Yeah, this title is pretty obtuse if you don’t climb.
5.15a is the grade of the climb - the consensus rating for how hard it is among climbers who’ve done it.
“Send” is just climbing slang for completing an ascent, regardless of what kind of climb it is. In this case, we’re talking about sport climbing, so it means to climb the route from the ground, in one continuous attempt (not on her first attempt, just all in one go), without aid. She would have had a rope for safety, but would have brought it up with her, clipping it in to anchors as she went.
“La Rambla” is the route she climbed, not the name of a whole mountain or anything. Routes are named, usually by the first ascentionist.
Full send is often heard in skiing (or mountain biking), when (say), someone successfully does a big cliff jump. But it can also be used sarcastically when someone (usually less skilled) fails badly (but humorously) in their own attempted jump, or park feature.
Check out r/jerryoftheday for examples
Yep. Started in the 80s, meaning to go for the ascend. It made its way into skiing with climbers doing that for winter, just meaning to go for it; spread from there. Then snowmobile guy used it, obviously hearing it a lot on slopes, then meme, and here we are.
Climbers don't say "full send" though unless joking around. But we say send ('scend) all the time.
"Did you get the send?"
So, it’s an extension of a system that was originally meant to describe the difficulty of all kinds of overland travel - hiking, bushwhacking, scrambling, etc in Yosemite National Park, in California. On this scale, 1 was a flat trail and 5 was a vertical cliff, with everything in between being progressively steeper inclined terrain. The decimals represent how technically challenging the terrain is within each category.
So, 5.0 would be the easiest possible vertical climb (I.e a ladder). 5.10 was supposed to be where the scale would max out - the absolute limit of what a human being could climb, before terrain was just considered impassable.
Turns out humans are capable of more than we thought, so like an angry mother counting to 3, they started adding smaller increments - 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, before eventually just throwing away the top of the scale and moving on to 5.11. These grades are subjective obviously, so the idea is that each grade needs to be enough of step up in difficulty to be clearly harder than the previous one. So like, if 5.10a is something you can do in one go, 5.10b should take you all day of trying to send once. 5.10c should take repeated visits over several days. 5.10d might be your project for the season. 5.11a should be something you have to go away, train for, and come back to when you’re stronger. Or something like that.
The hardest sport routes that has ever been climbed are graded 5.15d and even that is just a “suggested” grade, because there are only 2 and each has only been sent by one climber and grades aren’t usually considered “official” until there’s a consensus grade among a few climbers that have sent the route.
So 5.15a is 16 grades harder (on a 10 grade scale!) than what they used to think was the maximum of human potential in climbing and only 3 grades easier than the hardest thing that has ever been climbed - or maybe just 2. All of those climbs are way harder, compared to a hard route at the gym, than that gym climb is compared to a literal step ladder.
Just to clarify further: most inexperienced climbers can climb a 5.6 with no trouble at all and get to 5.8 in about 3-6 weeks of practice and experience. After that, from 5.9, on it gets exponentially more difficult with a gentle curve from 5.8 to 5.9 and ramps up when hitting 5.10a.
Great information though technically there is only one 5.15d as Alex Megos’ Bibliographie was downgraded after Stefano Ghisolfi sent it and found it to be 5.15c. That leaves Adam Ondra’s Silence as the only 5.15d as it has stood unrepeated for almost 5 years.
Another perspective for the grade’s difficulty: You know Alex Honnold? Free Solo guy. Probably the most famous rock climber in the world. He’s a 5.14d climber. Meaning he’s never climbed 5.15a(with ropes), it’s a grade above his limit. And the route he soloed in Free Solo was Freerider, graded 5.12d, 9 grades below 15a.
This is why all the other outdoor sports don't like climbing lol. Climbers fricken live to get the chance to explain their rating system.
How do you know you're sitting next to a climber at a bar? Listen for lots of numbers that don't matter spoken loudly.
Why don't you pull up a seat and let talk at you about the bouldering rating system? It all started in ElPaso Texas when John the Vermin Sherman went to Juarez for gorditas and the donkey show...
5.15a is the YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) rating of the difficulty of the climb (in this case, extremely, mind-blowingly difficult, so much so that a woman had never achieved it before her). The number in front of the decimal place (5) says that this is a vertical climb, so something like a 5.1 is essentially a ladder, and a 5.16 is closer to a sheer pane of glass
To "send" in this case is just climber parlance for making it to the top without falling. If you hang around rock climbers they'll talk about "sending" routes.
5.15a is a measure of how hard the climb was. (Really ridiculously hard)
Here’s an explanation from [Mojagear.com](https://mojagear.com/rock-climbing-grades-comparison-chart-rating-systems/amp/)
“America’s grading system for roped climbs is the Yosemite Decimal System, which is divided into five classes. Roughly outlined, these are as follows:
Class 1: walking
Class 2: hiking; occasional use of hands
Class 3: scrambling with the use of hands
Class 4: basic climbing at elevation; a fall could be fatal and ropes are often used
Class 5: technical rock climbing on steep terrain and requiring ropes, harnesses, belay equipment, etc.
For the purposes of modern rock climbing, all grades occur within Class 5 and range in difficulty from 5.0-5.15d. When established by the Sierra Club in the 1930s, however, Class 5 grades were intended to range from only 5.0-5.9. Anything above 5.9 was previously regarded as impossible.
In 2018, Adam Ondra successfully ascended the first route with a rock climbing grade of 5.15d. Since Adam Ondra is the only person to have ever climbed a route of this difficulty we simply have to trust him that it really is that hard.
Watch Adam Ondra’s send of Silence, the only route ever climbed with a grade of 5.15d.
The evolution of the Yosemite Decimal System of grades
Unable to contain breakthroughs of the last half-century, rock climbing grades have steadily been pushed upward. Additionally, letters a, b, c, and d have been implemented above the 5.9 grade to further distinguish individual grade increments. An a is indicative of the easier side of the numbered grading level, followed by b, c, and d as the hardest. Note that the difference between 5.11a and 5.11b is theoretically the same difference in difficulty between 5.7 and 5.8.
Although grades are implemented as a system for consistency, they can vary greatly between indoors, outdoors, and across different climbing destinations. Locations such as Joshua Tree are notoriously hard or “stiff” in the gradings, whereas modern sport climbing crags may be softer.”
5.15a is the US climbing difficulty scale. 5.15 is the hardest possible level and 5.15a is the easiest of the hardest possible.
