Pat Ament (born September 3, 1946) is an American rock climber , filmmaker, musician, and artist who lives in Fruita, Colorado . Noted for first ascents in the 1960s and 1970s, he is the author of many articles and books.
99-863: Ament began climbing in 1958, and by the mid 1960s had established the first 5.11 climbs in Colorado ( Supremacy Crack ) and Yosemite ( Center Route on the Slack ). A college gymnast, he was a dedicated boulderer and put up many challenging problems on Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder, Colorado , elsewhere in Colorado and in Yosemite Valley . His climbing and bouldering companions over the years have included Royal Robbins , Bob Kamps , Don Whillans , Tom Higgins , John Gill , and Layton Kor . Ament's best-known written works are his biographies of Royal Robbins and John Gill. He wrote
198-519: A decimal point and a number that starts at 1 and counts up with increasing difficulty (e.g. 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, etc.). At 5.10, the system adds the letters "a", "b", "c", and "d" as further refinements between levels, and the scale continues upward (e.g. 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a, 5.11b, etc.,). The American YDS system is the dominant system in North America, and it and the French numerical system are
297-444: A grade that reflects the technical difficulty—and in some cases the risks and commitment level—of the route. The first ascensionist can suggest a grade, but it will be amended to reflect the consensus view of subsequent ascents. While many countries with a strong tradition of climbing developed grading systems, a small number of grading systems have become internationally dominant for each type of climbing, which has contributed to
396-662: A " chop route "). American big wall climbing routes will often include the NCCS grade (Levels I–VII) with the YDS grade (e.g. the Salathé Wall at 5.13b VI). The UIAA scale (or UIAA Scale of Difficulty) for free climbing was developed from the original "Welzenbach scale" in 1967 and uses the Roman numerals of that scale with "+" and "−" symbols for refinement between numerals after Grade III (i.e. III, IV−, IV, IV+, V−, V, V+ etc.,). Initially,
495-534: A "+" and "−" to refine each level. The UIAA also incorporated proposals made in 1943 by Lucien Devies [ fr ] and the Groupe de Haute Montagne [ fr ] on a broader "Scale of Global Assessment" for alpine climbing (the French Alpine System), and created the "UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty" by assigning Roman numerals I–VI to the six adjectival levels (e.g. F, PD, AD, D, TD, and ED) of
594-572: A compendium of ascents and climbers in his 2002 work, "Wizards of Rock: A History of Free Climbing in America," and his "Climbing Everest" is a philosophical essay, adorned with cartoons by the author. Ament is a poet and artist. He won the "Artist Award" from the Art Department of the University of Colorado in 1967. He is a photographer and has given talks around the country, illustrated with his photos. He
693-540: A curved serrated pick called the "Climax". This was followed in 1970, when Hamish MacInnes designed the all-metal aluminum alloy ice axe that had a radically dropped pick called the "Terrordactyl" (or Terror). These two ice axes revolutionized ice climbing and eventually became merged into the modern all-metal ice axe (later the ice tool) with its dropped pick but curved and serrated tip (the now familiar "banana shape"). Chouinard and McInnes' ice axes would lead to an explosion of interest in climbing on frozen waterfalls in
792-414: A falling bodyweight) versus "bombproof placements" on a given pitch. The grades were less concerned with the physical demands of the route (although there was some mention), and risk was only introduced later with A5. In the 1990s, Yosemite aid climbers created what they called a "new wave" aid grading system that expanded the range of the original UIAA system to A6 (they had already re-defined parts of
891-479: A lead climbing format on an artificial bolted wall that employs dry-tooling techniques (e.g. stein pulls and figure-four moves ), and in a speed climbing format that uses a standardized wall of real ice. Since 2010, ice climbers at Helmcken Falls in Canada have been able to use the unique characteristics of the waterfall to create new severely overhanging bolted ice climbing routes, that are graded up to WI13, and are
990-479: A range) is quoted (e.g. 60–70 degree slope). WI-grade is for "seasonal" hard ice; an AI prefix is used instead for "alpine ice", which is year-round and usually firmer, more stable, making AI-grade routes slightly easier than WI routes. In 2010, ice climbers began to put up new ice routes at Helmcken Falls in Canada that had unique characteristics. Unlike the sheerest WI7 ice routes, these routes were significantly overhanging like extreme M-graded routes. This
1089-537: A route. It is not uncommon for a new A5 route in Yosemite to become a "beaten-out A3+ route" due to the effect of repeated hammering of cracks (which widens them), and to the build-up of permanent in-situ aid climbing equipment. The original "UIAA Scale of Difficulty in Aided Climbing" system went from A0 to A5 and focused on the number and quality of "bodyweight placements" (i.e. can only take static bodyweight and not
