V Grade V7 in Fontainebleau
Equivalent Grade: 7a+
V7 is typically a Advanced level climb. Very technical. Often involves big, explosive moves or extremely tiny holds.
The V-scale, also known as the Hueco scale, is primarily used for bouldering. It originated in the United States, specifically in Hueco Tanks, Texas, which is considered one of the most influential bouldering areas in the world.
Grades start at V0 and currently go up to V17, with higher numbers indicating harder climbs. The V-scale is widely used in the United States, international competitions, and many indoor climbing gyms.
The Fontainebleau bouldering grading system is commonly used across Europe. It uses a numeric scale combined with letters and optional plus signs, such as 6A, 6B+, or 7C.
This system is closely associated with famous bouldering areas like Fontainebleau in France and is also widely adopted in European climbing gyms.
The French sport climbing system is one of the most widely used grading systems for rope climbing worldwide.
While it uses the same notation style as French bouldering grades, the difficulty ranges are very different. For example, 6A in sport climbing is significantly easier than 6A in bouldering.
The Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) is mainly used in the United States for sport and traditional (trad) climbing.
Free climbing routes typically start around 5.4 and extend beyond 5.15, with letter subdivisions (a–d) providing finer distinctions.
The UIAA grading system was developed by the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme and is traditionally used in Europe.
UIAA grades use Roman numerals, such as VI, VII+, or IX-. They are still commonly found in alpine routes, older guidebooks, and parts of Central and Eastern Europe.
The UK Technical Scale is part of the British grading system and describes the hardest individual move or short sequence on a climb.
It uses a numeric scale with letter suffixes, such as 4a, 5c, or 6b. The scale focuses purely on technical difficulty and does not take into account exposure, protection quality, or endurance.
Because of this, two routes with the same technical grade can feel very different overall depending on factors like runouts, rock quality, or length.
The UK Adjectival Scale describes the overall seriousness and difficulty of a traditional climb. It is primarily used for trad climbing in the United Kingdom.
Grades include Moderate (Mod), Difficult (Diff), Very Difficult (VD), and extend into the Extreme grades such as E1, E2, and beyond.
Unlike most other grading systems, the adjectival grade combines multiple factors into a single rating, including technical difficulty, quality and availability of protection, sustained difficulty, exposure, and potential consequences of a fall.