Grade systems
Six scales on one page. Equivalents are approximate: an alpine grade rates a whole route, a rock grade one move.
Convert a grade
6a+ French is about:
- Alpine (IFAS)
- ED2
- UIAA
- VII-
- YDS
- 5.10b
- Water ice
- WI5+
- Mixed
- M5
“—” means the grade is off that scale. Ice and mixed grades also depend on conditions, so treat these as a guide.
Conversion table
| UIAA | French | YDS | Alpine (IFAS) | Water ice | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I- | · | · | F- | · | · |
| I | 1 | 5.0 | F | · | · |
| I+ | · | 5.1 | F+ | · | · |
| II- | · | · | PD- | · | · |
| II | 2 | 5.2 | PD | WI1 | · |
| II+ | · | · | PD+ | · | · |
| III- | 3a | · | AD- | · | · |
| III | 3b | 5.3 | AD | WI2 | M1 |
| III+ | 3c | · | AD+ | · | · |
| IV- | · | 5.4 | D- | · | M2 |
| IV | 4a | 5.5 | D | WI3 | · |
| IV+ | 4b | · | D+ | WI3+ | M3 |
| V- | 4c | · | TD- | · | · |
| V | 5a | 5.6 | TD | · | · |
| V+ | 5b | 5.7 | TD+ | WI4 | M4 |
| VI- | · | 5.8 | ED1 | WI4+ | · |
| VI | 5c | 5.9 | · | · | · |
| VI+ | 6a | 5.10a | ED2 | WI5 | M5 |
| VII- | 6a+ | 5.10b | · | WI5+ | · |
| VII | 6b | 5.10c | ED3 | · | M6 |
| VII+ | 6b+ | 5.10d | · | WI6 | M7 |
| VIII- | 6c | 5.11a / 5.11b | ED4 | WI6+ | · |
| VIII | 6c+ | 5.11c | · | · | · |
| VIII+ | 7a | 5.11d | ED5 | WI7 | M8 |
| IX- | 7a+ | 5.12a / 5.12b | · | · | · |
| IX | 7b | 5.12c | · | · | M9 |
| IX+ | 7b+ / 7c | 5.12d | · | · | M10 |
| X- | 7c+ | 5.13a | · | · | · |
| X | 8a | 5.13b | · | · | M11 |
| X+ | 8a+ | 5.13c | · | · | M12 |
| XI- | 8b / 8b+ | 5.13d | · | · | · |
| XI | 8c | 5.14a | · | · | M13 |
| XI+ | 8c+ | 5.14b | · | · | M14 |
| XII- | 9a | 5.14c / 5.14d | · | · | · |
| XII | 9a+ | 5.15a | · | · | · |
| XII+ | 9b / 9b+ / 9c | 5.15b / 5.15c / 5.15d | · | · | · |
About the scales
- Alpine (IFAS)
- Rates a whole mountaineering route: length, commitment, objective danger and the hardest climbing. F (facile) to ED (extrêmement difficile).
- UIAA
- The technical difficulty of the hardest free move, in Roman numerals. Common in the Eastern Alps; the common scale on this page.
- French
- Sport and alpine rock grades from 1 to 9c. Alpine topos often add an obligatory grade: the hardest move you can't aid past.
- YDS
- The Yosemite Decimal System of North America: class 5 climbing from 5.0 to 5.15d.
- Water ice
- Water ice (WI1–WI7): steepness, ice quality and protection on frozen waterfalls and gullies.
- Mixed
- Mixed rock and ice with tools and crampons (M1–M14). Dry-tooling grades rise faster than they look.