If you’re trying to understand how the Font grade 7b compares to the V Scale, the quick answer is: 7b is about the same as V8 or 5.13a in difficulty.
But there’s more to it than just numbers.
Each grading system comes from a different style of climbing and region. This guide breaks it down so you can see how 7b fits into the bigger picture—whether you boulder, sport climb, or do both.
Key Takeaways
- Like other standard climbing grade systems, these standardized systems serve to inform climbers of route difficulty and allow climbers to choose climbs that align with their skill level.
- Font 7b in the French system is very similar to V8 on the American V-scale. Precise conversions may vary based on local context.
- Understanding both the Font and V-scale systems is valuable for climbers who travel or want to climb internationally, especially in areas like Fontainebleau or popular U.S. bouldering destinations.
- By understanding how grade conversions work to avoid confusion, climbers can make better informed decisions when taking on a new challenge.
- Attention to technique, injury prevention, strength training and specifically mental strategies are crucial for progressing past the 7b or V8 grade.
- By treating the grades as useful recommendations instead of hard and fast constraints you can aid your own development and improve the climbing community experience.
The 7b to V-Scale Conversion Explained
As anyone who has graded climbing climbs knows, converting from one scale to another is rarely straightforward. The 7b grade comes from the French Adjectif system, which is most widely used in Europe. The V-scale is widely used in the U.S., and especially for bouldering.
To translate a 7b into a V-scale grade, climbers need to take into account the style, movement and rock type. This is why each rating system is different in how they rate difficulty. Most climbers will agree that 7b is roughly V7 or V8 on the V-scale. This rating is not consistent and can change based on the city and even the particular street or path taken.
Here’s a simple table showing how the grades often line up:
| French Grade | V-Scale Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 7a | V6 |
| 7a+ | V6–V7 |
| 7b | V7–V8 |
| 7b+ | V8–V9 |
| 7c | V9–V10 |
Many climbers believe that the French grades are easier, while others believe that the V-scale is more demanding. These should be considered as very broad guidelines and not hard and fast rules. Grades can feel harder or easier based on your own style or how much time you’ve spent on similar rock.
For example, a 7b in France might actually be the same as a V7 in Bishop, California. This discrepancy remains despite the ratings seeming to indicate they are similar. Most climbers rely on online conversion charts or local experts to gauge what they might be in for.
Having familiarity with both scales is useful when you climb in both areas or discuss climbing with other climbers. Not understanding the conversion can result in choosing climbs that are over or under your ability level.
What Are Climbing Grades?
Climbing grades serve as a universal language to convey the difficulty of a route or problem. They assist climbers in determining whether or not a given climb is appropriate for their skill level or climbing goals. Grades matter for both indoor and outdoor climbs, from steep boulders in Joshua Tree to long sport routes in Europe.
The key is to establish realistic expectations. This allows climbers to visualize the climb ahead of time, understand what to train for and be prepared to avoid surprises while on the wall.
Every climbing region adheres to their own grading standard. The French system, as commonly used in sport climbing, employs a numeric and letter scale like 7b, 6a, or 8c. These grades increase with increasing difficulty of the moves, decrease in size of the holds, or increase in steepness of the wall.
For bouldering, the V scale (shorthand for “Verm” as in John “Vermin” Sherman) is typically used in the U.S. It begins at V0 and increases—V2, V5, up to V15 for the most difficult problems. On the French scale, a 7b is approximately a V6 or V7 on the V scale. There’s a huge difference in the overall experience, depending on the climbing area.
Grades serve a greater purpose than indicating how difficult a climb is. They enable climbers to identify an appropriate challenge. This means that when a climbing gym grades a problem V4, the novice climber will seek out problems within the range of V0–V2.
On outdoor trips, grades allow a group to set goals and share beta. A clear grade helps keep things safe and fun, whether you climb in LA gyms or on sandstone in the Southwest.
Getting to Know Font 7b
Font 7b is perhaps the most important test case on the Fontainebleau Scale. Climbers all over Europe use this scale to grade outdoor boulder problems. It sits smack-dab in the very high end of the advanced range, matching up directly with a V8 on the US V-Scale.
Getting to know font 7b is not so difficult after all! It takes nimble fingers, excellent body awareness, and a fierce mind. Climbs at this grade are common in Fontainebleau, France. This legendary stretch, the birthplace of modern bouldering, is what christened the scale and served as the stage for its inception.
What differentiates a Font 7b boulder from the rest is when raw power meets tactical finesse. Issues at this grade always combine difficult, jagged, overhanging grips with technical footwork. You may need to pinch, crimp, slope, and/or heel hook.
