Yosemite Decimal System

The Yosemite Decimal System ( YDS ) is a three-part system for evaluating the difficulty of hiking, mountain climbing , and climbing , used primarily in the United States and Canada . It was first set up in the 1950s by members of the Sierra Club in Southern California as an improvement on previous systems, particularly more common in Yosemite Valley , and quickly spread across North America.

The section for class 5 of the scale is primarily a system for scaling degrees of difficulty in climbing , whereas classes 1 and 2 focus more on the requirements of hiking , trail running and scrambling, a kind of hybrid of hiking, climbing and mountaineering. Class 3 describes easy and moderately demanding mountain tours (i.e. scrambling) with different levels of difficulty and danger. Class 4 is an "intermediate level" for more demanding mountaineering, which roughly corresponds to the "PD +" level of the French IFAS system . Climbers, especially those who move in the technically demanding class 5, abbreviate classes 3 and 4 with “3.” ( English 3 ^rd ) and “4.” ( English 4 ^th ).

Originally it was a one-part classification system. The categories "degree" ( English grade () and "fuse" english protection ) were added later. The new categories do not apply to all climbing, and their uses vary widely. The "degree" describes the time required to complete a climbing route, while "safety" describes the availability and quality of points on a climbing route (hereinafter "safety points") at which a climber should use aids for climbing safety .

Class 5 is divided into sub-classes; a distinction is currently made between subclasses 5.0 to 5.15. The ratings above 5.9 are further subdivided, e.g. B. there is 5.10b or 5.15c. When a full YDS rating is described, the grade of the class is adjusted, followed by the assurance, creating a construct like “5.10b VI R”. Often the degree is left out and only the class and the fuse are used. If there is no agreement on the required amount of security measures on a route, this is also omitted.

While primarily a free climbing system was described, there were occasional additions by a technical climbing system , which is described with A0 ... A5. So z. B. the North America wall of El Capitan classified with "5.8 VI A5" using a mixed system.

Classes

The system was originally introduced in the 1930s as the "Sierra Club Grading System" (dt. "Sierra Club Grading System") for the classification of hiking and climbing routes in the Sierra Nevada . First, these were each described in relation to other routes, e.g. B. "Route Z harder than route X, but easier than route Y". However, this primitive system was difficult to understand for those who had no experience with each route. The club adopted a numerical classification system that was easy to learn and practical to use.

The system was later brought into its modern, well-known form by climbers at Tahquitz Peak in Southern California. The intention was to subdivide the classes in decimal, e.g. B. to be able to define a class 4.5 as exactly located between classes 4 and 5. Class 5 was divided into the 1950s. Originally it was based on ten climbing routes in the Sierra Nevada area and spanned between the "Trough" route at 5.0 and the "Open Book" route at 5.9, which was considered the most difficult free climbing route at the time. This system was developed by members of the Rock Climbing Section of the Angeles Chapter at the Sierra Club.

Today the system divides all hiking and climbing routes into five classes, but the exact definition of the classes is somewhat controversial and so updated versions of this classification have been published:

class 1

Hiking with low risk of injury; Walking shoes are recommended.

2nd grade

Simple "scrambling", occasional use of the hands required. A low risk potential is included. Walking shoes are strongly recommended.

Class 3

"Scrambling" with increased requirements. Hand movements are required. A rope should be available for beginners or spontaneous climbers, but is usually not required. Crashes could end badly.

Grade 4

Easy climbing, associated with dangers. A rope is often used. Natural backup can be found easily. Crashes can often have serious consequences.

Class 5

Is intended for technically rope-free climbing (without hanging on the rope, pulling yourself up on it or stepping on fixed points); Security hardware is only used for your own safety, as unsecured crashes can result in serious injury or death. Class 5 has a number of subclasses numbered from 5.0 to 5.15d to gradually define more difficult free climbing routes.

