If you’re looking to understand how the 6b+ climbing grade converts to the V scale or Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), here’s your quick answer:
6b+ is roughly equal to V4 on the Hueco scale and 5.10d to 5.11a on the YDS.
In this post, you’ll learn how these grading systems compare, what each one measures, and why the conversions aren’t always exact. Whether you’re switching from sport climbing to bouldering or just traveling abroad, this guide will help you match your skills to the right grade.
Converting 6b+ Font to V-Scale
When climbers cross from Europe to the U.S., they meet two main bouldering grades: the Font scale (Fontainebleau) and the V-Scale (Verm). Each scale comes from a different place. Font is commonly used in Europe, but the V-Scale is well known and used across the United States.
Knowing the best way to convert a 6b+ Font grade to its V-Scale equivalent helps empower climbers. This information allows them to more accurately plan trips and select crags.
The Font scale employs decimal points like 6a, 6b, and 6c to differentiate grades. By comparison, the V-Scale just goes up in even whole numbers V0, V1, V2, etc. If you’re a 6b+ problem, you’re talking about something more or less like V7–V8 here in the U.S.
This is definitely not a hard and fast rule. Some gyms or crags might grade routes more difficult or easy, and an individual climber’s strengths can drastically alter how a route may be experienced. For reference, here is a quick look:
| Font Grade | V-Scale |
|---|---|
| 6b+ | V7–V8 |
| 6c | V9–V10 |
| 6c+ | V11–V12 |
One common pitfall is assuming that the grade levels are equivalent. The Font scale includes considerations of skill and safety, while the V-Scale is primarily focused on the difficulty of the moves themselves.
Another common mistake is to trust online charts without checking the local scene, as grades can shift from one spot to the next. Even advanced climbers struggle after attempting the higher grades, as the scales further divide at the top.
It’s a good idea to consult with local experts or self-administer a mini-exam on a handful of problems before leaping to new, higher grades. Understanding both scales is key to better trips, less hocus pocus.
Alpine grades add the factor of severe weather and the possibility of rockfall. Grading can become very local very quickly. In the U.S., climbers generally use the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) to rate non-technical or free rock routes. This system uses the mix of letters and numbers from 5.10a to describe the climb’s challenge level.
Bouldering here is graded under the V scale, beginning at V0 up to V∞. France and much of Europe use a similar letter-number system for sport climbs, such as 6b+. This system doesn’t correspond perfectly with the V scale. Alpine and trad grades, like the British E-grade, measure more than just difficulty. They consider how safe or bold a route might feel.
Grades aren’t completely arbitrary, either. They change with new information, more climbers, or simply local sentiment. Two climbs rated the same can seem worlds apart. That’s particularly the case when you change countries or disciplines of climbing.
These systems are the backbone of our economy and lifeline of our safety. They are the reason everybody at the crag is respectful and knows how to communicate well.
What Are Climbing Grade Systems?
Climbing grade systems are a way for climbers to gauge the difficulty of a climb. These systems rate routes based on the hardest moves on the route. They measure how much physical strength is needed and how dangerous the climb could be. The ultimate objective is to give climbers the best possible idea of what they’ll find.
We want you to know what you’re talking about, from reading guidebooks to discussing with your friends at the climbing gym. Styles of climbing, such as sport, trad, bouldering, and alpine, have different methods to indicate a grade as well. Sport climbing grades focus less on dynamic movements and power, but rather technical moves as well as endurance.
Bouldering Grades Explained Simply
Bouldering grades indicate how difficult it is to scale a short vertical face or boulder problem without a rope. These bouldering grades are nothing like those for roped climbing, where endurance and gear usage come heavily into play. Bouldering grades gauge your strength and the difficulty of the moves.
They focus on how difficult the holds are to juggle. Climbers use bouldering grades as a shorthand to convey a problem’s difficulty, quickly and clearly. This system helps you, as a climber, find an appropriate climb for your skill level.
The two universally accepted grading systems in bouldering are the V scale and the Font scale. The V scale, or “Vermin scale,” is primarily used in the United States. It’s V0 for the easy climbs, up to V2, V5, V10, and beyond for the more difficult ones.