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#17329087886501188-454: A slightly easier "VB" has been used for beginners), and increases in single-digit steps (i.e. V5, V6, V7), and was at V17 in 2023 with Burden of Dreams . The V-scale doesn't consider risk and is purely focused on the technical difficulty of the movements. The V-scale is the dominant scale in North America, and it and the Font scale are the most dominant systems worldwide; beyond the easiest grades,
1287-455: A source of several ice climber fatalities. Ice climbing routes normally don't move beyond the sheer vertical for sustained distances due to the nature of ice (i.e. ice rarely stays in an overhanging fashion for any length of time). This means that standard ice-climbing grades broadly peak at WI6-7 (i.e. WI7 being completely sheer vertical ice and with additional risk issues). In contrast, extreme mixed-climbing routes have been developed beyond
1386-458: A very similar format to the French sport grade , being an Arabic number that starts at 4 and uses the additional "a", "b", and "c" symbols for refinement between the numbers (unlike the French grades, it does not also use the "+" refinement, and simply goes: 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, ... etc.,). British climbers use the prefix "f" to distinguish French sport-grades from British technical grades, which
1485-515: Is Adam Ondra describing his 2017 redpoint of Silence , the first-ever free climb in the world to carry a grade of 9c (French), 5.15d (American), XII+ (UIAA): The climb is about 45m long, the first 20m are about 8b [French sport] climbing with a couple of really really good knee-bars. Then comes the crux boulder problem, 10 moves of 8C [French boulder]. And when I say 8C boulder problem, I really mean it. ... I reckon just linking 8C [French boulder] into 8B [French boulder] into 7C [French boulder]
1584-403: Is a 9b+ [French] sport climb, I'm pretty sure about that. In addition, boulder routes that connected various boulder problems into a single longer bouldering route have been graded as if they were sport climbs. A notable example is the 2004 boulder route The Wheel of Life , which is graded V15 (8C) as a boulder route, but also f9a (5.14d) as a sport climbing route. The Font-grade (from
1683-405: Is a frozen waterfall, particularly one that cascades down a mountain face or a down-mountain gully. Ice climbing routes can also take the form of high alpine snow-covered couloirs that are permanently frozen year-round. Giant icicles (also known as ice-daggers) have also been climbed as ice routes, and also as part of mixed routes; although such icicles can often dangerously break off and have been
1782-414: Is an even riskier undertaking, or done as top roping which is a much safer form of ice climbing and the format used for novices being introduced to the sport. Ice climbing was developed as part of the broader climbing discipline of alpine climbing , where it is still a key component of the alpinist's skill set. Where the ice climbing route does not fully consist of ice and has elements of bare rock, it
1881-427: Is closer to f7c). The V-grade (short for "Vermin" or "Verm", and also known as the "Hueco" scale) was first published in 1991 by American bouldering pioneer John "Verm" Sherman in his climbing guidebook , Hueco Tanks Climbing and Bouldering Guide . Legend is that his publisher would not print the book without some kind of rating of his 900 routes. The V-scale is an open-ended scale that starts at V0 (although
1980-489: Is done as mixed climbing (i.e. there are both ice and bare rock sections), a separate M-grading grading system is used, which goes from M1, M2, M3, ..... , M13, M14, etc. When ice climbing is done as dry-tooling , which is ice climbing on bare rock, the M-grade is replaced by a "D" prefix to denote a pure 'dry-tooling' route, however, the systems are otherwise identical. The following ice climbs are particularly notable in
2079-474: Is enough rock for the bolts) that are graded above WI7 (currently at WI13, as at 2023) in Helmcken. For decades, ice and mixed climbing were part of the alpine climbing skill set. During the 1960s, ambitious early ice climbers began to use pitons to climb harder ice routes but this was dangerous and very unstable. The breakthrough came in the 1960s when Yvon Chouinard designed a new wooden-handled ice axe with
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#17329087886502178-439: Is ensuring that the heels are neither elevated — as often required in rock climbing — or held too low; both scenarios which can result in the front teeth of the crampon shearing off from the ice and the climber losing their foothold(s). In moving upwards, ice climbers start from a balanced position with both feet exactly level, shoulder-width apart, and front-pointed into the ice, with the knees slightly bent forward and touching