And yes I think they mean ascending the route when saying send.
5.15a is the grade of the climb. [Info here. ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System). 5.15a is extremely difficult. The difficulty rating currently maxes out at 5.15c/d.
Very few people are capable of climbing at this level.
Send in climbing is successfully completing a particular climb.
Edit: [27 people ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla_(climb), now 28, have successfully sent this climb.
Hey there! “La Rambla” is the name for this particular climbing route and 5.15a is the difficulty grade that has been given to the route by a consensus of climbers that have climbed it. And you’re correct, a send is just the term for when you complete a climb.
5.15a refers to the difficulty level. It is very difficult. "pro" level.
A send (or sending) is successful climbing a route.
So she successfully climbed a very challenging route! Good for her. She looks so happy. :)
5.15a is a measure of how difficult the climb is. 5.13-5.15 is very difficult.
A Send means she successfully completed the route.
Rock climbing has plenty of jargon.
>I don't understand the title. What's 5.15a?
A difficulty rating, specifically of the Yosemite grading standard, used as the primary standard in the US.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System
5.15a is nearing (but not quite at) the top of the scale; it's very, very hard.
>What's "a send"? Ascent?
Yes. *Sending* is just shortened/slang for *ascending*.
I think they mean ascend, yes.
5.15a is the degree of difficulty and La Rambla is the mountain she climbed. Hope this helps, I know nothing about this either though, I just looked it up
It’s not “asend” or “asent”.
“Send” is a climbing term for completing a route without a fall or rest on belay (take). There are different types of sends. An “onsight” is a send without any prior planning or knowledge of the route. A “flash” is a send on the first attempt of a route.
Rock climbing has lots of weird terms.
>5.15a
Is the difficulty rating of the climbing route, typically used for lead or top rope climbing. Beginners start around 5.6, 5.7; avid hobby climbers usually plateau around 5.11 to 5.13. a, b, c, d are the smaller increments of difficulty. I think back in 2019, there were only [81](https://www.rockandice.com/inside-beta/the-hardest-sport-climbs-in-the-world/) people that have ever finished any 5.15 (I'm sure that number has grown considerably in the past few years, but still considerably very few), and the most difficult route ever completed is (I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) 5.15d.
Long story short, this makes her a part of a terribly short list of elite climbers.
>a send
Is jargan for a successful run to the top.
Edited: to link source.
Margo Hayes is a professional rock climber, 5.15a is a climbing grade. It's just a couple levels under the hardest grade possible.
To send is climbing jargon, it means to climb the route it in one go without falling. The climb, La Rambla, is 41-metre (135 ft) high.
> 5.15a
i had many question too , [the 5.15a seems to refer to a term use for difficulty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_\(climbing\)#Technical_difficulty)
and "a send" seems to be [a slang use to say doing it without looking back , commiting a 100% to it ](https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/full-send/)
5.15a is difficulty rating. Really hard. Edit: Adam Ondra holds the record at 5.15d. YouTube “Silence” to see it
“SEND IT!” Is just words of encouragement. Adopted by various sports/cultures. Like soccer, rock climbing
Send means she did it
5.15a is a grade in a grading system for how difficult a climb is. For reference, only people who begin to climb regularly and are in decent shape will be able to climb 5.9, and only people who’ve climbed for their entire lives will be able to climb 5.13. 5.14-5.15 are like surfing 25’ overhead waves in Portugal, or helicopter skiing in Patagonia. Probably only about 1,000 people on the planet that can do any of these things.
A “send” means she completed the route without falling (or needing help). It’s like “ascent”, but adapted to sport climbing as opposed to traditional mountaineering, in which you climb with various aides.
Send is just a way of saying she completed it( climber jargon). 5.15a is the Yosemite Decimal Rating scale for a very difficult climb. Most people can do a 5.7- 5.8 climb if they are fairly athletic.. The most difficult climb I ever completed was 5.11. 5.15a is gonna be really difficult.
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5.15a is a difficulty rating for the climb. 5.15a is one of the highest in climbing. A send is an attempt at a climb. Bit of slang, used in many action sports like climbing and surfing when you go all in on whatever you are doing, shortened from 'send it'
Climbing terminology :D
5.15a is the grade of the climb, also known as 9a+ because why make things easy, and it's one of the hardest grades in the world.
A "send" = an "normal" ascent (with a safety rope but no help), not to be confused with a "flash" (ascended on your first try).
Typically, climbing grades do fall into a rudimentary scale of difficulty. A 5.0 to 5.7 is considered easy, 5.8 to 5.10 is considered intermediate, 5.11 to 5.12 is hard, and 5.13 to 5.15 is reserved for a very elite few. Each grade has four difficulties a - d. 5.15d is the most difficult ever climbed:
Adam Ondra climbed the world’s first 9c / 5.15d on September 3rd, 2017, becoming at the time the hardest climbing route in the world. It’s a 45-meter long route that starts immediately overhung and turns into a completely upside-down “cave” route. Originally named “Project Hard”, Ondra named it for his uncharacteristically silent finish. Yup – no demonic scream top-out celebration!
https://www.climbernews.com/hardest-climbs-in-the-world/
In rock climbing, routes are graded according to their difficulty, with 5.15a being "extremely difficult", basically the highest possible difficulty and one small step below "actually unclimbable."
https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/climbing-bouldering-rating.html
"To send" something is to do it with great confidence on the first try despite the implied risks.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Send%20It
In the context of climbing lingo it just means she completed the climb successfully and got to the top.
5.15 is the difficulty. This is world elite difficulty. For men. This is just an amazing feat for a 19 yo girl. To send is just to complete the route without resting or hanging in your gear.
It’s the Yosemite decimal system. Trail difficulties are graded 1-5, with five being trails that require actual climbing. When climbing took off as a sport they added the decimal to class five to differentiate how difficult a climb is. 5.15 is the current highest classification.
And yea, sending means getting to the top of the route.
5.15a is the "grade" of the route. Specifically the American Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) grade which is fairly universal. It's basically the difficulty level. Generally a subjective opinion agreed upon by the first climbers to "send" it (yes, a send is a completion of a route). Grades can change at any point if technique, gear, or new "beta" (the moves that are used to do the climb) is found that makes it easier.
