Difficulty ratings

Especially for rock climbing, there are is least a dozen of different rating systems. I will restrict myself to the UIAA grades that are most common in the Alps, and I will explain the ratings of Swiss Alpine Club on which the ratings in my personal tour list are based.
This is not an "official list", no warranty about exact formulations.

UIAA grades (rock)

The UIAA rock grades give information about the most difficult spot that occurs on a route.

I - easy
It is necessary to use the hands to keep balance. This is no more walking area.
II - few difficult
Using the hands is now essential for movement. People with less practise should be belayed on the rope.
III - (quite) difficult
Beginning of the "proper climbing" in a technical sense: Also the sequence of use of steps and handles is important. Rope is commonly used.
IV - schwierig
A bit more than III....
V.... - The higher grades are hardly expressed with words, it just becomes more and more difficult. People mastering V and above usually need training on a regular basis.

Important:
The grades tell you only about the difficulty of moving; the exposition of a route does not influence the rating. Therefore, spots of identical grade (difficulty) might be felt more or less "difficult" by an individual, depending on his personal mental constitution.
You can find a comparison of external link

rock ratings in different countries at the "Climbing dictionary".

overall difficulties of a route

In the SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) guide the overall difficulty of a route is judged. Not only the biggest technical difficulty but also the duration of such difficulty enters into the criteria.
I give the German language ratings here, with the international abbreviations where I know them:

B - "Bergwanderer": hiker on normal trails.
EB - "erfahrener Bergwanderer": experienced hiker, sometimes terrain without trail.
L - "leicht": Easy, rock difficulties up to I, or easy glacier, practically free of crevasses.
in international use: F (facile)
WS - "wenig schwierig": few difficult, rock up to II (single spots might be III), glacier.
international: PD (peu difficile)
ZS - "ziemlich schwierig": Quite difficult. Rock usually III, or ice about 45°, or corresponding difficulties in ice seracs.
international: AD (assez difficile)
S - "schwierig": Difficult. Rock IV, or ice above 50°
international: D (difficile)
SS - "sehr schwierig": very difficuly, mostly rock V, or very steep ice.
international: TD (très difficile)
AS - "äußerst schwierig": Extremely difficult.

Ski tours

For ski tours I use a different rating system (also from SAC) for the ski-technical difficulties in ascent and descent (the most ski tours would otherwise just be "B" as seen from the terrain, since in summer one could simply walk through the terrain that is touched by the ski tour).

MS - average (medium) skier
GS - good skier
SGS - very good skier

These levels are difficult to quantify. Normally, one can do an MS with a bit of experience on red pistes. For GS one should have mastered some black pistes already, and for SGS one should be able to get down everything on the piste. (In my personal case that doesn't necessarily look well in a stylistic view, but anyway safe.)

Comments

Difficulty ratings in printed guides normally refer to the conditions that are usually encountered under the best conditions during the year. In bad conditions (e.g. hard ice), the grades can increase by 1 to 2 grades, especially on ice routes.

For expeditions, in my tour list the fixed ropes are already considered if they were already there. Otherwise at Khan Tengri difficulties of IV and at Peak Communism III-IV would have to be expected.

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Last updated 07 July 2004 by Hartmut Bielefeldt