Rock Climbing in Scotland
A Visitors Guide

ROCK CLIMBING GRADING SYSTEMs

The grading used in the UK to indicate the difficulty of a gear climb is at first sight very complicated. However, once familiar with its system it can be used to obtain a fairly accurate picture of the relative degrees of technical difficulty, seriousness (protection), sustained nature and strenuousness of the climbing.

There are two grades used in conjunction with each other:

• Firstly a numerical grade which indicates the technical difficulty of the hardest move encountered on that climb (or pitch). These start at ‘1’ and increase to the highest technical grade attained today of grade ‘7’. They are then sub-divided into three for each number graded by ‘a’, ‘b’, and ‘c’.
• Secondly, there is an overall descriptive grade ranging from Moderate to Extremely Difficult. This encompasses all aspects of the climb including the technical grade, the amount of protection, the quality of the rock, the degree of exposure and the seriousness of the climb including the options available for retreat. This overall grade gives a true indication of what to expect.

When the two grading systems are combined a detailed indication of what is in store is possible. The following table should help explain it a little better.

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