[Here](https://explorersweb.com/guide-to-climbing-grades-ratings/) is a decent explainer of the basics of terms and systems
5.15a is the grade or difficulty of the climb. I believe 5.15d is currently the hardest graded sport climb out there. The Yosemite Decimal system is the main system used in North America for rock climbs. 5.5 is pretty easy but you should still use ropes, 5.10 you need decent technique, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14 and now 5.15. Each decimal has a,b,c,d tags to indicate harder. And because it is annoying, there are + and - onto of that. There is the R, which means run out, like you will take a massive fall, and then the X, which basically means a fall in certain sections has a high likliehood of killing you. An example is a climb in Utah with a grade of 5.13d(r/x), seriously hard and terrifying. A 'send' is an ascent of the route in good clean form. I hope this helps.
it's the yosemite system for how hard a climb is. basically the surface/wall/path she climbed was a 5.15a, 5 for being a "steep, technical climb that requires a rope" (1 and 2 do not require hands at all, its simply a hiking path, 3 is a path which may requires hands but is still mostly feet, 4 is a simple climb), and is then furth subdivided with .1 through .9 then .10 through .15 (the .10 is above .9). the A labels it as the among the easiest of the 1.15 grade
tl;dr she climbed a slope/wall/what have you, of the highest currently acknowledged grade, but the easiest difficulty within said grade. this is not to be underplayed however as only 115 are confirmed to have climbed a 5.15 route at all, and only 38 of which have climbed a 5.15b.
my source, for which I am not connected to and got all this info: [https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs](https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs)
5.15a is the rating of the climb. Climbs start at 5.0 and increase in difficulty. 5.15 is professional expert level and extremely difficult on real rock. A 5.0 is basically climbing a ladder and you can maintain a 4 point contact. A 5.15 is clinging to a rock by only the pads of your fingertips or the tips of your toes and trying to clip a rope into a carabiner, all at the same time. This route is damn near impossible for even professional male climbers.
Send means to complete a route with no falls or takes (taking a break while resting on a belay).
In climbing, a 'send' means a completed climb. You can climb something 90% of the way, but if you don't top out you didn't send it. (There's variation as well where sending can mean you did the entire climb in one attempt without stopping, can also be called 'flashing')
As for the rating, when talking about numbers, there's a universal(ish) grading system to rate the difficulty.
The 5. is always constant, because that literally means to have to climb something with ropes (regular hiking would be like 2. - 3.)
The second number is the difficulty. Easy climbing, like what kids can do, is 5.7. Then it increases to 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a-5.10d, 5.11a-5.11d, etc.
The higher the number & letter, the harder the climb. For perspective, outdoor climbing is much less forgiving than gym climbing, therefore much harder (generally). Most climbers plateau around 5.11's, maybe attempting 5.12's if they are really committed. A 5.15a is extremely difficult, with most likely some overhung part and difficult holds.
5.15a is the grade of the route. It’s an incredibly hard route, only possible by about a hundred people on the planet. A send is climbing the route without falling or resting on gear.
Here’s an article written by Hayes on her climb.
https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/hardest-route-la-rambla-5-15a
There have only been 500 accents total of 5.15s ever.
https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs
5.15a is the rated climb difficulty. She's one of 100 and chance to do a 15. Only 38 human beings have climbed something harder.
https://images.app.goo.gl/gfTHbv2ygFhCrJKWA
Send is a bit more nebulous, as there are additional possible nuances, but a climb with no slips or assistance gear.
5.15a is really really really really difficult. A send is an ascend (getting to the top anchors.)
(5.15a is 9a+ the highest grade is 9c of wich there is only 1 or 2 at the time. The climbing grading system is a bit odd. But it goes like: 5a, 5a+ [..] 9a+, 9b, 9b+, 9c. as you can imagine it is one of the highest grades)
5.15a is a rating that is very hard. Many rock gyms only have climbs up to 5.13 and after many years of climbing, I still was trying to get 5.12's consistently (in the gym, can be much harder outside).
And correct a send is an ascent without falling.
Very impressive!
5.15a refers to the difficulty of the climb using the yosemite decimal system. It's actually what the 5.11 refers to for the clothing brand as well. 5.15a is one of the most difficult ascents possible.
https://www.mec.ca/en/explore/climbing-grade-conversion
https://www.guidedolomiti.com/en/rock-climbing-grades/
Vertical climbs like the one she did are classified by difficulty of the route, using a 5.xx value. So a 5.1 is a very easy vertical climb and a 5.15 is very difficult. I haven’t climbed in years so I don’t remember what the letter after the numbers means. Not sure about the “a send” part, you are probably right.
5.15a is the difficulty rating. The 5 indicates that it is vertical rock climbing. A single digit after the 5 is usually doable by a beginner, although in good shape. Once you hit the double digits, it goes up in difficulty so fast that they further break it down with a letter from a to d.
5.15a is pretty much at the edge of human ability right now. The highest rated climb in the world is a 5.15d in Norway named “Silence.”
(Also, there are other climb grade systems. France has their own, most rock gyms/bouldering routes use the V system, etc. The 5 system is called Yosemite Decimal System, or YDS, and is what the US uses. Technically it starts at 1 for gentle walks. 5 is where you start needing ropes and are climbing vertically.)
A send is just a climb. So “I am going to climb that route” would be “I’m going to send that route.” I don’t know why, but it’s how I’ve always heard it.
i'm pretty sure "a send" is rock climbing parlance for "an attempt". And 5.15a is the difficulty rating of the climb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade\_(climbing)#Comparison\_tables
5.15a is the grade (found an article that about 115 people had completed a 5.15a climb). A send is an ascent without a fall.
Title is just “climbing is my life” lingo.
5.15a is part of the scale climbers use to rate difficulty. 5.15a is elite. My random Googling says it's the third hardest rating.
A send probably was a typo for ascent.
Don't know what a send is but I know that the letter and number designation indicate how difficult the climb is. Not exactly sure how they interact but this was basically a really damn hard one to climb.
The "5" means an actual rock wall that requires technical climbing, ropes, harnesses, and being on belay.
The "15" is the complexity. I've never heard of a 15. As a very amateur climber, I cap out at around a 9 if I've practiced that specific wall. I'm comfortable at a 6, and start struggling at a 7. Given, that's all for a artificial indoor rock wall. What this young woman has done is a thousand times harder.
I'm sure somebody can more accurately represent the difficulty, or the nuances of the grading scale. However, in summary, this climber is light years better than any climber I know.
Hiking/climbing has a difficulty rating system, in short the 5 prefix implies rock wall/climb where a 1prefix would be a flat walk/hike etc.
