Grades and Grading

Grades. Love them or hate them, they have become a facet of our sport that is unavoidable. Every problem, every route, whether it is in a gym or at the crag has a number affixed to its name. And, that number has been scrutinized by every person who has climbed the route or boulder problem and even by some who haven’t.

 

Recently, a slew of problems have been established in the Lincoln Lake area (Dubbed “Wolvoland” or Wolverine Land) of Colorado. Many of these problems were “tentatively” rated V13 or 14 based on how the first ascentionist felt about the difficulty. Recently, some of these problems have been repeated (quickly) by a slew of climbers, bringing the suggested grades into question. The comments have filtered through many forums including Climbingnarc.com, B3bouldering.com and 8a.nu among others. A few of these climbers have suggested that there may have been ulterior motives for inflating the problem’s grades considering the timing of the ascents (just prior to the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show) and the discrepancy in difficulty between the recent problems and others that have been established in the area. Although, it is the opinion of this author that this is not at all the case, rather that it is  typical of new areas to have discrepancies in grades. So who is making a fuss and why?

 

Carlo Traversi called The Exfoliator (originally graded V14 by Daniel Woods) “soft V13” after being talked out of calling it V12. His Facebook Status was updated to read: “pillow soft Wacko Land all week and end...”

 

Max Zolotukhin (seen HERE in a segment from the movie, Sick) is one of several people blowing a whistle about grade inflation. In his recent blog he spoke specifically about Wolvoland. After sending Phobes (originally graded V12 by first ascentionist Dave Graham), Max suggested that the problem might only be V9 commeting on the opening move 0f Phobes by saying, “think: Better Eat Your Wheaties in Hueco Tanks, only considerably easier. “ (Read his full blog post HERE).

 

In contrast, Dave's new v13, The Clan of the Cave Bears, located in the same area and put up during the same time frame, is said to be very hard for the grade.

 

Max is quick to point out that Dave Graham is no stranger to difficult grades. In fact, many of his hardest lines (Story of Two Worlds and Freshly Squeezed) were upgraded after subsequent attempts from other strong climbers suggested that the problems may in fact be more difficult than originally perceived. It is the opinion of this author that this past record should speak to silence the critics.

Grades are inherently subjective, especially in areas still under development or when a consensus has not been established from subsequent repeats. When it comes to suggesting a grade on a first ascent, it often boils down to how the climber felt that day. It is a suggestion of difficulty and not a consensus.

 

Have climbers used grade inflation to elevate their status with sponsors? Undoubtedly so, but it is doubtful, based on the history of the climbers involved that it was the case here. We would be interested in hearing your thoughts on Wolvoland and the grading of first ascents. Feel free to comment below or in our forum HERE.