Yosemite Decimal System facts for kids
The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is a way to rate how hard walks, hikes, and climbs are. It has three main parts. People mostly use it in the United States and Canada for mountain climbing.
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YDS Classes: How Hard is the Trail?
The YDS system puts all hikes and climbs into five main groups, called classes.
Classes 1-3: For Hikers and Trail Runners
These classes are mostly for hiking and trail running.
- If a trail is Class 1, it's like a normal walk. There's a very small chance of getting hurt. Wearing good hiking boots is a smart idea.
- If a trail is Class 2, you might need to 'scramble' a bit. This means using your hands sometimes to keep balance. It's still pretty safe. Hiking boots are important here.
- If a trail is Class 3, you'll definitely need to use your hands to hold on. If you're new to climbing, it's a good idea to use a rope for safety. Falling from a Class 3 trail could be very dangerous.
Class 4: Simple Climbing with Safety Gear
If a trail is Class 4, you'll need to do some simple climbing. There are usually good places to step or grab onto. People often use ropes for safety on Class 4 climbs. This is because a fall from a Class 4 climb could cause serious injury.
Class 5: Rock Climbing with Ropes
The Class 5 part of the system is mostly for rock climbing. You absolutely need a rope for safety on a Class 5 climb. You might also use a belayer or other special safety gear. Falling from a Class 5 climb without a safety rope can cause very serious harm.
Class 6: Aid Climbing (Using Equipment)
In Class 6 climbs, people use special equipment to help them climb. This is called "aid climbing." Instead of climbing directly on the rock, climbers use gear placed into the rock. Class 6 isn't used much anymore. Today, aid climbing has its own scale from A0 to A5.
Class 5 Divisions: Getting More Specific
In the 1950s, Class 5 climbs were broken down even more using a decimal system. As of 2016, this system rates climbs from 5.0 to 5.15c. A 5.0 is the easiest Class 5 climb. A 5.15c is one of the hardest climbs a human can do without special equipment.
As of 2013[update], only two climbs in the world were rated 5.15c. One is called Change, first climbed by Adam Ondra in October 2012. The other is La Dura Dura, also first climbed by Adam Ondra in February 2013. Chris Sharma also climbed it in March 2013.
How Class 5 Ratings Got More Detailed
When people got better at rock climbing and equipment improved in the 1960s, a 5.9 climb became easier for some. So, new ratings like 5.11, 5.12, and 5.13 were added for harder climbs.
Later, climbers realized that a 5.11 climb was much harder than a 5.10. To make the ratings more exact, they added letters "a," "b," "c," and "d" to grades like 5.10, 5.11, 5.12, and 5.13. Within each grade, "a" is the easiest and "d" is the hardest. For example, a 5.10a is the easiest 5.10 climb, and a 5.10d is the hardest.
Climbs get their rating based on the single hardest move on the route. If just one part of a climb is hard enough to be a 5.10d, the whole climb is rated 5.10d.
History of the YDS System
The Sierra Club first created this system in the 1930s. It was called "the Sierra Club grading system." Their goal was to sort hikes and climbs in the Sierra Nevada by how difficult they were.
At first, the system compared climbs to each other. For example, Climb #3 might be harder than Climb #1 but easier than Climb #2. This wasn't very helpful if you didn't know Climbs #1 or #2. So, the Sierra Club changed it to use numbers, which was easier to understand.
Once they used numbers, they started dividing the classes into decimals. For example, a 4.5 route was halfway between a Class 4 and a Class 5.
In the 1950s, members of the Sierra Club's Rock Climbing Section divided Class 5 into 5.0 to 5.9. Back then, people thought a 5.9 was the hardest climb possible.
YDS Grade: How Long Will the Climb Take?
The YDS grade system is optional. It tells climbers how long a climb usually takes.
Here are the grades:
- Grade I: About one to two hours of climbing.
- Grade II: Less than half a day.
- Grade III: About half a day.
- Grade IV: A full day of climbing.
- Grade V: A two-day climb.
- Grade VI: A climb lasting several days.
- Grade VII: A climb lasting a week or even longer.
This grade is mostly used for mountain climbing and very long "big wall" climbs. It's not often used for shorter rock climbs.
YDS Protection Rating: How Safe is the Climb?
The YDS system also has an optional protection rating. This rating tells climbers how much safety gear (protection) is available on a climbing route for an experienced lead climber. In lead climbing, the climber goes first and clips their safety rope into special gear as they go up.
When this rating system was made, the letters were like the movie ratings:
- G: Good, solid protection. This means there are lots of safe spots to clip into.
- PG: Pretty good protection. There might be a few parts of the climb with very little or no protection.
- PG13: Protection is okay. If you fall, it might be a long fall, but you probably won't get seriously hurt.
- R: "Runout." This means safety gear placements can be very far apart. Falls might cause broken bones, even with safety gear.
- X: There is no protection on the route. These routes are extremely dangerous. Falls could cause very serious injury, even if the climber is using safety gear.
The G and PG ratings are often left out because they are common for everyday climbing. R and X ratings are usually used to warn lead climbers about how dangerous a climb is.
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