9a to V Scale: How It Converts to a V17 or 5.15c

If you’re wondering how the Fontainebleau (or “Font”) system—like 9A—converts to the V scale or Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), here’s a quick answer:

• 9A in the Font scale equals about V17
• That’s also roughly 5.15c on the YDS scale

This guide breaks down how these grading systems compare, why the conversion isn’t exact, and what each grade really means for climbers.

Key Takeaways

• The V scale is the most widely used grading scale for bouldering in the U.S. It ranges from V0 for novice climbers to V17 for the most difficult elite-level boulder problems.
• The French scale is commonly used for sport climbing worldwide, using grades like 6a or 9a to indicate route difficulty and is often seen in international competitions.
• Side-by-side comparison of physical and technical demands between the V scale and the French scale reveal significant discrepancies. This creates a challenge for climbers looking to move from bouldering to sport climbing to draw straightforward comparisons.
• Climbing grades have evolved alongside advances in equipment, technique, and community feedback, leading to more accurate and standardized assessments of difficulty.
• Indoor and outdoor climbing routes are rated on different scales. This variation is particularly driven by environmental conditions and lithology. Where indoor gym grades are largely consistent, outdoor grades can vary widely.
• Understanding multiple grading systems and receiving community support helps climbers set realistic goals, stay motivated, and safely progress in their climbing journey.

Comparing 9a Routes and V Scale Boulders

Climbing grades help folks track progress and set goals, but 9a routes and V scale boulders are two very different beasts. Sport climbs rated 9a are not the kinds of routes you find in crags like Rifle or Red River Gorge. These lengthy routes require a unique blend of endurance, strength, and technical footwork.

V scale boulders in Hueco Tanks provide some of the most intense short, explosive action. Unlike many 5.13 and 5.14 routes, they test your finger strength and body tension with demanding, burly moves. In comparison, a 9a sport route is about 20-30 meters long and takes a few minutes to ascend.

Even a V14 boulder, albeit a few meters tall, takes the full exertion and laser focus for only a handful of moves.

Grade System	Example Grade	Typical Difficulty	Example Locations	Key Challenge
French (Sport)	9a	Elite	Red River Gorge, Rifle	Endurance, Sequence
V Scale (Boulder)	V14-15	Elite	Hueco Tanks, Bishop	Power, Precision

Climbers transitioning between these grades feel significant jumps. A long 9a route is a matter of how long you can hang on, maintain concentration, and connect difficult portions without a recovery point.

The V scale is all about the raw power. It demands dynamic movements such as massive dynos and micro crimps, where a slip is not an option. Many climbers have a hard time making the switch as the skills required aren’t always transferrable.

For instance, someone who excels in 9a sport might need time to build the finger strength for a V14 boulder.

The grading gap influences the way climbers discuss difficulty among one another. Sport grades seem more constant and linear, whereas bouldering grades shoot up quickly and demand immediate solutions.

People argue all the time about which one is more “hard,” but it truly depends on the advantage each climber has.

What Is The V Scale?

The V scale is a grading system that was created particularly for bouldering. In bouldering, climbers ascend short but difficult problems without the use of ropes. It is primarily used in the United States and is referred to as the American bouldering grade system.

Others call it a sort of sub-Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) grade. It’s tailored to bouldering in particular. It is intuitive to climbers since the V scale begins at V0, the simplest problems.

It goes all the way up to V17, the hardest problems in the world right now. Each increment requires a noticeable increase in the strength, skill, or technique required. A V2 boulder problem isn’t about the technique; it’s about the power to make basic moves.

In comparison, a V10 tests your finger strength, body tension, and technical footwork.

The V scale was introduced in the 1990s. Writer and climber John “Verm” Sherman developed this system to help other climbers have a better idea of what to expect when taking on boulder problems at Hueco Tanks in Texas.