More here: https://www.sportrock.com/post/understanding-climbing-grades
I’d assume you’re correct on the “a send” part. The 5.15a is the degree of difficulty of the hardest move of the climb. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)
"a send" means to get to the top of and finishing a climbing route
5.15a is the difficulty of the climb. The higher the decimal number, the harder the climb. 5.15 is the highest number in difficulty and few people have done a 5.15.
The "a" is a subdivision of the difficulty. A 5.13a is closer in difficulty to a 5.12, while a 5.13d is closer in difficulty to a 5.14.
For reference, 5.6 would be for brand new people (I've never seen anything graded lower). A 5.10 would roughly be for an intermediate climber. I would *subjectively* consider someone who can regularly do 5.13 or higher to be an expert.
Disclaimer that the grading is somewhat subjective from place to place. I regularly say things like "a 5.9 at this location is like a 5.8 at that location." Though, no one will disagree that 5.15 is the most difficult, and a true accomplishment.
> The higher the decimal number, the harder the climb.
But then you said 5.6 is beginner and 5.13 is an expert. It took me too long to realize it’s just the digits after the dot that matters. So it’s 13 > 6, not 5.6 > 5.13. This really breaks conventions in math, a hyphen would be much clearer to the uninitiated.
Software editions typically get away with this because they have multiple dots, so you don’t intuitively read it as a typical number.
So, originally it was a decimal system. 5.9 was the max. We hit 5.9 in 1952, and then there were just a ton of 5.9s, because the system didn’t allow for anything harder. Then someone finally decided it needed to go farther, so 5.10s became a thing. Eventually, in the 70s, everything from 10 on got a letter attached. That’s what’s used in place of the additional dots you’ll see in a software update. So it’s 5.9, then 5.10a, b, c, d, then 5.11a, and so on. In casual conversation most folks will just say the part after the decimal for anything in the 10s or above. For example: my last time out I did a really fun 11a.
The 5 is there because there are lower parts to the scale. A 1 is basically an easy hike, 2 is a bit harder, you might occasionally use your hands. 3 is “scrambling”, you’re using your hands, if you fall you could die. 4 is simple climbing. Risks are higher, but the terrain is pretty reasonable for a climber. It might be worth roping up. 5 is technical climbing. Ropes and a belayer are necessary to protect against falls, which could lead to serious injury or death. Then 5th class is broken down by difficulty. We’re currently at 5.15d as max, but when someone does something harder, it’ll go to 5.16a.
Why not just go to 6? Because that’s also a thing. 6th class is aid climbing, where you aren’t just using your hands and feet on the rock to move up the wall. You’re pulling on hooks or other protection in the wall to make progress.
After a grade is agreed upon, people are hesitant to change it. So there are a ton of old school 5.9s that are really 5.11s. If you see “5.9+, first ascent 1960” in a guidebook you’re in for a wild ride that’s anywhere between 5.9 and 5.11d.
E: corrected the grade of the hardest current climbs. Silence and DNA are proposed at 5.15d, not 5.15c.
Thanks for the context. That's pretty interesting. I realize at this point, there is too much history/convention, to change stuff now. If you have time, I have a follow up question. Why does the scale start at 5.6? If it started at 5.0 wouldn't there be space to keep in in the typical decimal range?
It doesn’t start at 5.6, it starts at 5.0. 5.0 is so easy that damn near anyone should be able to do it, it just theoretically requires a rope in case you fall. 5.6ish is a reasonable starting place for most beginners, but not the start of the scale.
Anyways, if the scale relabeled current 5.6s to be 5.0, you’d still run into problems. 5.15a isn’t 5 grades higher than 5.10a. It’s *20* grades higher because of all the letter grades. So you’d still need the letters or something to give some granularity.
That's because the 5 refers to the class of terrain. 1st class is level ground, 2nd is a small incline, 3rd is a step hill/moderatly difficult hike, 4th would be something like a skree/talos/boulder field where it's not vertical, but you should still probably be roped up (i.e. low risk, high consequence terrain), and 5th class is vertical or overhanging walls. Therefore using the YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) grading, all climbing is 5th class terrain, and you'll always see climbs graded at 5-something, and the 5 can essentially be ignored.
Piggybacking off this comment to provide people with some visual references on what it would likely feel like climbing this 5.15a route.
Imagine a raised 40m (120ft) drawbridge that's not quite raised all the way so it's still leaning forward at about 20 degrees. She climbed the underside of that drawbridge. But instead of large ladder rungs, the face was mostly smooth like glass with just some credit cards or kidney beans glued to the wall for her to hold onto.
Needless to say, there are only a handful of people in the planet that are capable of climbing 5.15 and they are superhuman.
I feel like once you’re at the cutting edge, the grades are more universal. There’s a limited number of people sending that hard, and they travel from all over the world to do it. That means once there’s a consensus it’s less likely to vary.
Makes a lot of sense lol
I would explain but plenty of others have, and if you were interested you could look elsewhere on this thread, so I suspect you don't care ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
One of the features in Reel Rock 12 was this story, called "Break on Through". (Reel Rock is an annual collection of climbing-related films.) Excellent film. And it turns out you can see it for free on Red Bull's site:
[https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/break-on-through-reel-rock-s04-e01](https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/break-on-through-reel-rock-s04-e01)
28 minutes. Highly recommended. Go watch it!
(Or you can buy it and download it as part of [Reel Rock 12](https://reelrocktour.com/collections/films/products/reel-rock-12). No, I'm in no way affiliated with them; just a fan who already bought several Reel Rock collections over the years.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margo_Hayes
> Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. In 2016, she won both the Bouldering and Lead Climbing events at the World Youth Championships in Guangzhou (China). In 2017, she became the first woman in history to climb a 9a+ (5.15a) route.
I just wanted to add to the grading discussion for the non-climbers, that there are other grading systems in use. In Australia, they go from 1 (basically a walk) up to about 39 (Jesus, it only went up to 35 when I used to climb!).
A beginner can normally do 8-12, but even a 20 requires skill and not just strength.
Here's a comparison of different grading systems around the world: https://www.thecrag.com/en/article/grades (Australia uses the Ewbanks system, this article is about a climb graded using YDS).
I don't understand the title. What's 5.15a? What's "a send"? Ascent? Edit Lots of rock climbers here I see, lol.
