UKC

Hi,
As this is my first post, I'll present myself: my name is Maxim, I'm 19 and have been living in France for 17 years now. I am planning a trip in Scotland this summer, it will be the first time I climb in GB.

The grade system is quite a mystery for me, I don't get the two systems thingy (and I read the article about it). I climb nearly 100% trad and my French level is 5c/6a or TD. Can someone tell me what that is in English please?

Also, do you know the best area where I can place a tent and go climbing several routes in that level, then move the tent...etc... I was thinking of the highlands maybe, do you have any links?


Regards,

Maxim

In reply to Maxx640: This might help:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/databases/crags/comptable.html

And a word of warning if you're here in summer, beware the midges:
http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/usfeatures/midges/

In reply to Maxx640:

A lot of grade explanation here - http://www.rockfax.com/publications/grades.html

In reply to Maxx640: Since the Scottish types don't seem to be providing you with locations I'll have a crack:

I'd have thought that you could do far worse than to start in Fort William and climb on the Ben for a couple of days before dropping over into Glen Nevis to Polldubh and such. Then over to Glen Coe for a few days before heading down to Glen Etive to the Slabs. Plenty of other stuff nearby as well. It takes in some of the most famous climbing in Scotland with tons in the HVS-E2 area you seem to be looking at.

In reply to Maxx640:

Hi! I am French (although currently in Argentina). After a few pitches of trad. climbing where a bold french 4a seemed at least as hard as a well protected french 5c I realized that the british grading system made a lot more sense for trad. climbing than the purely technical french grade. I'd have to confirm my interpretation of the british grading system by going climbing in the UK one day. Until then, my understanding is that an easy-to-protect french 5c or a hard-to-protect 4c would be HVS and an easy-to-protect french 6a or a hard-to-protect 5a/b would be an E1.

However, I believe that protection is not the only parameter of the adjectival grade... How "sustained" the route is counts too, but then a very sustained route will be harder to protect than a less sustained one because it will be harder to find good stances (feet for example) for fiddling with gear. I like the idea of combining the british adjectival grade with the current use of french sport grades which do not limit themselves to the hardest move on the climb (as the british technical grade - supposedly - does).

To summarize after all this blab, I find it convenient for comparing trad. routes here in Argentina and monitoring my progress to use a combination of the british adjectival grade as an indicator of overall difficulty (including in particular how easy the route is to protect) and the french sport grade for the climbing difficulty (hardest move + how sustained the climbing is).

I hope you find my comments useful, and would welcome any comments on my understanding of the british grading system.

Cheers, and enjoy Scotland!

Fabien

In reply to All:

Thanks very much for your answers, it is a bit clearer to me now. At first British grades seem incomprehensible, but after a closer look, they may be more precise than the French ones.
We also have a double grading system in France, used only in trad climbing and alpinism. You have the overall difficulty (F,PD,AD,D,TD,ED,ABO) plus the sport grade of the crux, but it is not as precise I think.
It looks as if I can climb up to E1, 5a or HVS, 5b, if I get it.

I'll have a look at the places you advised Lemony, thanks. It should give me a good basis to plan the trip.

Maxim,

PS: If anyone needs information on climbing in the Pyrénées, don't hesitate to ask me. I have loads of sketches, routes and tips for you.

In reply to Maxx640:

E1 5a will tend to have less in the way of protection. You may be better starting off on some VS 4c routes until you're used to trad (placing gear makes a difference), then move to HVS 5a and then E1 5b.

In reply to Maxx640: It would probably be worth your while picking up the superb selected guide and using that to help plan your trip.

http://www.smc.org.uk/Publications/Publications.php?ID=13

In reply to bentley's biceps:

No necessarily. It could just be very sustained or strenuous (e.g Mars at Swanage). On the whole, though, I'd agree that E1 5b or HVS 5a are better grades to start off with as they are more likely to be typical routes at the grade.

In reply to Maxx640: Hi Maxim

If you re-post your question about Scottish locations in the rock destinations section you might get a few more responses.

Whoever it was suggested Glencoe, Etive Slabs, Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis made a good suggestion. You couldn't get bored in that area.

Other excellent places for walking in, camping in the wild for a few days and doing great routes include: Coire Lagan in the Skye Cuillin; Coire Mhic Fhearchair in Torridon; Carnmore (Letterewe Forest); Loch Avon basin in the Cairngorms; Creag an Dubh Loch in the Cairngorms.

Buy the SMC selected climbs guidebook. It covers just the classic routes in the best locations pretty much all over the country.

Do not forget insect repellent (for what it is worth) and a midge-proof head net. Also a sense of humour.

In reply to dan bailey:

Also, remember that, just because its wearing a skirt, its not necessarily a woman

In reply to GrahamD: How can you tell the difference in Scotland?

In reply to dan bailey:

I'll check that out, though trying to read out loud those names sounds like mumbling with a bag of nails in your mouth. Must be a weird feeling, climbing a place you can't pronounce!

Cheers,

In reply to Maxx640:

Grades are a bit variable from area to are abut I'd think you'll be pretty steady on most HVS if you're steady at traditionally protected F5c/6a.

You'll not go far wrong picking a popular VS, see how it feels and work from there.

jk

In reply to Maxx640:

The F,PD,AD etc. grades give an indication of overall difficulty for multipitch routes and I have never seen them applied to single pitches. The nice thing about the british grading system is that you can apply the same logic to each pitch.

Fabien

In reply to Maxx640: You say you climb "French level is 5c/6a"

I would say thats more VS 4c possibly HVS 5a level. Not E1.

I lead 6a on sport and would never dream of doing an E1 (most of my clibing is trad)

In reply to Gareth T: She says she climbs 'nearly 100% trad' Trad frnech 6a would be E1.

In reply to Si dH:

I'm a guy