A CLIMBER customarily picks out the cliff, aiguille, peak, or boulder of his desire, and attempts to climb it. At times, however, he needs some special information. If there is no one to ask, how can he tell if an unknown route matches his abilities? What restrictions exist in certain areas? What are some of the conditions to expect and prepare for in a foreign country? Solutions to some of these problems are explained in this chapter.
As soon as your climbing career begins, you will hear routes esoterically described by classes, grades, letters, numbers, and decimal points. These are symbols used in various climbing classification systems.
Reasons for Classifying Climbs
Most rating systems indicate briefly the length, difficulty, and equipment needs for a given climb, and provide a basis for comparison between climbs. All systems presuppose that you understand basic climbing techniques and possess general mountaineering competence. The classifications furnish a standard of difficulty for use in climbers’ shop talk and guidebooks. They help you choose ascents suitable for your experience, wherever you are climbing. They provide an approximate criterion for judging the development of your technical skill and how it compares with that of others. The grading systems were not devised as a basis of competition among climbers, but sometimes are used as if they had been.
What Classifications Do Not Do
Keep in mind that ratings are based on good conditions, and on individual climbers’ abilities and opinions. Also remember that no climb is ever just like another. Use the systems only as a rough guide to difficulty and equipment needs. Do not expect perfect accuracy and uniformity.
How to Understand Rating Systems
First find out what system is used in your local area. Ask climbers and study guidebooks. Familiarize yourself with the symbols used to describe the climbs you have done, and what they mean in terms of climbing difficulty. Compare your own system with the one used in a new area.
Why Several Systems?
Numerous classification systems have existed (and still do) in various climbing centers. Where a system is firmly established, its proponents understand it perfectly and are reluctant to adopt a new one. Also, climbs are too diverse to fit neatly into any one system. Rock climbs lend themselves more readily than glacier climbs to detailed classification.
Nevertheless, some local systems have greatly changed because of new techniques, and some have been replaced with more widely used systems. One reason for a trend toward uniformity is the growing number of climbers that travel from one area to another. Although some of the less well-known systems are still in use, and an occasional new one crops up, there are now two major climbing classification systems used (either separately or side by side) in most of the United States and Canada. It seems reasonable that one or the other will eventually triumph, or that a crossbreed system will develop. A uniform rating system is also under consideration by clubs belonging to the UIAA (Union Internationale des Associations d’Alpinisme), which includes the American Alpine Club as well as organizations in Japan, Europe, and elsewhere.
Major Classification Systems
The two leading systems used in the United States and Canada at present are (1) the Yosemite System (virtually identical to the American Rating System), and (2) The National Climbing Classification System (NCCS).
Yosemite (or American Rating) System. This system began with the old Sierra Club System, which had the original purpose of indicating equipment needs. The class number describes the most difficult pitch of the climb. Beginning and intermediate climbers will be primarily concerned with Class 4 and the easier subdivisions of Class 5. As this basic system is still in use, the original classes are listed; later modifications are described thereafter.
Class1.Hiking. Any footgear adequate.
Class2.Proper footgear necessary for rough terrain. Occasional handholds used.
Class3.Scrambling. Hands may be used frequently. Ropes should be available for occasional use.
Class4.Ropes and belays must be used for safety. Pitons may be required for anchoring belayers.
Class5.Protection such as pitons or bolts required above the belayer to protect the leader.
Class6.Pitons or bolts, etc., must be used for direct aid. (Class 6 is not necessarily harder than Class 5.)
As increasingly difficult rock climbing came into vogue with improved equipment, a majority of climbs fell within Class 5 but varied greatly in difficulty. Southern California climbers worked out the Tahquitz Decimal System for subdividing Class 5 and Class 6 climbing categories. Classes 5.0 and 5.1 , for instance, refer to easy routes requiring one or more pitons for leader protection; Classes 5.8, 5.9, and 5.10 refer to exceptionally difficult routes, or routes with at least one very difficult pitch. Similar distinctions were applied to Class 6 (direct aid) pitches, from 6.1 to 6.8. The Yosemite System is exactly the same as the Sierra Club and Tahquitz Decimal systems from Class 1 through Class 5.10. It replaces the Class 6 ratings with the letter “A,” standing for Aid, and divides Aid climbs into five categories of increasing difficulty: At , A2, A3, A4, and AS. Most Aid climbs require a high degree of skill and technical ability.