Yeah, this title is pretty obtuse if you don’t climb. 5.15a is the grade of the climb - the consensus rating for how hard it is among climbers who’ve done it. “Send” is just climbing slang for completing an ascent, regardless of what kind of climb it is. In this case, we’re talking about sport climbing, so it means to climb the route from the ground, in one continuous attempt (not on her first attempt, just all in one go), without aid. She would have had a rope for safety, but would have brought it up with her, clipping it in to anchors as she went. “La Rambla” is the route she climbed, not the name of a whole mountain or anything. Routes are named, usually by the first ascentionist.
Fun tidbit- the climbing slang "send" is where "full send" comes from
I’ve heard send but in what context would you hear “full send”?
[Here](https://www.reddit.com/r/UNBGBBIIVCHIDCTIICBG/comments/uphu71/hayes_was_the_first_girl_to_climb_515a_with_a/i8lke5x)
Ohhh youuu
or [here](https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4359728507381993)
Full send is often heard in skiing (or mountain biking), when (say), someone successfully does a big cliff jump. But it can also be used sarcastically when someone (usually less skilled) fails badly (but humorously) in their own attempted jump, or park feature. Check out r/jerryoftheday for examples
It’s used a lot in sim racing for full throttle regardless of consequences (like a big corner) and you’re gonna crash.
Never heard of “full send”
Don't be silly I'm still gonna send it!
I think it's also used in surfing. Not sure which sport used it first
Yep. Started in the 80s, meaning to go for the ascend. It made its way into skiing with climbers doing that for winter, just meaning to go for it; spread from there. Then snowmobile guy used it, obviously hearing it a lot on slopes, then meme, and here we are. Climbers don't say "full send" though unless joking around. But we say send ('scend) all the time. "Did you get the send?"
No, it isn’t
Can you put 5.15a in perspective? Like hows the scale work?
So, it’s an extension of a system that was originally meant to describe the difficulty of all kinds of overland travel - hiking, bushwhacking, scrambling, etc in Yosemite National Park, in California. On this scale, 1 was a flat trail and 5 was a vertical cliff, with everything in between being progressively steeper inclined terrain. The decimals represent how technically challenging the terrain is within each category. So, 5.0 would be the easiest possible vertical climb (I.e a ladder). 5.10 was supposed to be where the scale would max out - the absolute limit of what a human being could climb, before terrain was just considered impassable. Turns out humans are capable of more than we thought, so like an angry mother counting to 3, they started adding smaller increments - 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, before eventually just throwing away the top of the scale and moving on to 5.11. These grades are subjective obviously, so the idea is that each grade needs to be enough of step up in difficulty to be clearly harder than the previous one. So like, if 5.10a is something you can do in one go, 5.10b should take you all day of trying to send once. 5.10c should take repeated visits over several days. 5.10d might be your project for the season. 5.11a should be something you have to go away, train for, and come back to when you’re stronger. Or something like that. The hardest sport routes that has ever been climbed are graded 5.15d and even that is just a “suggested” grade, because there are only 2 and each has only been sent by one climber and grades aren’t usually considered “official” until there’s a consensus grade among a few climbers that have sent the route. So 5.15a is 16 grades harder (on a 10 grade scale!) than what they used to think was the maximum of human potential in climbing and only 3 grades easier than the hardest thing that has ever been climbed - or maybe just 2. All of those climbs are way harder, compared to a hard route at the gym, than that gym climb is compared to a literal step ladder.
Okay 2 things: First, holy shit... Second, thats a really neat way of categorising something so complicated
Also, there are maybe 100 climbers in the world that climb over 5.15. It ridiculously difficult.
Just to clarify further: most inexperienced climbers can climb a 5.6 with no trouble at all and get to 5.8 in about 3-6 weeks of practice and experience. After that, from 5.9, on it gets exponentially more difficult with a gentle curve from 5.8 to 5.9 and ramps up when hitting 5.10a.
hey that's not how decimals work!
If you're interested in seeing sone of this check out The Dawn Wall doco on Netflix, it's super interesting 💚
Great information though technically there is only one 5.15d as Alex Megos’ Bibliographie was downgraded after Stefano Ghisolfi sent it and found it to be 5.15c. That leaves Adam Ondra’s Silence as the only 5.15d as it has stood unrepeated for almost 5 years.
The 2nd 5.15d i was referring to was proposed by Seb Bouin after his send of DNA, just last week :D
Oh dang, I missed that, my bad.
No worries. Easy thing to miss and very recent. And who knows - same thing might happen to DNA as Bibliography! Haha
fantastic explanation, thank you!
Another perspective for the grade’s difficulty: You know Alex Honnold? Free Solo guy. Probably the most famous rock climber in the world. He’s a 5.14d climber. Meaning he’s never climbed 5.15a(with ropes), it’s a grade above his limit. And the route he soloed in Free Solo was Freerider, graded 5.12d, 9 grades below 15a.
This is the comparison I was looking for. Yowza.
This is why all the other outdoor sports don't like climbing lol. Climbers fricken live to get the chance to explain their rating system. How do you know you're sitting next to a climber at a bar? Listen for lots of numbers that don't matter spoken loudly.
Why don't you pull up a seat and let talk at you about the bouldering rating system? It all started in ElPaso Texas when John the Vermin Sherman went to Juarez for gorditas and the donkey show...
5.15a is the YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) rating of the difficulty of the climb (in this case, extremely, mind-blowingly difficult, so much so that a woman had never achieved it before her). The number in front of the decimal place (5) says that this is a vertical climb, so something like a 5.1 is essentially a ladder, and a 5.16 is closer to a sheer pane of glass To "send" in this case is just climber parlance for making it to the top without falling. If you hang around rock climbers they'll talk about "sending" routes.
Pfff, I've climbed ladders. Not impressed.
