How to Grade an Ice Climb

There are actually two ways to grade an ice climb: based on technical rating and based on the length of the climb. The technical rating is used to grade the pitch or slope of a mountain and it's divided into seven different groups. The grade rating, however, is the most commonly used by climbers to decide how the climb must be attempted. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Grade a Climb Before You Attempt It

1. Attempt a Grade I ice climb if you only have an hour or 2 for climbing. Grade I climbs are easy, quick and require little equipment for both ascent and descent. Grade II climbs are relatively similar, except that they're longer. Both climbs require either no tools or some basic elements, such as gloves.
2. Take a Grade III climb if you want a longer climb (from several hours to half a day) that requires a rappelling (roped) descent but has enough resting spots that even beginner climbers can attempt it.
3. Do a Grade IV climb if you have experience with steep inclinations (at least 75 degrees), winter conditions and avalanche avoidance. From this point on, climbers attempting to take on a mountain should have professional guidance, past experience and theoretic education before attempting the climb.
4. Attempt climbs from Grade V to VI only if you're experienced and have been climbing for quite a while. Anything above Grade V requires significant competence, includes very few chances for rest, it's almost completely vertical and requires the use of specialized equipment.
5. Avoid Grade VII climbs unless you're an expert. They may require climbers to sleep suspended at high elevations and most routes include overhangings (climbing horizontally at angles over 90 degrees). Most of these routes are also in isolated locations with a high risk for avalanche and rock falls.

Tips & Warnings

• The grade of a particular path may change throughout the year depending on weather conditions. For example, a climb graded as an III can change into an IV if ice melts and becomes unstable or during a particular season of high winds or frequent snowstorms.
• Some areas grade their climbs by giving them one, two or three stars. One star is an easy climb that can be done by almost anybody, two stars requires equipment and guidance and three stars is expert-only. This is a somehow difficult system to follow, as many different levels can fall into the two-star category. Always ask for more details if you encounter this type of classification.