The ascent “La Marie Rose” gives an idea of the technical prowess needed. Even though it’s graded 6a, it obviously shows the grading style. Carnage” and “La Balance” in Fontainebleau are full-on 7b masterpieces. Each one tests climbers to not just be powerful, but savage yet silky with their violence.
The Font Scale…it’s all about the numbers and the letters…7b is more difficult than a 7a, but not as difficult as a 7c. The plus sign, 7b+, for instance, indicates that the problem is located on the difficult end of that grade.
Even so, the system is far from perfect. For some climbers 7a+ feels the same level of challenge as 7b, and difficulty ratings can change from day to day on an individual basis. That’s why it’s always encouraging to connect with other climbers or share beta.
Understanding the V-Scale
Used all over the United States, the V-scale is now a familiar and common measurement of bouldering problems. More importantly, it provides something for the climber to latch onto—it communicates a good sense of what a climb will be like. The V-scale is unique in its combination of numbers and, on occasions, letters.
It begins with V0, the level for very low difficulty climbs. It continues upward—V1, V2, etc.—with each number representing a leap in difficulty of the moves. Climbers are regularly faced with grades that have been embellished. For instance, you may notice grades written as V5+ or V3-. These adjustments make it easier to indicate when a climb falls in between two levels.
In the United States, the V-scale is employed by the majority of indoor climbing gyms and outdoor climbing guidebooks. It provides climbers of all levels, from beginners to veterans, with a common language. This means that a V4 in Los Angeles or New York should be roughly the same in experience.
That allows climbers to have a clear goal, or to exchange stories regardless of where they’re from. Other countries, such as Europe, typically follow the French V-scale. The French scale goes from digits to letters—such as 6A, 7B, 8C. Both systems are designed to help someone understand the relative difficulty of a climb.
The V-scale uses only whole numbers and is much more widely adopted in the U.S. The French scale might provide more delicate splits, but the V-scale has a reputation for its clean, no-nonsense gradation.
Why Bother Converting Grades?
For climbers, this creates a unique situation where we may be thrown into situations with extremely different grading systems. Climbers might have a week’s time to share their incredible adventures with their friends from the other side of the country. This creates a practical need to convert grades between the 7b and V scale.
This update isn’t simply a cosmetic re-numbering—it speaks to the need for all of us to be reading from the same playbook. Knowing how grades translate puts you in a better position to know what to expect, no matter the path. Whether you’re riding in California, biking in France, or walking in Japan, this holds true.
Translating grades improves transparency and reduces misunderstandings. Most climbers, including very accomplished ones, will have a hard time telling a V4 apart from a V5 or V6. This difference can be very confusing indeed! Each individual moves through paths in their own way.
Their skill set, size, and style influence this process, which creates a huge difference between grades. This lets you take a fairer, more apples-to-apples approach to comparing climbs, no matter what region you’re in, as long as you use conversions.
The challenge comes when a subject area uses multiple different grading scales, like the Font and V scales. We need for the public to be active participants in the planning process. This isn’t for nerdy purposes alone—it assists with their safety, trip planning, and choosing the appropriate climb.
Grade conversions take the guesswork out of the equation. More than that, it creates a more transparent, accountable experience for all. Becoming familiar with more than one grading system allows you to choose routes with greater precision.
You’d then find it easier to have conversations with climbers from other locations, share advice and tips, share beta. Converting grades is not straightforward. The scales are unusual, and the idiosyncrasies of each climber color the picture.
Conversions are crucial to keeping the sport fair and accessible.
Quick History of Grade Evolution
Climbing grades certainly didn’t begin with precise integers or gradations of the alphabet. Originally, climbers would only use vague adjectives to describe how difficult a route was. These early grades were very hit or miss, more of an art than science.
Increasing numbers of people were climbing, and in more places. This boom brought about increased demand for widely-agreed upon standards for grading. During the 1930s, the Sierra Club popularized the Welzenbach scale. This scale was originally created to grade hikes and scrambles in the Sierra Nevadas.
This was an important first step. It provided an interesting way for climbers to compare their potential climbs in one area to those in another. At approximately the same time, the UIAA scale spread into Poland, where grades I to VI were introduced, particularly around Kraków. This system was instrumental in establishing some much-needed order to the still-burgeoning sport.
Of course, many significant milestones jump out. In 1918, Emanuel Strubisch completed the first 6a grade ascent in Germany. He inspired and informed us of the beautiful creations that are possible with new techniques and undeterred determination.
By the 1960s, John Ewbank in Australia developed the Ewbank system. The system employed ascending integers to correspond with the growing challenge of the climbs. This arrangement opened the door to include more challenging courses as time went on. That was a radical departure from previous systems that capped out at some maximum grade.