2277-505: Is important as they are not equivalent (e.g. British 5c is f6b+). The secret to understanding the British E-grade system is the relationship between the two grades. For each adjectival grade there is a typical technical grade for a standard route. For example, E4 is often associated with 6a, so E4 6a means the route has a normal level of risk and other related factors for its technical level of 6a. However, E5 6a would imply that
2376-635: Is increasingly common to use a D-grade to indicate dry-tooling . Some M-graded routes in "dry" areas (i.e. places like the American Rockies, but not Scotland), are more of a combination of a WI-graded ice route with a D-graded dry-tooling route. The most dominant ice climbing system is the WI (for "water ice") grading system. WI-grades broadly equate to the mixed climbing M-grades from WI1 up to WI6/WI7, but after M6/M7, mixed climbs become overhanging, which ice does not. WI-grades try to take some account of
2475-444: Is known as mixed climbing . Where the route has no ice whatsoever, but the climber still uses the ice tools and crampons, it is known as dry-tooling . Because mixed climbing and dry-tooling routes can be fully bolted , like sport climbing rock climbing routes, they have become popular as safer alternatives to traditional ice climbing routes. Ice climbing can take on a broad range of climbing routes . A common type of ice route
2574-466: Is known as "Scottish Winter climbing" and uses a dual-grading system – similar to the British E-grade – with a Roman numeral denoting the "overall" difficulty (e.g. technical challenge, length, and the level of boldness/physicality/stamina required). A second Arabic number grades the technical difficulty of the hardest move on the route. A climb graded (VI, 6) means the difficulty of the hardest move
2673-468: Is no allowance for any risks in the route, and thus the French system is more closely aligned with sport climbing (i.e. where pre-bolted protection removes some risk). It is less common to find traditional climbing routes graded by the French system, and thus it is also called the French sport grade . To avoid confusion between French grades and the British E-grades, a lowercase "f" (for French)
2772-557: Is placed after the "C" if fixed gear (e.g. bolts) is required to go clean (or hammerless). The most dominant system internationally for ice climbing is the WI-grade, while the most dominant international system for mixed climbing is the M-grade (with the Scottish Winter grade also notable given the unique nature of Scottish mixed routes). Where a route has no ice, and not even the "thin ice coating" common on Scottish Winter routes, it
2871-508: Is similar to an M6; but that an onsight of a Scottish VIII, 8 using traditional climbing protection, would be similar in difficulty to a bolted sport climbing M8. The most important grading system in mountaineering is the International French Adjectival System (IFAS) (or French Alpine System, FAS), which is also effectively the "UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty" (they are the same, only differing in labels), and which
2970-546: Is some variation and no consensus that such comparisons are valid. When mixed climbing is done as pure dry-tooling , which is ice climbing on bare rock with no ice section, the M-grade is usually replaced by a "D" grade prefix (but all other aspects of the two systems are identical). The most extreme dry-tooling route in 2023 is Parallel World (D16) in the "Tomorrow's World Cave" in the Dolomites . Mixed climbing in Scotland
3069-417: Is standard for the overall grade, whereas a climb graded (VI, 8) denotes the hardest move is above the overall grade. This dual grade is needed as Scottish winter climbs use traditional climbing protection, placing greater strains on the climber. British climber Ian Parnell wrote in his guide to Scottish winter climbing that Scottish grades are almost two levels above M-grades, and thus a Scottish (VIII, 8)
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3168-463: Is still common (e.g. The Nose on El Capitan is graded '5.9 (American) C2 (aid)' with aid, but an extremely difficult '5.14a (American)' without any aid; guidebooks will mark such routes as '5.9 & C2 (5.14a)', with the no-aid/fully free option in brackets. The grade of an aid climbing route can change materially over time due to improvements in aid equipment but also due to the impact of repeated ascents that subsequent aid climbing teams make to
3267-526: Is the dominant system in Europe, and it and the American YDS system are the most dominant systems worldwide; beyond the easiest grades, the two systems can be almost exactly aligned in comparison tables . The French system is an open-ended scale that was at 9c in 2023 with Silence . The system is only focused on the technical demands of the hardest movement on the route. Unlike the American YDS system, there
3366-487: Is the main focus of the lower-risk activity of sport climbing . The American system adds an R/X suffix to traditional climbing routes to reflect the additional risks of climbing protection . Notable traditional climbing systems include the British E-grade system (e.g. E4 6a). In bouldering (i.e. rock climbing on short routes), the most widely used systems are the American V-scale (or "Hueco") system (e.g. V14), and
