|
suprepopps
May 22, 2002, 7:02 AM
Post #1 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 7, 2001
Posts: 74
|
What's with the climb ratings? Who really decides what rating a climb gets and why? Honestly, does any one really climb because of ratings? It is a good idea to give a basic rating like easy, medium, or hard according to experience levels so people don't try to get in over their heads and injure themselves. However, its also common sense. If a climb looks to be above your experience level, have other people there to belay and spot you. Most people should be doing that anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
overlord
May 22, 2002, 9:03 AM
Post #2 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 14120
|
Normally the one who does the FA says what he THINKS about rating and then the people who repeat the thing confirm or disagree. and so it comes to a sprt of voting. the FA man says its 8a, someone 8b+ and the third one 7c+. and so on. on the database for slovenia they use a simple method... once you climb a route, you submit your vote and the routes rating is the average of all votes.
the rating are for your own good, so that you know wether you can climb it or not. it is a kind of beta on routes overall difficuly.
of course everybody thrives for higher ratings... its what motivates you to develop and keep on training. but offcourse you can still climb without them.
hope i was helpfull and didnt forget about something (with my hangover, thats is very likely, you know student partys ).
CLIMB ON
[ This Message was edited by: overlord on 2002-05-22 03:25 ]
|
|
|
|
|
maddie
May 22, 2002, 9:51 AM
Post #3 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 18, 2002
Posts: 197
|
Some people take ratings too seriously.... ratings help you know when you make improvements!
|
|
|
|
|
holygecko
May 22, 2002, 1:25 PM
Post #4 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 17, 2002
Posts: 179
|
ratings are just there to give you an idea of what you are about to participate in maybe to tell you that hey you are gonna need alot of chalk or hey this is gonna be a good warm up route
|
|
|
|
|
fingerjam
May 22, 2002, 11:18 PM
Post #5 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: May 22, 2002
Posts: 131
|
Rattings are nice, they tell me what i can TRY and climb and what i CAN climb . But seriouslys people, if your climbing a 5.8 and your having fun, then it doesnt matter. Some of my fav routes are easy. I just went down to Grand Junction CO, and i hit a 5.9- up this nice sandstone crag, and personaly, one of the best climbs ever, do the climbs you have fun on!
|
|
|
|
|
miagi
May 23, 2002, 12:50 AM
Post #6 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 1, 2002
Posts: 1087
|
Humans are imperfect...we make votes that are similarly imperfect. The rating system may never be completely satisfactory and we all have to deal with it
|
|
|
|
|
suprepopps
May 23, 2002, 4:30 AM
Post #7 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 7, 2001
Posts: 74
|
All these replys are good but its is still a matter of easy, moderate, or hard. That all depends on the individual climber. Like I said before, common sense tells you if a climb may be too dificult. If it is, bring along some friends to belay and spot you.
|
|
|
|
|
yarddarts
May 23, 2002, 5:13 AM
Post #8 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 11, 2001
Posts: 41
|
Quote:its is still a matter of easy, moderate, or hard
not necessarily. sharma or graham might think a certain route is easy, but some people may never be able to climb it. easy, moderate, and hard are all subjective. ratings just break it up into a broader, more uniform system. sure, its not perfect, but if you can climb 12a then you should be able to make a good attempt at another climb equal to or less than 12a. now say youre a 13a climber. 13a is pretty hard. that doesnt mean you can run up a 14c, which is also hard. i just dont understand why theres a 5. in front of YDS grades . can someone enlighten me?
EDIT: o yeah. it helps to know grades when youre taking a trip. rifle is a sport mecca, if you can handle it. and there is no way of looking at it and using common sense if your on the worng side of the country. unless of course you have pics of the climbs you wanna try. but i never have those
[ This Message was edited by: yarddarts on 2002-05-22 22:16 ]
|
|
|
|
|
chadplusplus
May 23, 2002, 5:24 AM
Post #9 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Mar 1, 2002
Posts: 42
|
I typically (but NOT always) enjoy routes right at my limit. The ratings help me find those routes.
And like already said, they're a good measurement of improvement. IE: "I couldn't even see/climb the line up that 5.11 3 months ago, but now atleast I can see what I would need to do, but that 5.12 still boggles my mind."
Oh, and the 5 indicates 5th class climbing:
1st class: Sidewalk
2nd class: Broken sidewalk, maybe up a hill
3rd class: Have to use your hands to navigate path.
4th class: Looking for and using handholds to make progress.
5th class: Involves technical moves such as stemming and/or jamming (etc) to interconnect handholds and/or footholds.
Then the often argued 6th class which some consider aid climbing.
|
|
|
|
|
suprepopps
May 23, 2002, 6:20 AM
Post #10 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 7, 2001
Posts: 74
|
True - easy, moderate, or hard is very subjective.
However, let me repeat myself. COMMON SENSE.
When I look at a climb, common sense tells me that looks easy, or that looks hard. By that judgement I can tell myself whether it can be done solo or not. If the climb turns out to be easier than my original thought, so what. I can make further judgements form there.
|
|
|
|
|
yarddarts
May 23, 2002, 8:42 PM
Post #11 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 11, 2001
Posts: 41
|
dude. common sense only goes so far, and some people lack it in the first place, so to compensate they made the rating system. sure, thats not the truth, but lets play pretend just this once.
now let me repeat myself. how are you gonna plan half way decent trips if youre an 11 climber and where you wanna go is 13s and 14s?
|
|
|
|
|
mikedano
May 23, 2002, 9:35 PM
Post #12 of 12
(2137 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 19, 2001
Posts: 388
|
I can only see this argument applying to strict boulderers.
You have nothing to lose in trying a V-impossible. However, if you set out to try a sport climb that's way above you limit, you will probably have to leave a biner or something else to get off the route once you discover there is no way of completing it. And as for trad and multipitch, ratings become even more necessary for the same reason. I have no desire to leave $100 worth of gear over 10 rappels just to escape a climb I probably wouldn't have been able to do in the first place.
As for eyeing climbs and deciding if they're in your range--that's almost impossible too. After about 20 ft. up, you really can't see if its a jug or a crimp.
Ratings let me know what I'm getting into. Sure they're arbitrary (and even the same 5.10 can be much harder/easier depending on how tall you are) but I can't think of a better way to do it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
