How Indoor Rock Climbing Routes are Rated

Video Transcript

"Hey guys! This is Danny Logan and on behalf of Expert Village, I'm here to talk about indoor rock climbing. Okay, in this clip, I'll be explaining the rating system in climbing. In climbing, we use a rating system called a Yosemite Decimal Climbing Rating System. And basically, as you take a look at each route, there's a number by it. This one is a 5.10. This one is a 5.10 c. And in climbing, we start with a 5.1 to 5.5. That's something very easy; generally not vertical, very slopey and it could be done without even using ropes. It's something very simple. It requires no major skill. Once we get to about 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, that's when we require a rope and you require more strength, more finesse, and definitely more dedication towards climbing. Once we hit 5.10, that's when we are going to start to distinguish between the real amateur climbers and those that are really dedicated to climbing. Like a 5.10 and then there's a 5.10c. See, once you hit 5.10 there's a 5.10a, a 5.10b, and 5.10c and d. Each one of those is a level of difficulty. This is a 5.11-, which is not quite a 5.11, but not quite 5.10d, so they just kind of put a 5.11-. Each route is colored. So this 5.10 is yellow. You would start here and you would go all the way up using the yellow holds up to the top. It's the same thing with this pink ones. You would use the pink holds and only the pink holds to get to the top. And if you do it without falling or resting, you've accomplished a 5.11. Around 5.14, 5.15, those climbs are probably for about one to two percent of the whole climbing population. It's for those rare people that can do the most extreme "superman" climbs that exist so far. "