It’s for this reason that Verm’s scale is known as the “V” scale, named after Verm. Eventually, it became the dominant system for rating boulders in the US. The V scale and the Hueco system are two names for the same grading technique.

This system is employed for outdoor climbing locations as well as indoor climbing gyms.

In terms of grading systems, the V scale is in proximity to the French Font-grade system, which is more commonly used in Europe. Once you get beyond the easiest grades, V-scale and Font grades line up pretty nicely.

To put this into English, V10 corresponds to Font 7C+. Indoors, grades seem almost plush compared to how they read on rock. This means that a V7 at the gym might not be pushing you as hard as a V7 on real rock would.

What Is The French Scale?

The French scale or French numerical scale is a way of denoting the difficulty of a climbing route. It’s the scale most popularly used in sport climbing. It was first popularized by French guidebook writer Francois Labande in the late 1980s.

This American guide replaced the confusing old UIAA Roman numerals with straightforward Arabic numbers. As a result, climbers are more easily able to communicate and come to a consensus on what a grade should be. The French scale runs from 3 to 9. A score of 3 is very easy to traverse, and a score of 9 is reserved for the steepest of ascents.

Each of those grades gets divided even further with a, b, and c—like 6a, 7b, or 8c. A + or – shows a small increase or decrease in the difficulty of a route. So, a 7a+ is only marginally harder than a 7a.

This scale is extremely important in the world of sport climbing, especially in Europe. It creates a simple, clear standard that is consistent across all climbing areas. If you make a trip over to climbing areas in France or Spain, you would see routes with these numbers on them.

This way, a 6b at one climbing area should feel about the same in difficulty as a 6b at another climbing area. Many international climbing contests utilize the French scale. This precise scale provides climbers from every corner of the globe the ability to determine the difficulty of a route without ambiguity.

Not limited to roped climbs, the Font scale, a variant on the French system, is used for bouldering as well. The French scale linearly correlates with other grading systems such as UIAA—for example, French 6a is approximately equivalent to UIAA VI+.

Armed with this standardized language, climbers can choose routes appropriate for their skill level, wherever they go.

How Climbing Grades Evolve

These changes are a result of evolution in climbing style, development of equipment, and status of the broader climbing community. The intention behind these early systems, such as the British adjectival grades, was to convey the overall difficulty and seriousness of a climb. With the rise of new styles such as sport climbing and bouldering, climbers had to find new ways to communicate about increasingly difficult routes.

The British E-grade system arrived in the 1960s just in time to meet this demand. Not long after, the French base 10 system quickly spread. Around the same time, the American Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) also developed, each providing their own distinctive way of conveying climb difficulty. In 1967, John Ewbank introduced his own scale in Australia, which would later be adopted in New Zealand and South Africa as well.

This is hardly the first time that improved gear has influenced the progression of grades. With safer ropes, quickdraws, and stronger protection, climbers began pushing the limits of difficulty. That escalated grades. Routes that current climbers thought they could never climb soon had numerical equivalents.

The highest grades just continue advancing. Britain’s most difficult traditional climb is still at E11 7a, while the French scale has recently extended to 9c. New tricks and equipment continue to push the limits.

It’s not just developers who create grades—climbers themselves have the power to influence grades by leaving reviews. When one climber pronounces a route a sandbag, everyone else is inclined to accept the verdict or dispute it. This feedback loop both protects the integrity of grades and accounts for the sometimes confusing variation in how grades feel from area to area.

Even within a single country, a 5.12 California may not do the same as a 5.12 Kentucky. Climbing competitions have helped standardize grades, making it easier to compare climbs worldwide. Regional quirks and personal opinions still manage to sneak through, ensuring a lively debate.

Setting Grades: Indoors vs Outdoors

Making grades in climbing has never failed to make for an exciting discussion, particularly when you consider the 9a and V scales. Indoors, gyms rely on objective criteria for determining grades. Route setters choreograph each hold and sequence, targeting a specific difficulty throughout. That way, you always have a good idea of what to expect, and the grades are designed to give you a general sense of how you’re doing.