The Yosemite System adds grades in Roman numerals I through VI, to indicate overall difficulty and provide an approximation of the times involved. Following are the approximate times assigned to the grades:
Grade I. A few hours (easy).
Grade II. Half a day.
Grade III. Most of a day.
Grade IV. A full day or one-and-a-half days.
Grade V. A day to two days.
Grade VI. Several days.
The grades developed for the specialized conditions in Yosemite are not uniformly applicable elsewhere, and are not used at all where the time element is unimportant (as where all climbs are short). Similarly, Decimal and Aid categories are not always needed.
National Climbing Classification System (NCCS). This system also uses six grades, based on the length and overall difficulty of a climb. The NCCS uses the A t to AS classifications too.
The NCCS describes “difficulty” only by giving examples of climbs in major climbing areas that fall within its categories. Conversion to the system is not easy for a climber from an area for which examples are not given. The NCCS makes no recommendations as to equipment, on the basis that such a choice varies according to each climber’s concept of safety requirements. The main difference in its symbols is the use of a different numerical rating for free (non-Aid) climbing, with the letter “F” standing for Free (the key to which system is being quoted). Comparable degrees of difficulty are:
Yosemite, Sierra Club, and Decimal RatingsNCCS
Class 1-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fl
Class 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F2
Class 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F3
Class 5.0-5.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F4
Class 5.3-5.4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F5
Class 5.5-5.6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F6
Class 5.7 through 5.10 . . . . . . . . . . F7 through F10
There is little room for a mix-up at the very bottom of the scale, or in the top half. But the range between Yosemite or Decimal Class 3 to 5.2 as compared with NCCS F2 to F4 might very well be confusing. Too, it is this very range that applies to the beginning and intermediate climber, who might not have the experience to tell by looking at the climb what he was getting into.
The theoretical ascent described in Chapter Seven could be Yosemite Grade III, with pitches of Class 3, Class 4, and Class 5.1 difficulty; or NCCS Grade III, with F2, F3, and F4 pitches. The rating that might appear in a guidebook using both systems would be “III, 5.1 , F4.”
Whatever system you use, let your own observation, experience, and enjoyment be the deciding factors in choosing and making a climb.
There are few restrictions as to where you may climb in the United States, beyond your own good judgment. However, in a few areas, including some with especially fine rock or mountain terrain, you must have special qualifications and obtain permission to climb.
Private Property
If you want to climb in areas which are on private property, or are reached by crossing private property, seek the owner’s permission. Explain your activities, as he may consider them odd.
Indian Reservations
Peaks and pinnacles often have a serious religious significance to the Indians, and should not be ascended without specific permission.
National Parks and Monuments
Several major national parks and some monuments regulate climbing activities, officially for reasons of safety. Climbers generally accept the advisability of registering before and after climbs, but it is a moot point among them whether certain other restrictions are justified or effective. However, the regulations do exist, and must be complied with. For instance, to get permission to climb Mt. Rainier, a heavily glaciated peak in a national park, unguided parties must: (1) Submit a list of each person’s previous experience on similar glacier peaks. (2) Be in good physical condition. (3) Demonstrate that they are outfitted with proper clothing and equipment. (4) Give proof of leadership qualifications and overall strength of party. (5) Have written permission from parents or guardians for all persons under twenty-one. (6) Include in the party at least two ropes of two, or one of three.
National parks that regulate climbing, camping, or both, include Rainier (Washington), Yosemite (California), Rocky Mountain (Colorado), McKinley (Alaska), Zion (Utah), Grand Teton (Wyoming), and Devil’s Tower National Monument (Wyoming). If you plan to climb in these areas or in other national parks, write well ahead of time for a list of current regulations. Check with rangers on arrival. Always sign out before starting a climb and in again when you return, at park headquarters or other designated place.
After gaining basic experience in the United States, you may have the opportunity and urge to climb in” foreign countries. Mountains are mountains, but climate, conditions, customs, and sources of information naturally vary. A distinct complication in obtaining information is language, though climbers everywhere usually do their best to help one another. There are, of course, countless ranges in the world. Your first foreign climbs are most apt to be in either North America or Europe, and a few pointers may help.
