Mixed Climbing Grades

Grades. Every climber knows that they're subjective and imprecise. However, we still need a way to compare routes by difficulty both to choose appropriate objectives and for spraying.

The M grading system was introduced by Jeff Lowe in the 1990's. This open-ended system is relatively simple, but the application of it is not. It's sensible that M grades are fairly consistent at the crag because there are fewer variables. In the mountains consistency is harder to come by. Weather, the availability of protection and your skill at finding and placing it, and your route finding ability are just a few of the factors that effect perceived difficulty. In the winter the presence and absence of snow and ice and the quality of that snow and ice has a profound effect on how hard a climb feels.

Rock that is covered in new soft snow is generally going to feel more difficult and be slower to climb, as well as maybe getting your gloves pretty wet. A gully or couloir that's filled with firm snow will be much easier to climb as well as safer, because the choss accumulated there will be held in place. Small rocks or plants can be a godsend when frozen in place in a crack. When they're not frozen they can lead to dubious tool placements or sketchy gear. If it's warm enough to use your bare hands on the rock (and the holds are big enough) that can be a lot faster and easier than using your tools, but not always. 

Sometimes a route has both an M grade and a YDS grade. It usually indicates that the first ascensionists wanted to be very precise about when they used tools on the rock and when they used bare hands (or maybe even rock shoes). 

Below is the M grade description agreed upon by the American Alpine Club in 2004, as well as conversion charts from three guidebooks which very roughly compare a YDS grade with an M grade.  The "plus four" conversion rate - where you add 4 to the M number to get what it should feel like as a YDS climb - generally works for M7 and under.

 

From Eastern Sierra Ice, 2010.

 

From An Ice Climbers Guide To Northern New England, 2002.
 
From Waterfall Ice Climbs in the Canadian Rockies, 2002.

From Winter Cragging In The Canadian Rockies, 2022.

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