Still, even then, some climbers will tell you a V3 indoors is going to feel much more doable than a V3 outdoors. Many users argue that gyms tend to lower grades to make their students feel better. For instance, they think a 5.6 outdoors might actually be the equivalent of a 5.8 indoors. This is a good idea! Where gym climbs emphasize short bursts and train specific skills like grip strength and small hold endurance.

It turns out that outdoor grading works quite differently. The bottom line is nature doesn’t work like that. Climate, geological substrate, and even time of year can change the character of a climb. Slick holds after a rain, loose rock, or a hidden hold that isn’t visible from the ground can surprise even the most experienced climbers.

A boulder graded V7+ might flummox climbers who casually send V11s at the gym. Real stone has a lot of roughness, slopers, and crimps. It takes phenomenal footwork, balance, and improvisational problem solving to get around these obstacles. Most climbers who have ever tried to transition to the outdoors quickly discover that indoor grades aren’t much use out there. You may get a perfect grade in the fitness center, then fail it when you go outdoors on the same digit.

It’s difficult to ensure uniformity in outdoor climbing. Each route only receives review by a limited number of climbers or perhaps even just judging from one’s own limited experience. Grades can seem arbitrary, and critics claim that they eventually turn “all but useless.

Training for Elite Levels

Elite level climbing requires an intense level of commitment and dedication. This sort of commitment is the rarest thing that distinguishes a climber even among elite athletes. Climbers with outside aspirations to V7 (7A+) or above come into the sport with intense training schedules. Those looking to climb V5 (6C/+) or more outside also face this reality.

These grades represent a steep increase in physicality and technical ability. Climbers devote countless hours per week to hangboard workouts, weighted pull-ups and campus board drills. These workouts develop finger intensity and attack. They improve shoulder stability too, all of which are key for crimping hard problems with difficulty marks on the V-Scale or Font-Scale.

At this level, bouldering sessions often include repeated tries on hard moves, working sequences, and resting between attempts to keep the mind fresh. With elite levels of performance, technique is equally as important, if not more so, than raw strength. To avoid getting pumped, elite climbers work on footwork, body tension, and movement drills to be as efficient as possible on the wall.

Most climbers aspire to start high and make dynamic, hero-like openings. They enjoy crushing the highball issues that the Grampians are renowned for. These climbs require a unique level of confidence, as well as serious mental preparation. Visualization, breathing exercises, and maintaining poise are all key mental tactics.

Recovery, as well as injury prevention, come into play here as well. Elite climbers have physios, foam rollers and regular rest days to stave off injury. Little adjustments in training, such as incorporating antagonist exercises and prehab-stretching programs, prevent injuries and prolong careers.

Progress is a uniquely personal endeavor. Some climbers are able to progress to the next grade in weeks, others require months or years. Fatigue and pump are no joke, particularly when transitioning from bouldering to sport climbing, illustrating the importance of general fitness.

Grading Systems Around the World

Just ask any climber because for some reason, it’s not enough to just have one method of ranking climbs. Every region has to have their own. This is the product of an alchemy of local history, culture, and even geology.

Here are some of the main grading systems used across the world:

• V Scale (Vermin scale, used for bouldering, primarily in US)
• French numerical grading system (used for sport climbing, widespread in Europe)
• US DOS (American Difficulty Rating, Yosemite Decimal System, most commonly adopted in North America)
• UIAA scale (I-X, as used in Germany, Austria, etc.)
• Saxon scale (from Saxon Switzerland, early 20th century)
• NCCS (National Climbing Classification System, US, for commitment and time)
• WI-grade (ice climbing, worldwide)
• M-grade (mixed climbing, worldwide)
• Aid climbing (A0–A6, plus new wave grades for harder aid)

These systems are a product of their respective local climbing cultures. In Europe, the French system makes logical sense and is not open-ended. The American YDS is designed to emphasize the most difficult climbing moves.