3465-447: Is used as a prefix (e.g. f6a+); this should not be confused with the use of the capitalized "F" or "fb" prefix in Font boulder grades . The American YDS (or 'Yosemite Decimal System') was developed independently by climbers at Tahquitz Peak who adapted the class 5 rating of Sierra Club Class 1–5 system in the 1950s. As a result, the system has a "5" as its prefix which is then followed by
3564-442: Is used in all forms of alpine climbing around the world. Ice climbing Ice climbing is a climbing discipline that involves ascending routes consisting of frozen water. To ascend, the ice climber uses specialist equipment, particularly double ice axes (or the more modern ice tools ) and rigid crampons . To protect the route, the ice climber uses steel ice screws that require skill to employ safely and rely on
3663-448: Is very rare and usually attributed to overhanging ice with serious risk issues (i.e. unstable ice, little protection, and a risk of death). Mixed climbing has pushed the technical difficulty of ice climbing routes by crossing bare rock overhangs and roofs (using ice tools on bare rock is called dry-tooling ). Since 2002, the UIAA have regulated competition ice climbing , which is offered in
3762-638: The American YDS system (which has the R/X labels for traditional climbing routes), never came into wider use for traditional climbing outside of Britain. Within Britain, the French sport grade is more popular for British bolted sport climbing routes. As of April 2024, the highest consensus E-grade on a traditional route in Britain was on Lexicon (E11 7a) and on Rhapsody (E11 7a), which are considered equivalent to American 5.14 R or French f8b+/f8c+. Outside of Britain,
3861-587: The French Alpine System (e.g. PD, D, TD, ED), where the UIAA scale is often used to grade the free climbing component. The most complex grading system is the British E-grade system (or British trad grade ), which uses two separate open-ended grades for each route. This structure is particularly adapted to traditional climbing routes (which are more common in Britain), but it is still considered complex and unlike
3960-472: The highest consensus E-grade was Bon Voyage in Annot, France at E12, or 5.14d / 9a. The first grade is an "adjectival grade" that covers the overall difficulty of the route and takes into account the: "seriousness, sustainedness, technical difficulty, exposure, strenuousness, rock quality, and any other less tangible aspects which lend difficulty to a pitch". This adjectival grade uses the labels (starting from
4059-418: The " Fontainebleau climbing area ") is one of the oldest boulder grading systems whose origins can be traced back to at least 1960 with Michel Libert's L'Abbatoir at Fontainebleau. The Font-scale is an open-ended scale that starts at 1 and increases in single-digit steps but uses a "+" for additional refinement between steps; from grade 6 it introduces a capitalized "A", "B" and "C" for further refinement, and
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4158-495: The " R/X " suffix is used for danger. The WI-grade is for "hard ice"; steep snow slopes, which are encountered frequently on alpine climbing routes, are not explicitly graded but instead, their steepest angle (approximate figure or a range) is quoted (e.g. 60–70 degree slope). WI-grade is for "seasonal" hard ice; an AI prefix is used instead for "alpine ice", which is year-round and usually firmer, more stable, making AI-grade routes slightly easier than WI routes. In Canada,
4257-588: The "French numerical system" and the "American YDS system". The "UIAA scale" is still popular in Germany and across parts of Central Europe. Many countries with a history of free climbing have also developed their own free climbing grading systems including the British E-grade system and the Australia/New Zealand "Ewbank" system. The evolution of grade milestones in traditional climbing, and latterly sport climbing (as it took over from traditional climbing as
4356-604: The Canadian Rockies blurred the distinction between waterfall ice and alpine climbing; the Moonflower Buttress (WI6 M7 A2, 1983) in the Alaska Range applied the highest levels of ice climbing skill to a major alpine first ascent; and the list goes on. Waterfall ice climbing, though initially pursued for its own sake, ended up revolutionizing alpine climbing". By the end of the 1980s, ice climbers had effectively reached
4455-489: The D-grade prefix (e.g. D8 instead of M8). In mountaineering and alpine climbing , the greater complexity of routes requires several grades to reflect the difficulties of the various rock, ice, and mixed climbing challenges. The International French Adjectival System (IFAS, e.g.TD+)–which is identical to the "UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty" (e.g. I–VI)–is used to grade the "overall" risk and difficulty of mountain routes (with
4554-432: The French "Font" system (e.g. 8C+). The Font system often attaches an "F" prefix to further distinguish it from French sport climbing grades, which itself uses an "f" prefix (e.g. F8C+ vs. f8c+). It is increasingly common for sport climbing rock routes to describe their hardest technical movements in terms of their boulder grade (e.g. an f7a sport climbing route being described as having a V6 crux ). In aid climbing (i.e.
