Climbing
Climbing grades
Norwegian climbing grades — UIAA, French, British, YDS. How the systems relate, what the difference between sport-climbing and bouldering grades is, and why grades vary between areas.
Climbing grades are the international language that lets climbers talk about difficulty across routes, areas and countries. But it is not one language — it is several parallel systems, and Norway uses a hybrid approach where the Norwegian grade and the international grades (UIAA, French, British) are used side by side.
For someone new to climbing this can seem needlessly complicated. But the logic is simple: each system captures slightly different aspects of difficulty, and different sub-disciplines use different systems. Sport climbing in Norway uses Norwegian and French; bouldering uses French; ice climbing uses WI; mountaineering mixes Norwegian and UIAA.
The most important thing to know is not all the systems, but how three or four key grading systems relate — and that grades vary between areas even within the same system.
Norwegian grading scale (sport climbing and trad climbing / traditional climbing)
The Norwegian grade runs from 4 to 9, often with + or - for fine calibration. The classic categories:
- Norwegian 4 — moderate climbing. Basic movement. The classic beginner segment.
- Norwegian 5 — above moderate, demanding for beginners. Requires some technique and strength.
- Norwegian 6 — established climbing. Demanding, requires good technique and fitness.
- Norwegian 7 — hard. Demanding sport climbing, or a good trad climber.
- Norwegian 8 — very hard. World-class sport climbing.
- Norwegian 9 — Norway’s hardest segment. Few have climbed it.
Example of +/-:
- Norwegian 6- is just below Norwegian 6 (the transition from 5+ to 6)
- Norwegian 6+ is just above Norwegian 6
- Norwegian 7- is just below 7
For beginners, Norwegian 4 to 5 is the right starter segment in sport climbing. On indoor-gym grades this can seem moderate (gyms often have routes down to Norwegian 4); outdoors it is demanding because the terrain is uneven and the consequences of a fall are real.
French scale (sport climbing internationally)
The French scale is the dominant international standard for sport climbing and bouldering. The grade combines a number (1–9) and a letter (a/b/c), so the usual progression is:
- 5a, 5b, 5c — moderate
- 6a, 6b, 6c — established climbing
- 7a, 7b, 7c — hard
- 8a, 8b, 8c — world-class
- 9a, 9b, 9c — extreme (few routes at 9+)
The additional marking + or - can be used within a letter (6b+, 7a-).
Relation to the Norwegian scale:
| Norwegian | French |
|---|---|
| 4 | 4b |
| 5 | 5b |
| 6- | 6a |
| 6+ | 6b+ |
| 7 | 6b+ to 6c+ |
| 8- | 7a |
| 9 | 9a–9b |
The table is approximate — calibration varies between areas.
UIAA scale (traditional, alpine)
The UIAA scale (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme) is the international traditional scale, used mostly for alpine climbing and mountain climbing in Europe. The scale is Roman numerals from I to XI, often with + or -:
- I — not technical, a walk
- II — easy climbing, hands used
- III — moderate
- IV — demanding
- V — hard
- VI — very hard (the classic limit before modern climbing)
- VII–XI — extreme
Relation to French and Norwegian:
| UIAA | Norwegian | French |
|---|---|---|
| IV | 4- | 4a |
| V | 5- | 4c |
| VI | 5+ | 5b |
| VII- | 6- | 5c |
| VIII- | 7- | 6c |
| IX | 8 | 7c |
For Norwegian climbing, UIAA is most relevant for mountaineering and big-wall climbing, where classic routes often carry UIAA grades from first ascents.
British scale
The British scale is the most complex and is used primarily on British routes and some historical Norwegian routes (particularly those climbed by British climbers). Two simultaneous scales:
Adjective grade describes the whole route: M (Moderate), D (Difficult), VD (Very Difficult), HD (Hard Difficult), VS (Very Severe), HVS (Hard Very Severe), E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, …
Technical grade describes the hardest single move: 4a, 4b, 4c, 5a, 5b, 5c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 7a…
For Norwegian use, the British scale is mainly relevant on route information from older sources or British areas. Most modern Norwegian routes use Norwegian or French.
YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) — American
YDS dominates in North America. Sport-climbing grades run from 5.0 to 5.15+. The number after the decimal point:
- 5.0–5.5 — easy, not technical
- 5.6–5.9 — moderate
- 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d — demanding
- 5.11a–d — hard
- 5.12a–d — very hard
- 5.13a–d — world-class
- 5.14, 5.15 — extreme
For Norwegian use, YDS is relevant if you climb in the USA or read American climbing publications. Relation:
| YDS | Norwegian | French |
|---|---|---|
| 5.7 | 4+ | 4c |
| 5.8 | 5 | 5b |
| 5.10a | 6- | 6a |
| 5.11a | 7 | 6b+ |
| 5.12a | 8- | 7a+ |
Bouldering grades (Fontainebleau scale)
Bouldering uses an adapted Fontainebleau scale. It is simpler than sport climbing because the bouldering is short:
- 4A, 4B, 4C — beginner
- 5A, 5B, 5C — moderate
- 6A, 6B, 6C — established climbing
- 7A, 7B, 7C — hard
- 8A, 8B, 8C — world-class
- 9A — extreme (Norway’s hardest segment)
The additional marking + can be used (6A+, 7B+).
For comparison with sport climbing: 7A bouldering is roughly like 8a sport climbing. The bouldering can be shorter but harder on a single move.
The WI scale (ice climbing)
Ice climbing uses the Water Ice scale:
- WI1 — flat or very gentle incline
- WI2 — up toward 60° with good structure. The classic first time.
- WI3 — 60–80° with varying structure
- WI4 — vertical with short rests (classics such as Lillefoss main fall)
- WI5 — vertical and demanding (Sabotørfossen)
- WI6 — vertical with few rests, or overhanging
- WI7 — overhanging or particularly brittle ice
For mixed climbing (a combination of ice and rock) the M scale is used (M1–M16).
How grades are actually calibrated
Grades are not laboratory-precise. They are calibrated through consensus among climbers who have climbed the route. Classic factors that influence them:
Area-specific calibration — Hægefjell grades are often half a level stricter than Stavanger grades. Setesdal has its own calibration. Yosemite has its. For Norwegian use: do not compare too closely across areas.
Climber-specific — a strong climber may find a 6c easy while a weak climber finds the same route hard. Grades are calibrated for the ‘typical’ climber for the area.
Type of movement — sport-climbing grades, bouldering grades and trad grades are not directly comparable. A 7a sport route can be easier than a 6c trad route if the trad route requires placing protection under pressure.
Onsight vs redpoint — onsight (climbing without knowing the route) is much harder than redpoint (climbing after many attempts). Climbers’ performances are often given in both.
Onsight, flash, redpoint
Climbing performance is often given in combination with the style:
Onsight — you climb the route without having seen it climbed before, without having had advice on the moves. The hardest style.
Flash — you climb the route on the first attempt, but you have seen it climbed or had advice. A lesser achievement than onsight.
Redpoint — you climb the route after several attempts, after studying the moves. The usual style for project climbing.
Pinkpoint — like redpoint, but with the quickdraws (and any protection) pre-placed. Used mostly historically.
For climbing progression, the onsight grade is the clearest measure. If you onsight 6c regularly you are at a solid grade level.
Practical use
For someone new to climbing:
- Gym grades — calibrated for beginners. 4 and 5 are the beginner segment.
- Outdoor sport-climbing grades — stricter. Start 1–2 grades below the gym level.
- Norwegian + French is the common format in Norwegian climbing guidebooks.
- UIAA and British turn up in older classics and alpine routes.
- WI for ice climbing — a separate system, learn it separately.
For climbing planning: get hold of a climbing guidebook (paper or online) for the area you are planning. Climbing guidebooks have detailed route descriptions with grade, length, protection quality, and often the history of the first ascent.
Next steps
If you are new to climbing grades: do not worry about remembering all the systems. Learn Norwegian and French, and use them. You will learn UIAA and British as you meet them.
If you climb regularly: use grades as a relative measure, not an absolute one. ‘I climb 6a onsight and 7a redpoint’ is more useful than ‘I climb 6a’.
For international climbing trips: learn the local calibration before you plan. Spanish grades are often softer than French; American YDS follows its own logic.
For skill progression: sport climbing gives the clearest grade progression. Trad climbing often has vaguer grades because of the protection factor.
Learn more
Text: Snuitide (2026).