Climbers are always looking to climb harder, and right now the hardest grade is 5.15d. UIAA relies on Roman numerals and “+” or “−” to adjust difficulty, best for long, old-school climbs. Saxon grades, rooted in sandstone morals, look different.

Systems such as “A” grades reward infrastructure over real people walking. This is where travelers get angry when moving from one system to another. Sure, a 7a in France corresponds to 5.11d YDS back home, but the experience isn’t necessarily comparable.

Culture plays a big role in what grades end up looking like—what’s difficult in one environment may be easy or even bizarre in another. International climbing competitions seek to simplify these discrepancies with widely accepted formats and easily understood conversion charts. The power of local knowledge is important and powerful.

The Climber’s Perspective on Grades

Grades in climbing are an incredible tool, like a map, but every climber interprets that map differently. To many climbers, a 9a route, or a V10 boulder, might as well be a complete vertical wall of glass. For some people, it’s just another step along their path.

To a climber who recently made the leap from V4, V6 might seem like a huge jump. For a climber at V10, V6 is barely a warm-up. Each climber contributes their abilities, experience on similar routes, and even mood on any given day. This directly affects how difficult or challenging a grade appears.

Grades can be mindf***ing, as well. When a climber encounters a new grade, it’s often an exciting moment filled with equal parts hope and trepidation. Others artificially inflate their grade when they manage to send a route significantly higher than their personal grade.

Everyone else may get paralyzed or lose confidence if they fall on something they “should” send. Each bolt on the route is numbered, and that number indicates how far you’ve traveled. That’s only a positive development until it starts to become anxiety-inducing and feels like an exam.

Expectations change too. Setting grade targets is common among climbers. Maybe you’re someone whose goal is to just tick your first 5.12, or break into that V8 grade. As they get bigger, priorities start to shift.

What a climber might be focused on is more fluid movement, improved body control, different rock styles rather than necessarily just the digits. This has provided a healthy check on making everything predictable and more focused on grade only.

Perhaps more than anything else, community is what makes the difference. Having friends cheer at the gym or spotters at the crag can help even the hardest grades feel a little less isolating. Guidance from more experienced climbers, beta that you can trust, or even just someone telling you “you can do this” goes a long way.

Climbing will always feel difficult, but with supporters at your back, those grades don’t feel so impossible to achieve.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between the V Scale and the French Scale?

The V Scale, used to rate bouldering problems, mostly found in the U.S. The French Scale, which assigns grades such as 9a, is the international standard for sport climbing routes, particularly throughout Europe. Each of course measures difficulty differently.

How does a 9a route compare to a V-scale boulder problem?

A 9a route on the French Scale would be comparable in difficulty to a V13-V14 boulder problem on the V Scale. Both demand extraordinary talent and power to master. Both represent elite grades in their respective disciplines.

Why do climbing grades differ between indoor and outdoor climbs?

Indoor grades, which are typically set by a route setter, can be more subjective. Outdoor grades are often more consistent and established due to the consensus of climbers over time.

Can I convert French climbing grades directly to the V Scale?

Can I convert French climbing grades directly to the V Scale? The French Scale is applied to long routes and the V Scale is applied to short boulder problems. They’re designed for very different kinds and styles of climbing and routes.

How do climbing grades change over time?

Why do climbing grades sometimes feel arbitrary? If it proves easier or harder than originally estimated, the grade can be changed by consensus.

What is the hardest grade currently climbed on the V Scale and French Scale?

As of now, the hardest boulder problems are climbed at that grade on the V Scale, and the hardest sport climbs are at 9c on the French Scale. Both are an equivalent extreme standard. Both are considered the hardest level of climbing difficulty.

Why are there different grading systems around the world?

Each area created their own specialized grading system based on their climbing culture and heritage. This allows local climbers to easily communicate difficulty, but it can be wily for international comparison.