The British Trad Grade is probably never
more appropriately used than it is on
gritstone. Here the subtleties and versatility
of the Trad Grade can be appreciated to
their maximum and, because of its place at
the heart of climbing in the UK, many of the
routes are perceived as 'yard-sticks' for their
respective grades.
Bold Routes -
Some gritstone routes have
limited protection and you can find yourself
in some very serious situations, especially
on the harder climbs. This should be clear
from the text, but please make sure you use
your own skill and judgment as to whether
you will be able to safely complete a chosen
climb. A bold E2 may only feel like a sport
grade 6a on a top-rope but it is a very
different proposition as a lead or solo.
Trad Grade
1) Adjectival grade (Diff, VD, HVD, Severe,
Hard Severe (HS), Very Severe (VS), Hard
Very Severe (HVS), E1 to E10).
An overall picture of the route including how
well protected it is, how sustained, and a
general indication of the level of difficulty of
the whole route.
2) UK Technical grade (4a, 4b, 4c to 7b).
The difficulty of the hardest single move, or
short section.
Colour Coding
The routes are all given a colour-coded dot
corresponding to a grade band.
Green Routes
- Everything at grade
Severe and under.
Good for beginners and
those looking for an easy life.
Orange Routes
- Hard Severe to HVS inclusive.
General ticking routes for those with more
experience. A large range of excellent routes is available across this band.
Red Routes
- E1 to E3 inclusive.
Routes for the experienced and keen climber. A grade band which
includes many of the Peak's great classics.
Black Routes - E4 and above.
A grade band for the talented and/or dedicated.
Bouldering Grades
The boulder problems in this book are given a Font Grade, which is the system established in
Fontainbleau in France. This is now regarded by most British climbers as the best system for grading
boulder problems and routes climbed using a 'highball approach' (see next page). The table below
shows the approximate conversion between Font grades, V grades (the alternative bouldering grade
system) and UK Technical grades which are mentioned above and used in this book for the routes.
Font Grade
f2 f2+ f3 f3+ f4
f4+ f5 f5+
f6A f6A+ f6B f6B+ f6C f6C+
f7A f7A+ f7B f7B+ f7C f7C+ f8A f8A+ f8B f8B+ f8C
V Grade
VB
V0- V0
V0+ V1 V2
V3
V4
V5
V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15
UK Tech
Grade
3b 3c 4a 4b 4c
5a 5b 5c
British Trad Grade
Sheffield Area
Ladybower Area
Stanage
BurbageValley
Millstone Area
Derwent Edges
Chatsworth Area
Southern Crags
6a
6c
6b
7a
30
Eastern Grit Climbingâ
Grades