4653-594: The French Font-grade and the American V-grade systems. Beyond the easiest grades, the two systems can be almost exactly aligned in comparison tables . For people who have little experience with outdoor climbing, it is also noted that boulder grades on indoor climbing walls tend to feel softer than the equivalent outdoor grades up until about V10 / Font 7C+ (since people climbing at that level generally have plenty of outdoor experience). As of September 2023,
4752-481: The French system. The UIAA also incorporated a "Scale of Difficulty in Aided Climbing" for aid routes with the levels: A1, A2, A3, A4, and (later) A5. In 1978, the UIAA added the VII (seventh grade) to its "UIAA scale", implying that the scale was open-ended, a concept formally adopted in 1985. By the 1980s, French guides had customized the "UIAA scale" beyond V+ with the letters "a", "b", and c" (e.g. V+, VIa, VIb, etc.). At
4851-446: The IWC speed-climbing routes are on a standardized 40–50 ft (12–15 m) wall of ice that takes seconds for top roped ice climbers to complete (as per speed rock climbing). Over the years, the UIAA has increased the regulation and use around competition ice climbing equipment, including the prohibition of leashes on ice tools (so they cannot be used as aid), and increased controls on
4950-595: The North American Rockies and in the European Alps. Ice climber and climbing author Raphael Slawinski wrote in the American Alpine Journal : "By the early 1980s ice climbing, from being merely one of the techniques in the alpinist's arsenal, had evolved into a full-blown technical art. The skills gained on waterfalls also gave rise to a whole new generation of alpine climbs. Slipstream (WI4+, 1979) in
5049-414: The UIAA runs two main competition ice climbing events, the annual Ice Climbing World Cup (which is run as a series of events in the year) and the bi-annual Ice Climbing World Championships (a single, once-off, competition). Most of the IWC lead climbing routes are held on bolted dry artificial surfaces and thus employ dry-tooling techniques (e.g. stein pulls and figure-four moves ). In contrast,
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#17329087886505148-437: The UIAA scale was closed-ended and went from Grade I (easiest) up to Grade VI (hardest), where it stopped. In 1978, the "seventh grade" was added—though climbers had been climbing at that level for years—and by 1985 it was formally made into an open-ended scale that went beyond Grade VII. The UIAA scale is closely aligned with the French system up to Grade V+, which is French grade 6a, but thereafter begins to diverge, although
5247-420: The UIAA system), and introduced an intermediate "+" grade from A2 onwards for specific tricky or strenuous sections, and gave more detailed definitions at each grading level than the original A-grades. When the original or the "new wave" aid climbs can be ascended without the use of a hammer (for pitons or copperheads), the "A" suffix is replaced by a "C" to denote "clean climbing". In Yosemite, an "F" suffix
5346-573: The WI prefix is sometimes dropped from the grade, and for longer multi-pitch ice routes, a " commitment grade " (a Roman numeral from I to VII) is also added to reflect the seriousness of the overall undertaking (e.g. the grade of a Canadian ice route can appear as III-5) The following WI-grades and descriptions are provided by the American Alpine Club (republished in 2013) who note: "Ice climbing ratings are highly variable by region and are still evolving. ... The following descriptions approximate
5445-402: The average systems:": Additional comment is from Will Gadd . In 2010, ice climbers Tim Emmett and Will Gadd began to put up ice routes at Helmcken Falls in Canada that had unique characteristics. Unlike WI7 ice routes that rarely overhang, these routes were significantly overhanging like extreme M-graded routes. This was due to the intense spray from the active waterfall, which covered
5544-404: The difficulty in construction, the common use of V-threads is as anchor points for abseiling or belaying , and not for lead climbing. The core techniques that are used in ice climbing are considered to be straightforward for even a novice to understand, however, it takes experience and skill to apply them efficiently and safely. This is particularly relevant on very steep ice (i.e. at or above
5643-552: The difficulty of placing protection on the route but, as with M-grades, are more focused on the technical and physical challenge of the route, and are thus more akin to the French and American YDS free climbing systems, although as with the American YDS system, an " R/X " suffix is sometimes used alongside the WI-grade to grade additional risks. The WI-grade is for "hard ice"; steep snow slopes, which are encountered frequently on alpine climbing routes, are not explicitly graded but instead, their steepest angle (approximate figure or
5742-493: The easiest and level I the hardest; as more difficult climbs were made, the grades of level 0 and level 00 were added. In 1923, German mountaineer Willo Welzenbach [ de ] compressed the scale and reversed the order so level 00 became level IV–V, and it became popular in the Alps. In 1967, the "Welzenbach scale" formally became the "UIAA scale" for rock climbing (or "UIAA Scale of Difficulty") with Roman numerals I–VI, and
5841-412: The easiest): M (moderate), D (difficult), VD (very difficult), HVD (hard very difficult), S (severe), HS (hard severe), VS (very severe), and HVS (hard very severe). After HVS, the label switches to E (extreme), but then rises as E1, E2, E3, E4, ... etc., in an open-ended scale. The second grade is a "technical grade" that focuses on the hardest technical movement on the route. This technical grade has
5940-452: The end of the 1980s, French climbing guidebook author Francois Labande [ fr ] published the "French numerical scale", which replaced the UIAA Roman numerals with Arabic numerals, and where French 6a equaled UIAA VI+. The two scales were summarised as "Plaisir Grades" and aligned in a UIAA table where French grades 1–6a aligned with "UIAA scale" grades I–VI+; beyond that level,
