Indoor climbing grades explained
V-grade, French or Font? Have indoor grades got you scratching your head? Here's an overview of what to expect at the wall...
Getting to grips with grades
Grades can feel pretty mystifying if you're new climbing. If you've arrived at the wall, you'll probably have noticed an assortment of different numbers, letters and/or colours around the start of a rope climbing route or boulder problem, these indicate the grade of the climb, meaning its level of difficulty. These might be on tags that are attached to the wall or they may be written directly on the wall. Some walls also use a QR code system which works with apps and allows you to track what climbs you've done and their grades! These will usually be attached to the wall on a tag.
Different walls sometimes use slightly different grading systems or variations on a system, but typically walls in the UK will use French sport grades for roped climbing and either Font or V-grades for bouldering. Most walls have signage explaining the system they use but don't hesitate to ask a member of staff if you're not sure.
So, what are the systems and where do they come from? Read on...
The different grading systems
The grades you'll usually see at UK climbing walls are based on those used for outdoor bouldering and sport climbing. For bouldering, these include:
FONT GRADES
This system originates from the bouldering mecca of Fontainebleau in France and is one of the oldest known systems, traced back to at least 1960. Fontainebleau is a vast area of sandstone boulders located in a forest setting just south of Paris, renowned for being the birthplace of bouldering.
The Font grading system is an open-ended scale (meaning there is no top-level of difficulty) that begins at 1A. Font grades comprise of a number and a letter A, B or C. Difficulty is measured by the increase in numerical value and alphabetical progression, and pluses (+) are added to indicate further difficulty! For example, you could say that 1A is easy, 1B is a harder, 1B+ just a little harder than that, and 1C the hardest of all four. After 1C+, the scale begins again at 2, starting with 2A. You will sometimes see Font grades prefixed with a capital 'F' or 'fb', for example, F5B or fb5B.
V-GRADES
V-grades or the V-scale (also sometimes called the 'Hueco' scale) was established in 1991 by American bouldering pioneer John 'Verm' Sherman - that's where the V comes from! Sherman used the scale to grade problems in his book Hueco Tanks Climbing and Bouldering Guide. Rumour has it that his publisher wouldn't go ahead with the book without some sort of scale being used! V-grades start at V0 and the scale is open-ended with numerical value indicating increased difficulty.
Fun fact: The hardest established boulder problem, Burden Of Dreams in Lappnor, Finland, is graded F9A or V17.
WATCH: Building up confidence for bouldering
For roped climbing or 'sport', the system is a little different:
FRENCH SPORT GRADES
Also called the 'French Numerical System', this scale is used to indicate the difficulty of a roped climb. Again, the origins of the scale are in outdoor climbing and the system is open-ended, though it's a little less clear where the scale begins. Routes graded lower than 4 do exist, but are uncommon.
The system once again uses a numerical and alphabetical value in ascending order to indicate difficulty, and a '+' is used to further refine the difficulty rating. In order of difficulty, for example, you might find 6a to be the easiest and 6a+ to be a little harder than that. 6b would be harder still, getting tricker at 6b+, then 6c, and so on.
This is the system you will find on lead climbs, top-ropes and autobelays at indoor walls.
Remember: Note the capitalisation of the letter in Font and French sport grades. Font grades are always a capital letter (6A), while sport grades are lower case (6a).
Where do colours come in?
Some bouldering walls will organise their climbs into grade categories called 'circuits'. A circuit can be a group of climbs of the same grade, or a collection of climbs that span two or three grades. Some walls indicate a circuit by using only one colour hold. For example, a grade range of V0-V2 might all be set using purple holds, while V3-V5 might be all yellow. It's important to note that not all walls do this, so a circuit may not be colour coded. If in doubt, ask! Climbing wall staff will always be on hand to help.
Can grades vary between walls?
In short, yes. Grades are subjective to both the climber and route setter and it's difficult to standardise. For the most part, grades should feel similar from wall to wall, but try not to get hung up on this!
Do climbing grades matter?
Grades should act as an indicator of what is a safe level of challenge and enjoyment for you and can be part of healthy goal-setting if you're looking to progress your climbing. Grades can also be used as a reference point to reduce the risk of injury, particularly to fingers. Harder routes will often require more finger strength, which is something that has to be gained incrementally by newer climbers.
WATCH: How to lead climb indoors
Top tips
- All the numbers and letters can be overwhelming when you're just starting out. Try not to be overwhelmed or compare your own grade level to what others are climbing. Climbing is a personal journey and everyone starts somewhere.
- If you're feeling unsure, choose routes or problems that appeal to you because of their style, level of challenge or simply because they look fun. Consider the grade in terms of injury prevention, and then climb for the fun of it!
- Always ask. Climbing wall staff are trained to help and will have an in-depth understanding of whichever grading system they use. If you're totally new to the wall, you'll need to do a quick induction where a staff member will explain how things work and rules to follow for your own and other people's safety.
Serious Climbing - BMC Official Climbing Hold and Wall Supplier
Serious Climbing, a distributor of climbing holds and walls, is our ‘Official Climbing Hold and Wall Supplier’ of the BMC. As a significant player in the sector, both nationally and internationally, they will be supplying holds, macros and volumes across the BMC’s national events series.
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