January 10, 2007
A Grade Above
Knowing the grade of a climb will give you a good idea of what to expect on your hikes.
First, get a topo map of the area you will be travelling in.
Count contour lines to determine how many vertical feet you will be covering.
Using a piece of string, dental floss, paper, or trail gauge, trace the trail from the base of the mountain to the top. Hold the floss or piece of paper against the scale at the bottom of the map to estimate the number of feet you'll travel forward.
Use the following formula to deduce the grade:
vertical distance divided by horizontal distance, then multiply by 100.
For instance, a 1000 ft climb in a 2000 ft horizontal would be .500, or a 50% grade…agh!!
A 1000 ft climb in a 6000 ft horizontal would be a 16.66% grade…doable, isn’t it?
A 1000 ft climb in 10,000…10%, and so on.
Keep in mind that if you notice the contour lines touching each other, there will be a vertical face, so look for other routes if you are not climbing today.As a difficulty reference, use the following:
|
GRADE |
REMARKS |
|
up to 10% |
easy to moderate, depending on physical condition |
|
to 20% |
a good sweat |
|
20% to 44% |
expect to use your hands |
|
45% to 69% |
many steep, dangerous sections requiring both hands and feet |
|
70% and up |
Technical climbing, ropes and gear needed |