Canada
In western Canada, of course, Americans have no language problem. Striking ranges, impressive for beauty, variety, and extensive glaciers, run north and south in the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta. Many well-known peaks lie within the boundaries of Banff and Jasper national parks, but these comprise only a sampling of the whole array.
Type of Climbing and Weather. The mountains catch heavy precipitation, although the intervening valleys may be quite dry. In some places, glacier climbing is accessible from the highway or by trail. In other areas, peaks are reached by very long strenuous backpacks, up river valleys and through down timber. Rock varies from the shattered limestone of the Canadian Rockies to the sound granite of peaks protruding from the glaciers of the Bugaboos in the Purcell Range. Climbers should carry rainproof tents, although a few huts exist and there are shelters in highway campgrounds in the parks. The weather is most apt to be good in July and August, but expect rain and snow at any time.
Sources of Information. Three guidebooks describe climbing in western Canada. They are available through shops and mail order outlets for mountaineers. They are: A Climber’s Guide to the Coastal Ranges of British Columbia by Dick Culbert, Alpine Club of Canada, Vancouver, B.C., 1963, $4.50; A Climber’s Guide to the Interior Ranges of British Columbia, edited by W. L. Putnam, American Alpine Club, New York, N. Y., revised edition, 1963, $4.50; and A Climber’s Guide to the Rocky Mountains of Canada by J. Monroe Thorington, American Alpine Club, New York, N.Y., revised edition, 1966, $6.00.
You can get topographical maps at national park headquarters or by writing to the Map Distribution Office, Department of Mines and Technical Surveys, Ottawa, Ontario. Information about huts, summer climbing camps, etc., may be obtained through the Alpine Club of Canada, Banff, Alberta. The ACC also publishes the Canadian Alpine Journal annually.
Climbing Regulations. There are few, if any, restrictions on climbing in Canada; but some as to where you may make high camps in the parks. Always check your plans with a park warden (the counterpart of our ranger). Do not fail to sign out for contemplated climbs and sign in upon return; the authorities really worry about your whereabouts, and a car parked for days by the roadside gives scant clue as to what became of you.
Border Regulations. Crossing the border into Canada presents few problems. No passport or any other identification is required. A driver must have a “Canada Non-Resident Inter-Province Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Card.” It is proof of adequate insurance, and should be obtained through your own agent.
Mexico
Climbers are primarily interested in two areas in Mexico: the region of high, glaciated volcanic peaks near Mexico City, and Baja (Lower) California.
Baja California. The landscape is similar to that of southern California, with desert at lower elevations and coniferous forests above. The highest peak in the region is called Picacho del Diablo by climbers, and Cerro de la Encantada on maps. It is 10,125 feet high, and is reached by a long backpack up a spectacular gorge, and an obscure climbing route. Climbing in this area is thoroughly covered in Camping and Climbing in Baja by John W. Robinson, La Siesta Press, Glendale, Calif., $2.95.
The Glacier Peaks. The three major peaks (among countless others) are Popocatepetl (Popo), 17 ,887 feet high ; Ixtaccihuatl (Ixta), 17,343 feet high; and Orizaba, 18,700 feet high, the highest point in Mexico. All regular routes are glacier climbs of moderate difficulty. The high elevations add to the exertion. Crampons, ice axes and snow goggles are required; a rope should be carried. The best climbing season is from mid-November through February – the dry season. Climbers from the United States find the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays admirably synchronized with the Mexican climbing season. Huts serve most of the routes. Take your own stove.
How to Find the Peaks. The peaks are plainly seen, but actually getting to the climbs is complicated by lack of written information, poor road signs, and language problems (Spanish and a variety of Indian dialects are spoken). The following directions will help you get there. Elevations are not wellestablished, and those given are only approximate.
To get to Popo and Ixta, drive to the town of Amecameca, at an elevation of 7800 feet, about thirty miles southeast of Mexico City. About three-tenths of a mile south of Amecameca, a side road that is sometimes unmarked goes east to the Ixta-Popo National Park and the village of Tlamacas. After entering the park, the road branches at a big monument, at about 12,000 feet.