6039-435: The entry-level Font-grade 4 / V-grade V0 is equivalent to the free climbing grades of 6a to 6a+ (French), VI to VII− (UIAA), and 5.9 to 5.10c (American YDS), depending on what table is used. This confusion is amplified by the tendency for modern sport-climbers to describe the crux moves on their routes in terms of their bouldering grades – their routes are effectively a series of connected boulder problems. For example, here
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#17329087886506138-478: The equivalent M8-grade (i.e. crossing bare overhanging rock roofs to get to the vertical hanging icicle, such as Jeff Lowe 's groundbreaking Octopussy WI6 M8 in Vail, Colorado ). In Helmcken Falls in Canada, an unusual situation arises where a perennially active waterfall keeps severely overhanging rock faces covered in thick ice, thus creating overhanging ice routes. Ice climbers have established bolted routes (there
6237-582: The filming, Ament himself took a fall, seriously injuring his leg. Pat Ament has had over a hundred articles published in mountaineering magazines, journals, and other publications. Dozens of his articles have been included in anthologies of the best climbing and mountaineering writings. His books include: Master of Rock and Spirit of the Age have been translated and published in Japanese, Italian, and Spanish. Grade (climbing) Many climbing routes have
6336-407: The grade of WI4) where inefficient technique will quickly drain the climber's energy, resulting in a potential break of the "golden rule of ice climbing", which is "don't fall". Modern ice climbing is built around the technique of front pointing , which means kicking the front spike(s) of the climber's crampon into the ice to enable the climber to ascend the face. A critical part of front-pointing
6435-428: The grade. In ice climbing , the most widely used grading system is the WI ("water ice") system (e.g. WI6) and the identical AI ("alpine ice") system (e.g. AI6). The related sport of mixed climbing (i.e. ice and dry-tool climbing) uses the M-grade system (e.g. M8), with other notable mixed grading systems including the Scottish Winter system (e.g. Grade VII). Pure dry-tooling routes (i.e. ice tools with no ice) use
6534-613: The gradient of the snow/ice fields) (e.g. the 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger is graded: ED2 (IFAS), VI− (UIAA), A0 (A-grade), WI4 (WI-grade), 60° slope). The related "commitment grade" systems include the notable American National Climbing Classification System (e.g. I–VI). In 1894, the Austrian mountaineer Fritz Benesch [ de ] introduced the first known climbing grading system, which he introduced to rock climbing. The "Benesch scale" had seven levels of difficulty, with level VII
6633-562: The hardest bouldering route in the world is Burden of Dreams in Lappnor in Finland, which is graded 9A (Font) and V17 (V-grade/Hueco), and was the first-ever boulder to reach those grades. The Font-grade system is easily confused with the French sport grade and the British E-grade systems as they use similar symbols, however, boulder grades are very different from free climbing grades and they start at much harder technical levels. For example,
6732-506: The hardest technical ice climbs in the world. Ice climbing involves using specific pieces of specialized equipment, namely ice tools and crampons , to ascend routes consisting of frozen water ice, and/or frozen snow fields. As with rock climbing , ice climbing can be done as free climbing , and performed in pairs where the lead climber inserts climbing protection into the route as they ascend. The second climber (or belayer ), removes this temporary climbing protection as they climb
6831-448: The higher axe — will bring their feet up into a "squat position" until they are again level. Once the feet are secured and front-pointed into the ice, the climber will stand up straight and will start to swing with the other axe to reach the next position of maximum extension above their body. The technique has been described as "squat-stand-swing". Ice climbing uses a WI (for "water ice") grading system. WI-grades broadly equate to
6930-429: The ice climbing WI grades, up to M6, but they then diverge as mixed routes can become very overhanging and eventually turn into roofs (ice is not normally overhanging, aside from Helmecken Falls routes). M-grades do not take into account the "danger" of the route (i.e. how good is the protection in the event of a fall) as they are mostly pre-bolted routes; they, therefore, focus on the technical and physical challenge of
7029-498: The ice climbing world around whether Helmcken-WI routes are M-grade climbs. In 2023, British ice climber Neil Gresham said that Helmcken routes are "definitely harder" than WI7 routes and that a confident M-climber will take time to adjust to the Helmcken WI-equivalent. Emmett has described Helmcken as the ice climbing equivalent of Yosemite , and it has attracted some of the world's best ice climbers. When ice climbing
7128-436: The ice holding firm in any fall. Ice climbing routes can vary significantly by type, and include seasonally frozen waterfalls, high permanently frozen alpine couloirs , and large hanging icicles . From the 1970s, ice climbing developed as a standalone skill from alpine climbing (where ice climbing skills are used on ice and snow). Ice climbing grades peak at WI6 to WI7 as ice tends to hang vertically at its most severe. WI7
7227-403: The ice. The ice axes (or ice tools) are rarely held at the same level — which can result in a very inefficient and energy-sapping "chicken wing" action — and thus there will usually be a higher axe placed at close to maximum extension above the climber and a second one placed below it (see photo opposite). Once the higher axe has been secured into the ice, the climber — resting their weight on
