UKC

It's got a little colder here the last couple of days and talk of snow on the Ben and such has got me to start thinking about winter. I was flicking through numerous old winter climbing guidebooks / magazine articles and have come up with a Jacket / Grade colour coordination but as my info is so last year I am wondering if this still works for this year or do I need to shift the colours about or buy a new jacket or get better?



Grade I Black Jacket

Grade II Yellow / Jacket

Grade III Blue Jacket

Grade IV Red Jacket

Grade V Green / Yellow Jacket

Grade V and above Orange Jacket

cheers

Gaz

In reply to Gazlynn: I think your on trend for Scottish grades, but for WI grades you'd be on the sherbet to neon spectrum. Good luck.

In reply to Gazlynn: I'm on Patagnoia Lime Greeen and hovering around the VI mark, so maybe your Orange?green boundary could be rasied.

On the othet hand, maybe I should buy an orange jacket?

In reply to Gazlynn:

Where do wooly jumpers sit in all this?

In reply to Southern Man:

Pffft In the Clachaig of an evening mate sorry.

Fultonius

I was thinking the green jacket might be a little under graded.

cheers

Gaz

In reply to Gazlynn:
That's good and not too far from to reality as well I think. Boots? You forgot about boots, I'm sure they follow a similar progression.

In reply to Gazlynn:

Hang on, you're forgetting the critical trouser component in this. Your above suggestions are all well and good paired with black trousers, but goes completely to pot otherwise.

Blue jacket and black trousers may well be grade three, but what about blue jacket and green trousers, probably about VIII or IX? And the black jacket, when paired with orange or yellow trousers is the sign of the true alpine elite.

In reply to Taurig:

Is right mate.

The grade comparison goes to pot when you add trousers.

It's my belief that you are only allowed to wear black or gray pants till grade VI

In reply to Gazlynn:
>

Ah sorry, I got distracted by my dad's 'Blacks 1971 winter catalogue'

In reply to Gazlynn: For drytooling this season, I'll be sporting "nude" colour lycra bibs over a black brynje fishnet nipple-grazing top.

In reply to Gazlynn:

I find that the layering system works really well. I wear blue jacket on grade III, but on grade V I would simply take it off and climb in green fleece.

In reply to Gazlynn:

Hmm, I'm on a blue jacket sand (think chino) trouser combo that has got me up routes to V so far. Can I wear this to progress further or would a change of pant colour to green be advised?

In reply to galpinos:

Beyond this a change of pant colour to brown would be inevitable for me personally.

In reply to galpinos:

Easy there tiger you are on the cusp.

A little more work on your strength and commitment and you will be able to wear the "sand" pants with pride and I would start looking at the pataguggi / mammut colour pants offerings

In reply to Taurig: Trousers are more important than jackets these days. What you needs is a neutral colour jacket, says Azure Powder Blue, which you can match with a variety of different colours. If not, you’re going to be buying different jacket for every different pair of trousers you own. Also there’s no point trying to climb a V in a red and blue combo, it just won’t work. The whole colour/grade index has gone to pot since coloured trousers have come along. Nobody really knows where they stand with these new combos yet.

In reply to Gazlynn: That is so true... I used to have a yellow jacket and now I have a red one...

And when I solo I wear a black jacket...

Crazy...

E

In reply to Gazlynn:

Where does tweed or gabardine fit in on this scale?

How much does a well frosted beard shift the grade?

In reply to Gazlynn: Id have thought yellow would have been above orange.

In reply to Simon Preuss:
ventile?

we clearly need a grading system with three components to simplyfy things could I suggest:

trouser colour/jacket colour/fabric?

so
'dorsal arete' would be
Black/Beige/tweed

and

'the hurting' would get a weighty
pink/lillac/buckminsterfullereneneoshell

this could clean up all those niggling grade/clothing debates.

In reply to Simon Preuss:


I put them in the same bracket as wooly jumpers I'm afraid, they only belong in the clachaig of an evening.

Now a home knitted beanie that's a different ball game.

Naffan

I do think the yellow / green / orange needs a little more thought but I don't think it's far off

In reply to Dr.S at work:

I like your thinking

It would stop all the queuing at the fin on dorsal arete.

"Sorry Mate you will have to use the by pass route you got a black jacket"


cheers

Gaz

In reply to Gazlynn:
yeah - we will need good signage at the base of routes though, maybe chiseled into the rock?

In reply to Dr.S at work:

We are on to something here

daub paint on the rock up the routes and your jacket has to match the colour of the paint.

In reply to Gazlynn:

My jacket's multi-coloured. Is there a mathematical equation, using the grade applicable to each colour, which I can utilise to calculate my optimum grade?

In reply to Gazlynn:

But I've got my Silver/Orange/Carbon fiber boots on?

In reply to Tom Davy:

Of Course

Add half a grade for every secondary colour to the primary colour of the jacket.

cheers

Gaz

In reply to butteredfrog:

Sorry Jackets and maybe Pants only for this calculation but watch this space for boots and crampon / grade chart coming soon

In reply to Gazlynn:

genius! - maybe what we could do is use different colours to mark holds - so that (say) if you were forced to climb a route in the wrong clothing you could select harder/easier holds to compensate for your error?

In reply to Dr.S at work:

No a better idea would be to have number locked wardrobes at strategic venues (bothies and the likes) filled with different coloured jackets.

At the start of the winter season you have to submit evidence to BMC / MCOFS to what grade you climbed they then give you a unlock code for the right coloured wardrobe.

What do you think or is this over complicating things?

cheers

Gaz

In reply to Gazlynn:

Maybe the outdoor shops should require to be shown a certificate from MCos or BMC before selling a jacket in the higher grade colours.

In reply to Gazlynn: > What do you think or is this over complicating things?

On the contrary, I think you're over simplifying

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

I think there is an all party commons committee due to report on this - scheduled to reveal its findings next time Kinder Downfall is in as I recall.

In reply to Gazlynn: That scale is bang on for me, I need to improve to disprove your theory.

In reply to Gazlynn: I think the only solution to this jacket/grade conundrum is that we all go out and buy Norrona multi-coloured jackets. They even do a one piece jacket and trouser combo, as seen here:

http://www.oslosportslager.no/magasinet/norrona-lofoten-heldress-plagget-so...

In reply to Gazlynn: Hmmm I may need to get a new jacket as red may not be optimal..... You need to add Garde IX - Blue!

In reply to Gazlynn: I am prepared at little notice to knit beanies in colours to order as your grades improve.

In reply to Gazlynn:

Generally agree. I climb around V/VI and have a green jacket. When I climb chalk I step down to IV and wear a red jacket.

I think if you have gloves that match the colour of your jacket then add another grade.