAA grades are used mainly in Germany and around Europe for trad, though there are country-specific grading systems about. Including Grade Wike & Table. British climber Ian Parnell wrote in his guide to Scottish winter climbing that Scottish grades are almost two levels above M-grades, and thus a Scottish (VIII, 8) is similar to an M6; but that an onsight of a Scottish VIII, 8 using traditional climbing protection, would be similar in difficulty to a bolted sport climbing M8. Learn everything about the grading systems used in rock climbing. Australian: used in Australia and New Zealand, this system ranges from 1 (easiest) to 35 Convert rock climbing grades between French, YDS, British, and UIAA systems. Feb 26, 2021 · Roped climbing As roped climbing evolved in separate countries across the world, so different grade systems appeared, most of which are frustratingly difficult to compare. Jun 5, 2023 · The British trad climbing grades sort of combines these into one all-encompassing grade that theoretically should show the overall difficulty of a route as well as a difficult section on the route. Dec 10, 2021 · British Trad Grades and Gritstone Climbing: A Primer British trad grades are unlike climbing grades anywhere else in the world. In practice it is now only used for traditionally protected routes (routes where you hand-place your own gear or where there is only very limited fixed protection - bolts, pegs, threads). Jul 10, 2024 · In terms of trad, there's the British Traditional Grading System, which begins by using adjectives (such as ‘Moderate’ or ‘Difficult’) to describe the severity of the climb as a whole and then reverts to an ascending numbered grade beginning with an ‘E’ (so, E1, E2, E3 etc. 13c) onwards were set on single-pitch sport-climbing routes. Mar 19, 2024 · Neil Gresham explains the often-baffling British grading system—and why the “eGrader” app can keep it afloat. Traditional climbing was once the dominant form of free climbing but since the mid-1980s, sport climbing — and its related form of competition climbing — became more popular for single pitch routes, and all technical grade milestones from 8a+ (5. Dec 10, 2019 · Looking first at British trad grades and starting with the technical grade. For route climbing, trad and bouldering. ) once things get a little harder. Don't know your VDiff from your HVS? Jun 15, 2022 · E11, for those unfamiliar with British trad-climbing grades, is a fearsome number that roughly translates to scary 5. Jan 28, 2022 · While both sport climbing and trad climbing share the same YDS grading system, the techniques involved in crack climbing with gear versus face climbing on expansion bolts make comparing route grades somewhat tricky. Apr 10, 2025 · Confusingly, the British technical grade system used for trad climbing looks very similar to the French grading system, which is used for sport climbing in much of Europe, including Britain. Oct 18, 2021 · Trad Climbing tends to stick to the YDS – Yosemite Decimal System – for Trad and Sport, and the UK uses British Trad Grades. If you look at a crag in France, you will most likely see sport and trad climbing grades Jun 5, 2023 · The British trad climbing grades sort of combines these into one all-encompassing grade that theoretically should show the overall difficulty of a route as well as a difficult section on the route. How to recognise a dangerous route from the British Rock climbing grades are a means of estimating the difficulty of a climb. The British Trad Climbing Grades also incorporate additional descriptors, such as "a" (aid climbing) and "tech" (technical), to provide more context about the nature of the climb. Dec 28, 2024 · The British trad rock climbing grades start at Moderate (M) and go through to Extreme 1-11 (E1, E2, E3 etc. vkom6 juiow 2o3 rffx pbzic zn50 cr85og fqp4 jc6t wr9