wilpolt@pbsvax.DEC (Carrie Wilpolt) (08/28/85)
From *i(Fifty Classic Climbs in North America), Sierra Club Books, 1979:
pages 306 & 307
"An Explanation of the Rating System
"The system used to rate the difficulty of individual pitches on
the climbs in this book was developed by European mountaineers in the 1920s.
Refined in California after WWII, the Sierra Club System separates those
climbs which can be accomplished without artificial aids into the five
categories explained below.
"Class 1 climbing requires only simple hiking. Class 2 encompasses
rough, off-trail hiking where the hands occasionally are used for balance.
Class 3 climbing requires the use of handholds and footholds; the consequences
of a fall are such that an unsteady climber will feel more secure if he
or she uses a rope.
"Class 4 usually involves steep rock, much smaller holds, and great
exposure. Whereas a class 3 fall may result in a broken leg, an unroped
fall on a class 4 section may well be fatal; therefore ropes should be carried
and used. A thorough knowledge of knots, belay techniques, and rappelling
is obligatory.
"Class 5, which for the rockclimber is subdivided into thirteen
categories of increasing difficulty (5.0, 5.1 . . . 5.11, 5.12), consists
of difficult climbing requireing protection. This protection can take the
form of the flakes and natural projections common on most high-mountain
routes, where the rock often is severely weathered. On more monolithic
rock, such as that found in Yosemite Valley, chocks or pitons must be placed
in cracks. In general, a class 5 climb is quite steep, and the available
holds, often less than an inch wide, must be searched out. Jamming and
liebacking techniques come into play, and proficient rope management is
mandatory. No climber should venture onto such a climb unless he or she
has received proper instruction in belaying.
"As mentioned earlier, the class 1-5 system is used only to rate
free routes-- those done without direct aid. To rate individual aid pitches,
the letter "A" is used in conjunction with a numeral from 1 to 5. A1
designates the easiest type of aid climbing, where pitons or chocks can
be inserted rapidly into perfectly shaped cracks. A5 involves difficult
and insecure placements, and the chances of a piton or chock slipping out
when the climber's weight is applied are extremely high.
"A third type of rating also is applied to climbs. Roman numerals
from I to VI designate the Grade of a route; a Grade number gives a rough
indication of the overall difficulty to be found. Such factors as route
length, commitment, strenuousness, and continuity are taken into consideration.
Grades I and II are relatively easy and can be accomplished in a few hours.
Grades III and IV indicate committing routes which generally take most
of a day. Grades V and VI are extreme "big-wall" climbs usually requiring
several days. Developed in Yosemite Valley in the late 1950s, this overall
rating system works well for pure rock climbs. Several guidebook writers
have used the system to indicate the difficulty of snow-and-ice climbs as
well, though some confusion has resulted from this practice. For example,
should one compare a route on El Capitan with a route on Mt. McKinley when
the climbing problems and dangers differ so radically? Many climbers believe
one should not, and therefore we have not rated the snoe-and-ice climbs
in this book (primaily those in Alaska and the Yukon). Perhaps a different
and more accurate system for grading alpine routes will be developed in
the future."
***
I can't believe I typed that whole thing in.
Another fine description can be found in *i(Learning to Rock Climb),
by Michael Loughman (Sierra Club Books, 1981). I *highly* recommend
this book, by the way. Here's a summary of the section titled "Rating
Climbs":
North American Grade system (as described above) introduced by Mark Powell in
Yosemite in late 50s. "It should be noted that European climbers use exactly
the same designations, Grades I through VI, though in a very different sense--
one that parallels the decimal system described subsequently."
Classes 1-6 devised in 30s by Sierra Club mountaineers. Class 6 supplanted
by the symbol A or Aid Climbing. (More detail given...)
Decimal system devised at Tahquitz Rock in Southern California, early 50s,
to clarify difficulty of class 5 routes. At the time, the system went only
to 5.9. Later, as climber's skills increased, more difficult routes were
achieveable, thus the need for additional designations 5.10, 5.11, and so
forth. (Even more detail given...)
Happy climbing. Next week, we discuss whitewater classifications
(just kidding).
--carrie wilpolt (novice climber, novice kayaker, novice eventer, ...)
wilpolt@dec-hudson
617-443-2299 {decvax...} !decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-pbsvax!wilpolt