UKC

What font grades might one expect on a given sport grade? For example, say a 20 metre 7a sport route, what kind of font grade moves do people expect? On the other side, if a person could regularly boulder, say, font 6b, what would be a reasonable expectation for them to redpoint?

In reply to tmawer:

When I could redpoint F7a I could boulder Font 6A.
When I could boulder Font 6B I could redpoint F7b.

Make of that what you will...

In reply to tmawer:

Depends on the sort of route.

20m 7a, anywhere between about 5+ for something sustained and about 6C for something super super cruxy that's basically an overgrown boulder problem.

6B, if you're very unfit then about 6b+ or 6c something, but then there's stamina 7b+ and more (people will quote things like Lourdes at you) that doesn't have anything harder on it. Depends where on the scale between "boulderer wanting to try tying in" and "sport climber who has only just bought a pad" you lie I guess.

In reply to tmawer:

I've separately managed sport 7c and font 7A if that tells you anything.

In reply to tmawer:

I have never experienced anything harder then roughly font 6C on a sport route but then I avoid bouldery routes like the plague.

In reply to tmawer:

I currently, indoors at least, climb and boulder at the same grades (up to around 6a+, with the odd soft 6b which usually requires a large amount of drive and effort to complete). Funny thing is I have always been more focused on routes, and done significantly more training on them than on bouldering. I just find it hard to build endurance up.

In reply to tmawer:

Thanks for the replies, everything you all say makes sense and fits with my range of experiences too.

In reply to tmawer:

The rule of thumb I've heard, is one full numerical grade difference, on "normal" routes.

So, 7a route would prolly have a crux of 6A, if reasonably sustained and not cruxy.

In reply to tmawer:


Font Font grades? 20m 7a might have a bit of high Ft4, low Ft5. UK Font grades? 20m 7a might scrape into the low Ft6 region. It does depend on the type of route, 3m of punchy crux at the top of a 17m warm-up will obviously be different to a 20m enduro route.

Capable of Ft6b you will likely be able to redpoint in the mid/high F7s with some work.

jk

In reply to tmawer:

The question is almost meaningless. A 20 metre 7a sport route could be anything from a 30 degree overhanging jug-fest (with no move harder than Font 5), to an easy slab with one or two difficult moves (say Font 6B/C).

Your other question is equally difficult to answer. If somebody is capable of bouldering 6B (note, capital letter denotes bouldering grade) then they are capable of climbing any given move on any sport route up to around 7b-ish. But if they don't have any endurance or power-endurance, then they will likely fail even before reaching the crux.