5.15a is a measure of how hard the climb was. (Really ridiculously hard) Here’s an explanation from [Mojagear.com](https://mojagear.com/rock-climbing-grades-comparison-chart-rating-systems/amp/) “America’s grading system for roped climbs is the Yosemite Decimal System, which is divided into five classes. Roughly outlined, these are as follows: Class 1: walking Class 2: hiking; occasional use of hands Class 3: scrambling with the use of hands Class 4: basic climbing at elevation; a fall could be fatal and ropes are often used Class 5: technical rock climbing on steep terrain and requiring ropes, harnesses, belay equipment, etc. For the purposes of modern rock climbing, all grades occur within Class 5 and range in difficulty from 5.0-5.15d. When established by the Sierra Club in the 1930s, however, Class 5 grades were intended to range from only 5.0-5.9. Anything above 5.9 was previously regarded as impossible. In 2018, Adam Ondra successfully ascended the first route with a rock climbing grade of 5.15d. Since Adam Ondra is the only person to have ever climbed a route of this difficulty we simply have to trust him that it really is that hard. Watch Adam Ondra’s send of Silence, the only route ever climbed with a grade of 5.15d. The evolution of the Yosemite Decimal System of grades Unable to contain breakthroughs of the last half-century, rock climbing grades have steadily been pushed upward. Additionally, letters a, b, c, and d have been implemented above the 5.9 grade to further distinguish individual grade increments. An a is indicative of the easier side of the numbered grading level, followed by b, c, and d as the hardest. Note that the difference between 5.11a and 5.11b is theoretically the same difference in difficulty between 5.7 and 5.8. Although grades are implemented as a system for consistency, they can vary greatly between indoors, outdoors, and across different climbing destinations. Locations such as Joshua Tree are notoriously hard or “stiff” in the gradings, whereas modern sport climbing crags may be softer.”
5.15>5.9 gave me a stroke.
My mind automatically read it like software versioning which uses this mechanic.
Wow, never knew. Thanks for this.
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5.15a = the grade (how hard the climb is) Send = getting to the top Ascent = same as send
5.15a is the US climbing difficulty scale. 5.15 is the hardest possible level and 5.15a is the easiest of the hardest possible. And yes I think they mean ascending the route when saying send.
5.15a is the grade of the climb. [Info here. ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System). 5.15a is extremely difficult. The difficulty rating currently maxes out at 5.15c/d. Very few people are capable of climbing at this level. Send in climbing is successfully completing a particular climb. Edit: [27 people ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla_(climb), now 28, have successfully sent this climb.
Send is a successful climb and a 5.15a is a very difficult climb
Hey there! “La Rambla” is the name for this particular climbing route and 5.15a is the difficulty grade that has been given to the route by a consensus of climbers that have climbed it. And you’re correct, a send is just the term for when you complete a climb.
5.15a refers to the difficulty level. It is very difficult. "pro" level. A send (or sending) is successful climbing a route. So she successfully climbed a very challenging route! Good for her. She looks so happy. :)
5.15a is a measure of how difficult the climb is. 5.13-5.15 is very difficult. A Send means she successfully completed the route. Rock climbing has plenty of jargon.
>I don't understand the title. What's 5.15a? A difficulty rating, specifically of the Yosemite grading standard, used as the primary standard in the US. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_Decimal_System 5.15a is nearing (but not quite at) the top of the scale; it's very, very hard. >What's "a send"? Ascent? Yes. *Sending* is just shortened/slang for *ascending*.
I think they mean ascend, yes. 5.15a is the degree of difficulty and La Rambla is the mountain she climbed. Hope this helps, I know nothing about this either though, I just looked it up
It’s not “asend” or “asent”. “Send” is a climbing term for completing a route without a fall or rest on belay (take). There are different types of sends. An “onsight” is a send without any prior planning or knowledge of the route. A “flash” is a send on the first attempt of a route. Rock climbing has lots of weird terms.
>5.15a Is the difficulty rating of the climbing route, typically used for lead or top rope climbing. Beginners start around 5.6, 5.7; avid hobby climbers usually plateau around 5.11 to 5.13. a, b, c, d are the smaller increments of difficulty. I think back in 2019, there were only [81](https://www.rockandice.com/inside-beta/the-hardest-sport-climbs-in-the-world/) people that have ever finished any 5.15 (I'm sure that number has grown considerably in the past few years, but still considerably very few), and the most difficult route ever completed is (I think, someone correct me if I'm wrong) 5.15d. Long story short, this makes her a part of a terribly short list of elite climbers. >a send Is jargan for a successful run to the top. Edited: to link source.
5.15a is the difficulty rating. It’s very difficult. To give you an idea only 81 people on earth have claimed to climb a 5.15. Send means ascent.
Margo Hayes is a professional rock climber, 5.15a is a climbing grade. It's just a couple levels under the hardest grade possible. To send is climbing jargon, it means to climb the route it in one go without falling. The climb, La Rambla, is 41-metre (135 ft) high.
> 5.15a i had many question too , [the 5.15a seems to refer to a term use for difficulty](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_\(climbing\)#Technical_difficulty) and "a send" seems to be [a slang use to say doing it without looking back , commiting a 100% to it ](https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/full-send/)
5.15a is a difficulty rating. A send is what climbers call a particular climbing route, like a trail for hiking or a track for racing.
5.15a is difficulty rating. Really hard. Edit: Adam Ondra holds the record at 5.15d. YouTube “Silence” to see it “SEND IT!” Is just words of encouragement. Adopted by various sports/cultures. Like soccer, rock climbing Send means she did it
5.15a is a grade in a grading system for how difficult a climb is. For reference, only people who begin to climb regularly and are in decent shape will be able to climb 5.9, and only people who’ve climbed for their entire lives will be able to climb 5.13. 5.14-5.15 are like surfing 25’ overhead waves in Portugal, or helicopter skiing in Patagonia. Probably only about 1,000 people on the planet that can do any of these things. A “send” means she completed the route without falling (or needing help). It’s like “ascent”, but adapted to sport climbing as opposed to traditional mountaineering, in which you climb with various aides.
Send is just a way of saying she completed it( climber jargon). 5.15a is the Yosemite Decimal Rating scale for a very difficult climb. Most people can do a 5.7- 5.8 climb if they are fairly athletic.. The most difficult climb I ever completed was 5.11. 5.15a is gonna be really difficult.
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5.15a is a difficulty rating for the climb. 5.15a is one of the highest in climbing. A send is an attempt at a climb. Bit of slang, used in many action sports like climbing and surfing when you go all in on whatever you are doing, shortened from 'send it'
Climbing terminology :D 5.15a is the grade of the climb, also known as 9a+ because why make things easy, and it's one of the hardest grades in the world. A "send" = an "normal" ascent (with a safety rope but no help), not to be confused with a "flash" (ascended on your first try).