For Popo, take the righthand branch 6 1/2 miles to a parking area. The Tlamacas (Popo) Hut is about two hours’ climb from the car, at 15,500 feet. There is a large main room, and cubicles for 120 climbers. Pure snow water is piped to the hut. Climbing routes are marked on a chart in the hut. The regular route, Las Cruces, leads up an unbroken snow slope to the lower crater rim, and around the rim to the summit about 500 feet above.
To climb Ixta, take the lefthand branch of the road from the monument. It goes 3 1/2 miles to the roadhead at about 13,300 feet. You can climb the peak from the car, or backpack to any of the three shelters located roughly at 14,000, 15,000, and 16,000 feet. Ixta’s huts have no real water supply, but as they are above the usual snowline, water from streams is usually available. The route to the summit is alpine in character, and the best way must be selected among steep snow slopes, rock, and cornices. The summit lies slightly to the right as the climber approaches.
To find Orizaba, drive to the city of Puebla, about 75 miles southeast of Mexico City, and from there another 60 miles or so to San Salvador EI Seco.
To climb Orizaba from the north, continue on the main highway for about 5-6 miles, and look for a sandy road to the right that goes to the town of Tlachichuca. At this town, at 8500 feet, a jeep can be rented from the storekeeper (Rios by name) to take you to the hut, a good one with water, at about 14,500 feet. The same man can provide peasant guides. The climb is direct and steep, mostly on glacier. The summit is opposite the first point reached on the crater rim, and about 600 feet higher.
To climb Orizaba from the south, turn southeast at San Salvador EI Seco, and drive to the village of Ciudad Serdfán (also known as San Andres Chalchicomula), at 8500 feet. Look up the Jimenez brothers at Callejon Crespo 7. They speak English adequately, will act as guides, and will take your belongings and water in on pack animals. The traditional high camp is at about 14,500 feet, twelve miles from Ciudad Serdán. The campsite is a cave, near timberline, on the west edge of a saddle between Orizaba proper and a prominent cinder cone to the south. From here, the peak can be climbed by any of several steep cinder or snow fields (there are no glaciers on this side). A good route is reached by crossing the saddle partway towards the east. The climb is long, the elevation high, and the days are short during the climbing season; a pre-dawn start is recommended.
Further Climbing Information. Additional information may be obtained by writing to Club de Exploraciones de México, Apartado Postal 10134, México 8, D.F., México.
Health Problems. Tourists to Mexico, as elsewhere, sometimes fall victim to a digestive disorder (known among climbers as Montezuma’s Revenge). It is not serious, and of course not everyone gets it; but it could spoil your climbing plans. As a preventive, eat only the food you have along until you are done climbing; and either take your own water, drink bottled water, or use water-purifying tablets (chlorine or iodine types) available at drugstores. As in many places, keep track of your belongings.
Border Regulations. A tourist card, required for more than a brief stay, may be obtained at a Mexican consulate or a Department of Tourism office, or at the border. Proof of United States citizenship is required. Persons under twentyone must have a letter of permission from parents or guardians. If driving, ask your insurance agent about special requirements; the usual procedure is to buy Mexican coverage at a U.S. border town. Excellent buses go almost everywhere in Mexico.
Europe
Climbing is a popular and respected pursuit in Europe (you won’t wonder, when you see the Alps). You will find that several aspects of European mountaineering are quite different from climbing in the United States.
Huts. Backpacking and high camps, an integral part of American climbing, scarcely exist in Europe. There are literally hundreds of well-supplied accommodations, conveniently located for virtually every climb. They exist primarily or solely for the comfort and safety of climbers. Most of these huts belong to the large Alpine clubs, some to government agencies. A long hike or climb is often necessary to reach the huts, but once you are there, you are supplied with shelter, blankets, pillows, and usually any meals you wish. There is no need for a sleeping bag at the huts, and there is no use for a packframe at all. A rucksack easily holds all your needs: climbing equipment, clothing, and personal belongings. The huts and refuges range from small ones for seldom climbed routes or emergency shelters, to large hotels. Accommodations may be dormitories or “mattress rooms,” bunk rooms for four to six people, or even private rooms with sheets on the beds. The more modest beds cost somewhere between 50¢ to $1.50 per person per night. Service at the huts includes being waked up and fed at about 3 A.M. on climbing days.