The climbing guide literature occasionally supplements the YDS classification with a number of stars in order to be able to depict the general “quality” (to what extent “fun” plays a role or whether it is “worthwhile”) of a climbing route. This “ranking” has no relation to the YDS system and varies from climbing guide to climbing guide. Sometimes information about the difficulty at the top of a rock is added, e.g. B. a class "3s4" means that most of the rock is class 3, but the top is class 4. (The “s” in the name comes from “summit”, German for “summit”.)

Raised standards and improved equipment resulted in classified 5.9 routes becoming moderately difficult routes for some in the 1960s. Before all routes were reclassified when new standards were introduced, it was decided to add additional classes. It quickly became apparent that an endless system was required and classes like 5.11, 5.12, etc. were added. It was later determined that a 5.11 route should be more difficult than a 5.10 route, so many routes of varying difficulty were increased to 5.10. To solve this, the classes above 5.9 were further subdivided with the help of suffixes from “a” to “d”. In 2018 it was decided that only one route could have a difficulty class of 5.15d: Silence , first mastered in September 2017 by Adam Ondra .

There are still differences between the classifications of routes in the indoor area, in sport and in traditional climbing, due to location and history. A formula that includes the average speed, the classification of the route, the distance and the difference in altitude and would be relevant in practice is still unpublished.

Grade

The YDS degree system optionally includes a system enriched with Roman numerals, which includes the length and difficulty of a route.

Degree	Duration of the climbing tour
I.	1-2 hours
II	< 1 ⁄ 2 day
III	1 ⁄ 2 day
IV	1 day
V	2-3 days
VI	4-6 days
VII	≥ 1 week

The grade is more relevant for mountaineers and climbers on large rock faces and is often not mentioned on short tours.

Fuse classification

An optional classification of the safety measures allows conclusions to be drawn about the distance and quality of the safety points, which are available to a well-equipped and experienced climbing guide. The letter codes used, when selected, were identical to the U.S. Movie Content Rating System:

step	description
G	Good, solid securing points
PG	Pretty good (of English pretty good ), some sections with sparse or without securing points
PG13	There are enough belay points, falls can be deep, but are unlikely to result in serious injuries.
R.	Gaps in the protection points (of English runout ), some check points can be very far apart (There is the possibility of bone fractures, even if the backup may be sufficient.)
X	No safety points, extremely dangerous (even with adequate safety there is a possibility of fatal accidents.)

Levels G and PG are often left out as they are part of normal everyday climbing. Routes rated R and X are usually given as a warning to careless climbers. The application of the classification varies greatly from region to region and within the climbing guide literature.

Other systems

There are other classification systems. They are summarized in the article difficulty scale (climbing) .

See also

• Technical climbing
• Ice climbing

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Grade (climbing) - Mountaineering - International French Adjectival System (IFAS) . Retrieved January 23, 2019.
2. ^ Don Reid, Chris Falkenstein: Rock Climbs of Tuolumne Meadows , 3rd Edition, Chockstone Press, Evergreen, Colorado, USA 1992, ISBN 0-934641-47-1 , p. 129.
3. ↑ Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills , 6th Edition, The Mountaineers , Seattle, ISBN 0-89886-426-7 .
4. ↑ Steve Roper: The Climber's Guide to the High Sierra . Sierra Club Books , 1976, ISBN 0-87156-147-6 .
5. ^ The Yosemite Decimal System . Climber.org. Retrieved January 15, 2009.
6. ^ Jeff Rose: Terrain Classification, Climbing Exposure, and Technical Management , Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, pp. 242-257. 
7. ^ Andrew Bisharat: Perfect Play: What it took to climb the world's hardest route , Rock and Ice, pp. 61–66. 
8. ↑ SPS Peaks List . Retrieved January 25, 2019.
9. ^ Hayden Carpenter: Adam Ondra - Silence (9c / 5.15d), aka “Project Hard”, Interview , Rock and Ice.