7326-518: The key tool for protection is the ice screw , a hollow metal threaded steel tube with cutting teeth on its base and a hanger eye on the opposite end. It is screwed into the ice and its stability is dependent both on the angle and quality of its placement and the soundness of the ice. Some ice climbs, such as in Helmcken Falls (see below), and mixed and dry-tooling routes, have enough rock to enable them to be bolted like sport climbs , avoiding
7425-583: The level and quality of the climbing protection is assessed. A suffix of "PG-13" (using the American cinema classification system ) denotes the climbing protection is adequate, and if properly placed a fall will be short (in practice, the "PG-13" is usually omitted as it is considered the default). A suffix of " R " is added where protection is inadequate and any fall could risk serious injury, and " X " for routes with little or no protection and where any fall could be very long and potentially fatal (i.e. also known as
7524-401: The limits of what could be climbed at grade WI6-7; ultimately, the inherent tendency of the medium to hang in a vertical fashion limited the possibilities for development. It was mixed climbing that began to drive development in ice climbing as pioneers like Jeff Lowe dry-tooled bare rock overhangs and roofs to get to more radical ice features, such as hanging icicles; the culmination of which
7623-607: The main focus of the leading free climbers), is an important part of the history of rock climbing . As of September 2023, the hardest free climb in the world is the sport climbing route Silence which is in the Hanshelleren Cave , in Flatanger Municipality , Norway; the severely overhanging Silence is graded 9c (French), 5.15d (American YDS), and XII+ (UIAA), and is the first-ever climb to have those grades in history. The French numerical system for free climbing
7722-450: The mixed climbing M-grades from WI1 up to WI6, but after M6, mixed climbs become overhanging, which ice does not. WI-grades try to take some account of the difficulty of placing protection on the route but, as with M-grades, are more focused on the technical and physical challenge of the route, and are thus more akin to the French and US sport climbing grades, although as with the US system,
7821-404: The most dominant systems worldwide; beyond the easiest grades, they can be exactly aligned . The American YDS system is an open-ended scale that was at 5.15d in 2023 with Silence . Like the French system, the numerical component of the American YDS system is focused on the hardest move on the route. In 1980, Jim Erickson introduced an additional rating for traditional climbing routes where
7920-489: The need for screws. As well as ice screws, the ice itself can be used for protection, with the most common technique being the Abalakov thread (or V-thread/A-thread). This consists of two intersecting tunnels bored into the ice using ice screws that form a V-shaped tunnel. A sling is threaded through this tunnel and tied into a loop. The climbing rope is passed through this sling, which remains left behind after use. Because of
8019-426: The next decade, grades were proposed up to WI13 with Mission to Mars in 2020. Emmett and Gadd consider Helmcken to be a potential Yosemite of ice climbing. The International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation (UIAA) has organized and regulated the sport of competition ice climbing since 2002 when the very first "Ice World Cup" (IWC) competition took place under the new UIAA rules and codes. Amongst others,
8118-598: The opposite of free climbing), the most widely used system is the A-grade system (e.g. A3+), which was recalibrated in the 1990s as the "new wave" system from the legacy A-grade system. For "clean aid climbing" (i.e. aid climbing equipment is used but only where the equipment is temporary and not permanently hammered into the rock), the most common system is the C-system (e.g. C3+). Aid climbing grades take time to stabilize as successive repeats of aid climbing routes can materially reduce
8217-585: The overhanging routes in ice so that there was little dry-tooling , with all the movements on hard ice. As the routes were bolted like M-grade climbs (a metal detector is used to find the bolts), Emmett and Gadd re-established the link with M-grades as a guide on the WI-grade. The result was a series of new routes that laid claim to being the new "world's technically hardest ice climbing routes", starting with Spray On at WI10 in 2010, Wolverine at WI11 in 2011, Interstellar Spice at WI12 in 2016, and Mission to Mars at WI13 in 2020. There has been debate in
8316-485: The risk is higher (i.e. closer to an American YDS "R"), while E6 6a would imply a very significant risk (i.e. like the American YDS R/X), and a rare E7 6a would be effectively no protection (i.e. a full American YDS "X", or essentially a free solo route). Similarly, E3 6a implies a well-protected route, while E2 or E1 6a would imply easily available bomb-proof protection. The two main boulder grading systems are
8415-401: The route after the lead climber has reached the top. In contrast to free rock climbing, the climbing protection used when leading ice climbing routes is based on the use of specialized steel ice screws . Ice screws require considerable experience to use properly and safely, and given that the underlying condition of the ice can change materially over time (including constantly breaking off),
8514-567: The route, and is thus more akin to the French and American free climbing rock grades, although as with the American system, the " R/X " suffix is used for danger. In his 1996 book, Ice World , mixed climbing pioneer Jeff Lowe ranked his new M-grades to the level of physical exertion needed on a free rock climb; for example, Lowe estimated that M8 was equivalent to 5.12 (American YDS). Other authors have tried to align M-grades with rock climbing grades, and now equate M8 to 5.10/5.11, however, there
