Glossary
Route grade
A rating system describing how physically or technically demanding a climb is, used to pick appropriate routes.
A route grade is a rating meant to describe roughly how hard a climb is, using a scale that differs by region and discipline, such as the Yosemite Decimal System common in the US or the French sport grading scale used widely for sport routes. Bouldering uses its own separate scales, most often the V scale in the US.
Grades are a useful starting point for picking a route that matches a climber's current ability, but they are inherently subjective, set by whoever established or repeated the route, and can vary noticeably between different crags or even different routes at the same grade. Style also affects perceived difficulty, since a climber strong on crimps may find a slopey route feel harder than its grade suggests.
New climbers sometimes chase grade numbers as the main measure of progress, which can push them onto routes above their actual skill level for the conditions and protection available that day. Treating a grade as a rough guide rather than a guarantee, and choosing routes based on what protection and terrain you feel ready for, matters more than the number on the guidebook.