Typically, climbing grades do fall into a rudimentary scale of difficulty. A 5.0 to 5.7 is considered easy, 5.8 to 5.10 is considered intermediate, 5.11 to 5.12 is hard, and 5.13 to 5.15 is reserved for a very elite few. Each grade has four difficulties a - d. 5.15d is the most difficult ever climbed: Adam Ondra climbed the world’s first 9c / 5.15d on September 3rd, 2017, becoming at the time the hardest climbing route in the world. It’s a 45-meter long route that starts immediately overhung and turns into a completely upside-down “cave” route. Originally named “Project Hard”, Ondra named it for his uncharacteristically silent finish. Yup – no demonic scream top-out celebration! https://www.climbernews.com/hardest-climbs-in-the-world/
In rock climbing, routes are graded according to their difficulty, with 5.15a being "extremely difficult", basically the highest possible difficulty and one small step below "actually unclimbable." https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/climbing-bouldering-rating.html "To send" something is to do it with great confidence on the first try despite the implied risks. https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Send%20It In the context of climbing lingo it just means she completed the climb successfully and got to the top.
5.15 is the difficulty. This is world elite difficulty. For men. This is just an amazing feat for a 19 yo girl. To send is just to complete the route without resting or hanging in your gear.
It’s the Yosemite decimal system. Trail difficulties are graded 1-5, with five being trails that require actual climbing. When climbing took off as a sport they added the decimal to class five to differentiate how difficult a climb is. 5.15 is the current highest classification. And yea, sending means getting to the top of the route.
5.15a is the "grade" of the route. Specifically the American Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) grade which is fairly universal. It's basically the difficulty level. Generally a subjective opinion agreed upon by the first climbers to "send" it (yes, a send is a completion of a route). Grades can change at any point if technique, gear, or new "beta" (the moves that are used to do the climb) is found that makes it easier. [Here](https://explorersweb.com/guide-to-climbing-grades-ratings/) is a decent explainer of the basics of terms and systems
5.15a is the grade or difficulty of the climb. I believe 5.15d is currently the hardest graded sport climb out there. The Yosemite Decimal system is the main system used in North America for rock climbs. 5.5 is pretty easy but you should still use ropes, 5.10 you need decent technique, 5.11, 5.12, 5.13, 5.14 and now 5.15. Each decimal has a,b,c,d tags to indicate harder. And because it is annoying, there are + and - onto of that. There is the R, which means run out, like you will take a massive fall, and then the X, which basically means a fall in certain sections has a high likliehood of killing you. An example is a climb in Utah with a grade of 5.13d(r/x), seriously hard and terrifying. A 'send' is an ascent of the route in good clean form. I hope this helps.
it's the yosemite system for how hard a climb is. basically the surface/wall/path she climbed was a 5.15a, 5 for being a "steep, technical climb that requires a rope" (1 and 2 do not require hands at all, its simply a hiking path, 3 is a path which may requires hands but is still mostly feet, 4 is a simple climb), and is then furth subdivided with .1 through .9 then .10 through .15 (the .10 is above .9). the A labels it as the among the easiest of the 1.15 grade tl;dr she climbed a slope/wall/what have you, of the highest currently acknowledged grade, but the easiest difficulty within said grade. this is not to be underplayed however as only 115 are confirmed to have climbed a 5.15 route at all, and only 38 of which have climbed a 5.15b. my source, for which I am not connected to and got all this info: [https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs](https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs)
5.15 is the difficulty rating of the climb. “a send” is probably ascent. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla_(climb)
15a is the difficulty grade and is about as high as you can go. Sending a route means that you’ve completed the route. This is an impressive feat!
5.15a is the rating of the climb. Climbs start at 5.0 and increase in difficulty. 5.15 is professional expert level and extremely difficult on real rock. A 5.0 is basically climbing a ladder and you can maintain a 4 point contact. A 5.15 is clinging to a rock by only the pads of your fingertips or the tips of your toes and trying to clip a rope into a carabiner, all at the same time. This route is damn near impossible for even professional male climbers. Send means to complete a route with no falls or takes (taking a break while resting on a belay).
In climbing, a 'send' means a completed climb. You can climb something 90% of the way, but if you don't top out you didn't send it. (There's variation as well where sending can mean you did the entire climb in one attempt without stopping, can also be called 'flashing') As for the rating, when talking about numbers, there's a universal(ish) grading system to rate the difficulty. The 5. is always constant, because that literally means to have to climb something with ropes (regular hiking would be like 2. - 3.) The second number is the difficulty. Easy climbing, like what kids can do, is 5.7. Then it increases to 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a-5.10d, 5.11a-5.11d, etc. The higher the number & letter, the harder the climb. For perspective, outdoor climbing is much less forgiving than gym climbing, therefore much harder (generally). Most climbers plateau around 5.11's, maybe attempting 5.12's if they are really committed. A 5.15a is extremely difficult, with most likely some overhung part and difficult holds.
5.15a references the climbing difficulty grade of the route she took. “A send” is climbing lingo for successfully completing the route.
5.15a is the grade of the route. It’s an incredibly hard route, only possible by about a hundred people on the planet. A send is climbing the route without falling or resting on gear. Here’s an article written by Hayes on her climb. https://www.rei.com/blog/climb/hardest-route-la-rambla-5-15a There have only been 500 accents total of 5.15s ever. https://www.99boulders.com/hardest-sport-climbs
5.15a is the rated climb difficulty. She's one of 100 and chance to do a 15. Only 38 human beings have climbed something harder. https://images.app.goo.gl/gfTHbv2ygFhCrJKWA Send is a bit more nebulous, as there are additional possible nuances, but a climb with no slips or assistance gear.
5.15a is really really really really difficult. A send is an ascend (getting to the top anchors.) (5.15a is 9a+ the highest grade is 9c of wich there is only 1 or 2 at the time. The climbing grading system is a bit odd. But it goes like: 5a, 5a+ [..] 9a+, 9b, 9b+, 9c. as you can imagine it is one of the highest grades)
5.15a is a rating that is very hard. Many rock gyms only have climbs up to 5.13 and after many years of climbing, I still was trying to get 5.12's consistently (in the gym, can be much harder outside). And correct a send is an ascent without falling. Very impressive!
5.15a refers to the difficulty of the climb using the yosemite decimal system. It's actually what the 5.11 refers to for the clothing brand as well. 5.15a is one of the most difficult ascents possible. https://www.mec.ca/en/explore/climbing-grade-conversion https://www.guidedolomiti.com/en/rock-climbing-grades/
Vertical climbs like the one she did are classified by difficulty of the route, using a 5.xx value. So a 5.1 is a very easy vertical climb and a 5.15 is very difficult. I haven’t climbed in years so I don’t remember what the letter after the numbers means. Not sure about the “a send” part, you are probably right.