The Font scale, named after the bouldering area of Fontainebleau, is favored in Europe. It begins at 3 and tops out at 8C+. Both scales often use a plus sign to signify that a climb is at the top range of that grade. For instance, you may encounter V4+ or 6b+.
So for instance, a V0 is usually equivalent to Font 4, and V5 corresponds with Font 6C. Grades represent the difficulty of the boulders that require big moves, steep overhangs, and powerful athleticism.
For instance, “Midnight Lightning” in Yosemite, V8, is perhaps the most famous boulder problem, known for its wide, powerful moves on tiny crimps. A V2 or 6a gym problem might have big holds. It forces you to better commit your body tension and control your center of mass.
Outside, a testpiece like “The Mandala” in Bishop, V12, requires you to be pretty powerful and technical. These grades inform climbers as to what climbs they should attempt based on their current level and desire to challenge themselves.
Key Differences: Bouldering vs Roped Climbing Grades
Bouldering and roped climbing dish out two completely separate universes, and their respective grade scales reflect that loud and clear. Bouldering grades, like the V scale that’s used in the U.S., focus on dynamic, short, powerful moves. Generally, you climb without a rope, looking the wall or rock in the eye, usually just above the ground.
A standard V4 or V6 boulder problem might be only a few moves long. Every move packs a punch and requires that much more explosive strength, or more complex body positions. Roped climbing grades, including the French system (ex. 6b+) or the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), describe much longer routes.
This sets them apart unlike any other grade of climbing. These ascents test your no-holds-barred strength. They also test your endurance and demand expertise in placing gear or clipping draws on route.
Not only the context of the grade but the grading context itself is different. Unlike roped climbing, in bouldering one extremely difficult move may determine the grade. For instance, a V5 may have one huge jump, and the rest of it is cake.
With roped climbs, the grade is definitely what the hardest bit is with respect to a climb, but it’s the length and how consistent the difficulty is. A 6b+ sport route might have a crux move in the middle. You have to be dialed and fluid throughout the whole line, sometimes over 60 feet long.
Each system has its strengths. Bouldering grades are straightforward and direct, giving climbers a clear idea of what they should expect. For a given route, roped grades give a full picture of a route’s difficulty.
In practice, they can appear to be much more complicated and vary wildly from crag to crag. The physical part is a wild difference. While bouldering demands explosive energy and technical accuracy, roped climbing is about control, pressure in the hands, and mental fortitude.
How Grade Conversion Is Determined
Between climbing systems, grade conversion is the product of both an objective framework and community practice. Western Europe uses various scales, Japan uses a 5 scale, etc. As an example, in the United States we use the V Scale, while in Europe, they use the Font Scale.
John Sherman, aka “Verm,” was the creator of the V Scale. It goes from V0, which are beginner-friendly climbs, all the way up to V17, which are some of the hardest problems ever climbed. The Font Scale similarly employs letters, such as 6b+, to denote climbing grades. It incorporates minuses for lack of detail, making it more complicated and artful than the simple-digit numbering of the V Scale.
Climbing communities and guidebooks are instrumental in establishing and verifying grades. Our guidebook authors ride side-by-side routes, gather input from local experts, and in some cases even regrade a route if the local consensus shifts.
In bouldering gyms or outdoor areas, climbers talk about how a problem feels, and that shared experience often shapes how a grade gets accepted or changed.
When matching up grades between systems, these criteria are usually considered:
- Physical difficulty (strength, technique, endurance)
- Style of movement (power moves vs. technical sequences)
- Risk and fall potential
- Consensus from local climbers
- Feedback from guidebook editors
Despite these standards, grade conversion remains arbitrary. For other climbers, a Font 7a+ could be more like a V5. For others, though, it can feel more like a V6, based on their personal strengths.
The V Scale’s oversimplification between grades adds to the frequency of these shifts. Local conditions and the style of a climb can further affect what grade seems appropriate. Climbers fresh to a region can be left scratching their heads when grades don’t match up with conversion charts or tables found online.