8613-440: The seriousness of leading an ice climbing route is considered to be greater than that of a traditional rock climbing route. For example, while an intermediate ice climber could top rope a WI4-graded ice climbing route, leading WI4-graded route is a far more serious undertaking. In contrast to rock climbing, "the leader must not fall" ethos is a core part of ice climbing. Ice climbing can also be done as Solo climbing , which
8712-501: The six adjectival grades of the French Alpine System (to avoid confusion with the "UIAA scale") and dominated alpine climbing grading, while the UIAA "Scale of Difficulty in Aided Climbing" – amended and expanded in Yosemite in the 1990s as "new-wave" grades – dominated aid grading. The two main free climbing grading systems (which include the two main free climbing disciplines of sport climbing and traditional climbing ) are
8811-467: The standardization of grades worldwide. Over the years, grades have consistently risen in all forms of climbing, helped by improvements in climbing technique and equipment . In free climbing (i.e. climbing rock routes with no aid), the most widely used grading systems are the French numerical or sport system (e.g. f7c+), the American YDS system (e.g. 5.13a), and latterly the UIAA scale (e.g. IX+). These systems are focused on technical difficulty, which
8910-423: The two can be reasonably aligned in comparison tables . The UIAA scale was at XII+ in 2023 with Silence , which is French 9c. While the French system became the dominant scale in Europe, the UIAA scale is still popular in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. The UIAA scale is also commonly found in the grading systems of alpine climbing routes, and particularly those that use
9009-473: The two systems can be almost exactly aligned in comparison tables . The main aid climbing systems are the A-grade (usually the "new wave" version) and the C-grade systems. While aid climbing is less popular as a standalone pursuit, aid techniques remain important in big wall climbing and alpine climbing, where the level of difficulties can vary significantly on long routes, and thus the use of aid in places
9108-580: The two systems diverged and for example, French 7a+ equates to UIAA grade VIII and French 9a equates to UIAA grade XI. In America, a version of the Welzenbach Scale was introduced for rock climbing in 1937 by the Sierra Club , which in the 1950s was further adapted into the Yosemite Decimal System that added a decimal place to the class 5 grade (e.g. 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, etc.), and which by the 1960s
9207-446: The use of " heel spurs " while climbing (to counter their use for resting). Ice climbing uses items of equipment that are common in rock climbing such as ropes , harnesses and helmets , as well as mechanical devices such as belay devices . However, the nature of the medium means that ice climbers also use equipment that is specific to their type of climbing. Where ice climbing is done as lead climbing (i.e. not top roping ),
9306-458: Was Lowe's historic ascent of Octopussy (WI6, M8) in Vail in 1994, which lead to the birth of modern mixed climbing. It would not be until 2010 when Tim Emmett and Will Gadd began to put up ice routes at Helmcken Falls in Canada that ice climbing development would take a leap forward in technical development. Helmcken Fall's unique characteristics provided severely overhanging iced-routes, and in
9405-461: Was again amended to introduce the letters "a", "b", "c", and "d" after 5.9 to further refine the levels (e.g. 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, etc.). While individual countries developed their own rock climbing grading systems, the American system, French system, and latterly the "UIAA scale" became popular internationally (with the American and French dominating sport climbing). The UIAA "Scale of Overall Assessment" dropped its six Roman numbers in favor of
9504-414: Was at 9A in 2023 with Burden of Dreams . The Font-scale has no regard to any risk and is purely focused on the technical difficulty of the movements. The Font-scale is distinguished from the French sport grade by using capitalized letters (i.e. Font 6C+ vs. f6c+), and also the use of "Fb" or capital "F" (for "Font") as a prefix. The distinction is important as the scales are very different (i.e. Fb6C+
9603-454: Was developed from the UIAA scale in the 1980s but uses Arabic numbers instead of the UIAA scale's Roman numerals, and also uses the letters "a", "b" and "c" and the "+" symbol to give additional refinement between the numbers (whereas the UIAA uses only the "−" and "+" symbols). The French system starts at 1 and closely aligns with the UIAA scale up to UIAA V+, which is French grade 6a, but thereafter begins to diverge. The French grading system
9702-430: Was due to the intense spray from the waterfall, which covered the overhanging routes in ice so that there was little dry-tooling (i.e. all the movement was on hard ice). The routes were bolted like M-grade climbs and the result was a series of new WI-graded routes that laid claim as the "world's hardest ice routes"; by 2020, they reached WI13 with Mission to Mars . The grading of mixed climbing routes approximates
9801-727: Was twice guest speaker for the British National Mountaineering Festival and has won several awards for films he has made, including from Austria and the University of Geneva, Switzerland. In September, 2013, Ament was inducted into the Boulder Sports Hall of Fame. In November 2009, he released his latest film Disciples of Gill , a documentary about John Gill and the boulderers he inspired, such as Jim Holloway and Ament himself. The film features archival footage from 40 years ago as well as modern interviews with older climbers describing where they are now. During
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