Yosemite Decimal System

Yosemite Decimal System is a used in the United States and Canada to rate difficulty of hiking and climbing. It is broken down into these 5 classes:

Class 1:
• Hiking
• Bike path
• Walking uphill
Class 2:
• Hiking
• Possibility of using your hands for balance
• Non-existent trail
Class 3:
• Using both hands and feet
• Rope may be used here, but is not required
Class 4:
• Climbing on steep terrain requiring rope
• Natural protection easily found and used
• Falls could be fatal
Class 5:
• Technical free climbing
• Required rope, belay, and placing protection
Class 6
• Aid climbing only (Rope ladders, etc)

Because we are focusing on the sport of rock climbing, let’s take a better look at Class 5. Now that we determine that we are climbing a class 5 level route, we need more information to decide on how difficult it is. The way YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) grades routes after placing them into a class is by simply adding a decimal and a new number. So, because we are looking at class 5, the difficulty grades will look like this: 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, ….5.13 and so forth. The 5.1 will be the easiest route while getting harder the higher the second number becomes. Routes 5.0-5.6 are very easy. There are more than enough foot and hand holds to grab. The holds themselves are large and can be easily held on to. Routes graded 5.7-5.9 are more intermediate. The holds are still fairly large, but they are spread out a bit more. The climber has to think more about what moves they will use and chose the best holds accordingly. Routes graded 5.10-5.11 are difficult. Here the holds become smaller and you start to run into what are called “crimps.” A crimp is a small handhold that a climber uses by holding on with their fingertips on the narrow edge of the hold. Climbers also refer to these are crimpers. These holds in particular are very strenuous and take a great deal of energy. Along with the number that shows the difficulty of the route, the YDS also offers a little more detail. If the route is a 5.10 but is fairly easy for having such a rating, the route would be considered a 5.10-. The negative sign tells the climber that it may be a 5.10 but it’s on the low side of the difficulty scale. Similar is done for routes on the higher end of this scale, so instead of a 5.10- , you also can see a 5.10+. This way of grading routes offers the climbing some knowledge of what to expect, however it still leaves the climber to question how strenuous the climb is and the difficulty of the hardest move. But once you start working a route, you can discover these things for yourself.