Beyond the Numbers: Context is Key
As intuitive as climbing grades such as 6b+ or V-scale may appear, the numbers are misleading. Grades give a basic idea of what to expect, but real-world climbs bring a mix of factors that shape how hard a route feels. Local rock types make a huge difference.
Sandstone in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon often has a polished, almost waxy surface. Granite outcrops in Joshua Tree are featured with razor kind edges and little pinches. These traits affect not only how you move between moves but how difficult each move appears to be, even when graded the same.
Weather is a factor, as well. Humid days, for example, can make holds greasy and difficult to hold on to, whereas dry, cooler air might provide improved friction. Sun, shade, and wind further change the equation.
A V3 indoor slab on a cold day will definitely be less difficult than the same person climbing a 6b+ overhang in the peak of summer. More advanced climbers usually notice these changes sooner. A new climber can be intimidated by a V2 boulder when they don’t recognize the unfamiliar holds.
In comparison, a climber with years of experience learns to adjust quickly and see the rock as it truly is. Physical shape and mental readiness are just as important as skill. If you come into it fatigued or rushed, what could even be a familiar and previously easy route will seem more challenging.
On some days, anxiety about falling or apprehension starts to set in. Preparing properly—stretching thoroughly, warming up, and understanding your limits—can help even the most advanced climber find a route of any grade a little less daunting.
Applying the 6b+ to V-Scale Knowledge
Understanding how the Font Scale and the V-Scale line up is a key skill for any climber moving between gyms, crags, or even countries.
The Font Scale, or Fontainebleau scale, is commonly used in Europe. High grades such as 6B+ are a sign of an in-between experience. They don’t always line up perfectly with the US V-Scale, which goes from V0 all the way to V17. A 6B+ boulder will almost always be rated at no more than a V4 or V5. There is a lot of gray area in between.
Each route takes on a different ambiance, depending on who the first ascensionist was. Specifically, outdoor boulders get their grade from the first person to do them clean. This allows for grades to change over time as more people ascend the problem and leave their comments.
Climbers get the most out of converting grades when they do it in practice during actual climbing sessions. For every problem, in addition to writing down the grade you earned, attempt to write down how each problem felt. This practice goes a long way toward clarifying the commonality and the divergence.
Maintain a logbook or digital app to track your journey through both grading scales. It’s a simple way to spot trends, like whether you find certain styles easier on one scale than the other.
Tips for switching from Font to V-Scale:
- Refer to conversion charts, but rely on your own judgment first.
- Note that gym grades tend to be a bit squishier than outdoor grades.
- Make sure to pay attention to what the style looks like—are the moves reachy, powerful, technical, etc.
- Don’t fixate on the number. The events mix learning with movement and fun.
- Discuss with local climbers which sandbags are prevalent in your area.
Knowing both systems opens doors to more climbing, smarter training, and better self-assessment.
Climbing Grade Conversions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 6b+ mean in bouldering grades?
6b+ is a Font (Fontainebleau) bouldering grade, widely used in Europe. It represents a gap that is difficult for mid-level climbers.
What is the V-scale equivalent of 6b+?
An equivalent 6b+ on the Font scale would roughly translate to a V4 on the V-scale. The V-scale is the most popular bouldering grade system in use in the United States.
Why do bouldering grades vary between Font and V-scale?
The Font and V-scale systems were both invented in Europe but in very different cultural areas. Their grading criteria and grading benchmarks differ, so when converting between the two scales discrepancies can arise.
Are grade conversions always exact between Font and V-scale?
Are grade conversions always precise between Font and V-scale? Climbing style, local grading standards, and the climbing gym or location can all influence the experience of a problem.
How can I use the 6b+ to V-scale conversion in Los Angeles gyms?
If you’re familiar with Font grades, look for 6b+ problems to be equivalent to V4 problems in your local gym.
Does the difficulty change outdoors versus indoors?
Indeed, outdoor challenges may be more intimidating because they’re more raw, less defined by external features and factors. Indoor grades are often more uniform.
Should I rely only on grades when picking bouldering problems?
No. Grades are only there to help you. Explore a variety of problems, work on areas that play to your strengths, and have fun climbing whatever the number might be.