Food and Water at Huts. You can take all or part of your own food, cook it yourself or have it cooked for you, or order all your meals at many of the huts. An economical and satisfactory system is to purchase rucksack foods – bread, butter, cheese, sausage, sugar, tea bags or instant coffee, etc., for breakfasts and lunches-at the towns below, and order soups, beverages, and dinners at the huts. Dinners vary in price from about 50¢ to $1.75, depending on where you are and what you eat. All sorts of beverages (including wines) are available, except the plain cold water that Americans are used to. Order hot water by the liter for tea or coffee; it costs about 12¢ to 30¢, including cups. As real water supplies are often either lacking or questionable, it is usually best to drink only heated or bottled water, or carry water-purifying tablets. Store your extra tea water in a water bottle for future use.
Clothing and Miscellany Needed. Most European climbers appear better dressed than bushwhacking, camping Americans. To be in style, wear long socks and knickers (corduroy knickers are popular, though wool or nylon is more waterrepellent). Expect cold, wet weather, even during July and August, the best months. A plastic raincoat or poncho is essential. For some huts you need slippers or extra shoes, as climbing boots are forbidden for indoor wear. You should provide spare pants in case yours get wet, since huts are usually unheated in summer. A small foreign language dictionary is useful, as are reading and writing materials for stormy days.
Gathering Information. Some of the things you need to know are best looked into before leaving home, others at the European climbing centers. For road maps, send to the Esso Touring Service, Foreign Dept., 15 W. 51st St., New York, N.Y. Tourist offices in the United States can provide some information about European climbing centers. Climber’s guidebooks in French or German are prolific in Europe, but the few available in English should be obtained here or in England. The Alpine Club of England is publishing a new series of pocket guides, covering “selected climbs” in portions of the Alps. These cost between $3.50 and $7.50 each, and are available in mountaineering shops. Also, find out all you can from friends who have climbed in the Alps.
When you arrive in a European town near your selected climbs, go to the tourist or information bureau, or climbing club office, to make inquiries about local huts. The “approach” to the hut may combine a trip by car, funicular, and cog railway, and walking or climbing. Railways serve many areas not reached by roads. Topographical maps showing roads, railways, funiculars, trails, huts, peaks, and elevations (in meters) can be purchased at tourist bureaus or book stores. If you have no one to climb with, or are inexperienced, guides can be hired at climbing centers and will take care of all arrangements. Of course, European climbers are glad to help you if you can break the language barrier. By no means all Europeans speak English; those who do often reach a point where they can go no further – your own situation exactly, with languages learned in school. At this point, speak English slowly, repeat as necessary, avoid idioms, and try synonyms. At least everyone has a laugh.
On good climbing days, popular routes on well-known peaks are usually easy to find. They are apt to be quite crowded with both guided and amateur parties of several nationalities.
Climbing Equipment. Whether to take your own clothing and equipment, or to rent it or buy it abroad, poses a problem. It depends on the state of your own equipment, your travel weight allowance, and your finances. You will certainly want to buy at least some outing equipment. The mountaineering shops are wonderful. Climbing footgear is sold also in many shoe stores. Clothing purchased and worn in Europe is dutyfree. And remember that much equipment sold in the United States has been imported, and might preferably be selected in Europe and if necessary shipped home by mail or freight.
Foreign Climbing Clubs. There are far too many climbing and outing clubs abroad to list them all. Membership in a European Alpine club entitles you to greatly reduced rates for food and lodging at the club huts, and is worthwhile for a long stay. Some major Alpine clubs are:
Austria. Österreichischer Alpenverein, Gilmstrasse 6, Innsbruck, Austria.
France. Club Alpin Francais, Paris-Chamonix Section, 7 Rue la Boétie, Paris 8e, France. Club offices in Chamonix are open during the climbing season.
Germany. Deutscher Alpenverein, Praterinsel 5, Munchen 22, Germany.
Great Britain. The Alpine Club, 74 S. Audley St., London, WI, England; Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District, Cheshire, England (publishes guides to various sections of the Lake District); Association of Scottish Climbing Clubs, 406 Sauchiehall, Glasgow C2, Scotland.
Italy. Club Alpino Italiano, Torino, Italy.
Switzerland. Schweizer Alpenclub, Steinenvorstadt 36, Basel, Switzerland.
Mountaineering clubs, climbing guidebooks, and other sources of information for the United States will be listed in the next chapter.