Climbing culture was instrumental in the way grades roared across the land. As new climbers explored farther afield, they carried their grading paradigms along with them. With the extension of new routes, more technical terrain and improved footwear in the 1970s and 1980s, grades had to evolve to match.
It was these modern systems, such as that of the French and later the American grades, which became the standard. Now, with systems like the V-scale for bouldering, grades are perpetually in flux as climbers test the extreme edges of what’s possible.
Pushing Past the 7b/V8 Barrier
Moving past the 7b or V8 barrier requires tackling some of the most dramatic changes in the sport. At this point, the V-scale and Font scale are demonstrating their limitations. Grades are subjective and can be all over the place. What one climber might consider a 7b could actually be a 7a or even 7b+ for the next climber. This gap occurs because of increasing jump size between grades on the V-scale.
On top of that, each climb is different and has its own specific quirks. When you start pushing past the 7b/V8 barrier, experience and skill are essential to a greater degree. In order to push past these numbers, climbers begin to adopt highly specialized training. Hangboard routines, campus board drills, and core work become the norm.
Climbers who push past V8 usually spend a lot of time developing finger strength and perfecting lock-off holds. On top of that, they train on movements that mimic the difficult boulders they hope to ascend. For instance, addressing overhang issues in the climbing gym is crucial. Practicing your high steps and deadpoints goes a long way too.
Mental strategies are at least as important. Most climbers are familiar with creating achievable intermediate goals, such as sticking two hard moves in succession before completing the entire problem. Don’t lose your eye on the ball during trying times. Control those butterflies and take each failure as a lesson to develop the perseverance required to eventually prevail.
Continued reflection and candid self-criticism will help carry us further. Most climbers find that the jump from V7 to V8 is bigger than any jump they’ve faced before. This is where strength and solid technique meet. Climbers who push past the 7b/V8 barrier demonstrate exceptional movement on stone.
They learn precise footwork and they learn to waste energy as little as possible. They are deeply aware that from the outside, progress will look very slow at times. With concerted practice, focused training, and serious mental toughness, the barrier becomes less daunting over time.
My View: Grades Are Tools, Not Rules
Grades on the 7b to V scale hold practical value for climbers, but they are not carved in stone. They help folks size up a climb, spot challenges, and plan next steps. Still, each grade is more like a ballpark than a finish line. Climbers often find that what feels tough for one may seem easier for another.
These numbers act more like guiding lights than hard fences. For example, someone who breezes through a V4 problem might hit a wall at a V5, while another finds the opposite. This shows grades serve as a way to check where you stand and set simple goals.
The reason for this looseness is not far to seek. Grades are influenced by fads, fashion, arts and culture, and literally the flavor of the day. Just like a V3 on one boulder problem in California may not directly translate to the same difficulty on a different V3 elsewhere.
An early ascent of the first crux on the Salathé Wall. What used to be a formidable obstacle may now seem like a cinch. They even share tales of arguing over the actual gap between a V4 and V6. That’s not because grades are some magical universal communication tool.
On one hand, they provide a valuable jumping off point for discussion and education, but on the other hand, they allow room for each individual’s unique path. In the vast majority of climbing areas, climbers use grades to encourage peers and indicate advancement—not to establish barriers.
They set the stage for a positive, welcoming culture—one in which students feel empowered to pursue their passions. Climbing for the sake of chasing numbers alone isn’t where the fun and growth come from—and that’s what makes climbing so rewarding.
Climbing Grade Conversions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does “7b” mean in climbing grades?
What does “7b” mean in climbing grades? It is a hard ascent, like a 7b to v scale for elite climbers.
What is the V-scale in bouldering?
The V-scale, which was developed in the U.S., rates the difficulty of boulder problems. It is similar to the French bouldering scale in that it begins at V0 and increases as climbs become more difficult. It’s the dominant grading scale for bouldering in the United States.
How do you convert 7b to the V-scale?
Font 7b is approximately equivalent to V8 on the V-scale. This conversion helps climbers compare problems across different grading systems.
Why should I convert between Font and V-scale grades?
Converting grades allows climbers to better gauge difficulty while traveling or when reading about climbs from other countries. It helps to keep expectations in check and determine what the training objectives should be.
Are climbing grades always accurate?
Are climbing grades ever off, or wrong. Considerations like climbing style, conditions and personal strengths all play a role in how hard a climb feels, making grades more of a guideline than a rule.
What is the hardest part about breaking into 7b/V8?
The jump to 7b/V8 usually takes improved technique, strength, and headspace. It’s no wonder that this particular grade represents the first big barrier for so many climbers.
Who decides bouldering grades?
Typically the first ascendant will suggest a grade. Then other climbers repeat it, and they agree (or propose changes) through a process of consensus building and experience.