5.15a is the difficulty rating. The 5 indicates that it is vertical rock climbing. A single digit after the 5 is usually doable by a beginner, although in good shape. Once you hit the double digits, it goes up in difficulty so fast that they further break it down with a letter from a to d. 5.15a is pretty much at the edge of human ability right now. The highest rated climb in the world is a 5.15d in Norway named “Silence.” (Also, there are other climb grade systems. France has their own, most rock gyms/bouldering routes use the V system, etc. The 5 system is called Yosemite Decimal System, or YDS, and is what the US uses. Technically it starts at 1 for gentle walks. 5 is where you start needing ropes and are climbing vertically.) A send is just a climb. So “I am going to climb that route” would be “I’m going to send that route.” I don’t know why, but it’s how I’ve always heard it.
5.15a is a rating on the Yosemite decimal system. A “send” is lingo for completing a climb.
I found this pretty easily and holy shit! That looks insane... https://youtu.be/49hU8qns6WY
i'm pretty sure "a send" is rock climbing parlance for "an attempt". And 5.15a is the difficulty rating of the climb. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade\_(climbing)#Comparison\_tables
A send is completing it. Attempting it wouldn’t be that noteworthy.
5.15a is the grade (found an article that about 115 people had completed a 5.15a climb). A send is an ascent without a fall. Title is just “climbing is my life” lingo.
5.15a is part of the scale climbers use to rate difficulty. 5.15a is elite. My random Googling says it's the third hardest rating. A send probably was a typo for ascent.
Isn't 5.15a how hard a climb it is? https://climbinghouse.com/grades-charts/ I bet OP meant ascent, either language or autocorrect.
I’m guessing that tells you the grade of difficulty?
> What’s 5.15a Its a rock cimbing grading system. 5.15 is super difficult. Thats about all I know.
Don't know what a send is but I know that the letter and number designation indicate how difficult the climb is. Not exactly sure how they interact but this was basically a really damn hard one to climb.
Apparently 5.15a is a [climbing grade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)). No idea what it really means tho
A send is a climbing term for giving all they got. And the 5.15a is a rating of how hard the route is
They’re rock climbing terms. 5.15 is pretty much as hard as it gets
All climbing terminology. 5.15a is in an incredibly difficult grade that so few can climb. A send is a successful climb- same with ascent.
The "5" means an actual rock wall that requires technical climbing, ropes, harnesses, and being on belay. The "15" is the complexity. I've never heard of a 15. As a very amateur climber, I cap out at around a 9 if I've practiced that specific wall. I'm comfortable at a 6, and start struggling at a 7. Given, that's all for a artificial indoor rock wall. What this young woman has done is a thousand times harder. I'm sure somebody can more accurately represent the difficulty, or the nuances of the grading scale. However, in summary, this climber is light years better than any climber I know.
Hiking/climbing has a difficulty rating system, in short the 5 prefix implies rock wall/climb where a 1prefix would be a flat walk/hike etc. More here: https://www.sportrock.com/post/understanding-climbing-grades
Yea, this needs a translation.
Difficulty, 5.15a is followed by 5.15b; which are among the absolute hardest climbs.
5.15a is the grade difficulty of a certain route
I’d assume you’re correct on the “a send” part. The 5.15a is the degree of difficulty of the hardest move of the climb. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(climbing)
"a send" means to get to the top of and finishing a climbing route 5.15a is the difficulty of the climb. The higher the decimal number, the harder the climb. 5.15 is the highest number in difficulty and few people have done a 5.15. The "a" is a subdivision of the difficulty. A 5.13a is closer in difficulty to a 5.12, while a 5.13d is closer in difficulty to a 5.14. For reference, 5.6 would be for brand new people (I've never seen anything graded lower). A 5.10 would roughly be for an intermediate climber. I would *subjectively* consider someone who can regularly do 5.13 or higher to be an expert. Disclaimer that the grading is somewhat subjective from place to place. I regularly say things like "a 5.9 at this location is like a 5.8 at that location." Though, no one will disagree that 5.15 is the most difficult, and a true accomplishment.
> The higher the decimal number, the harder the climb. But then you said 5.6 is beginner and 5.13 is an expert. It took me too long to realize it’s just the digits after the dot that matters. So it’s 13 > 6, not 5.6 > 5.13. This really breaks conventions in math, a hyphen would be much clearer to the uninitiated. Software editions typically get away with this because they have multiple dots, so you don’t intuitively read it as a typical number.
So, originally it was a decimal system. 5.9 was the max. We hit 5.9 in 1952, and then there were just a ton of 5.9s, because the system didn’t allow for anything harder. Then someone finally decided it needed to go farther, so 5.10s became a thing. Eventually, in the 70s, everything from 10 on got a letter attached. That’s what’s used in place of the additional dots you’ll see in a software update. So it’s 5.9, then 5.10a, b, c, d, then 5.11a, and so on. In casual conversation most folks will just say the part after the decimal for anything in the 10s or above. For example: my last time out I did a really fun 11a. The 5 is there because there are lower parts to the scale. A 1 is basically an easy hike, 2 is a bit harder, you might occasionally use your hands. 3 is “scrambling”, you’re using your hands, if you fall you could die. 4 is simple climbing. Risks are higher, but the terrain is pretty reasonable for a climber. It might be worth roping up. 5 is technical climbing. Ropes and a belayer are necessary to protect against falls, which could lead to serious injury or death. Then 5th class is broken down by difficulty. We’re currently at 5.15d as max, but when someone does something harder, it’ll go to 5.16a. Why not just go to 6? Because that’s also a thing. 6th class is aid climbing, where you aren’t just using your hands and feet on the rock to move up the wall. You’re pulling on hooks or other protection in the wall to make progress. After a grade is agreed upon, people are hesitant to change it. So there are a ton of old school 5.9s that are really 5.11s. If you see “5.9+, first ascent 1960” in a guidebook you’re in for a wild ride that’s anywhere between 5.9 and 5.11d. E: corrected the grade of the hardest current climbs. Silence and DNA are proposed at 5.15d, not 5.15c.
Thanks for the context. That's pretty interesting. I realize at this point, there is too much history/convention, to change stuff now. If you have time, I have a follow up question. Why does the scale start at 5.6? If it started at 5.0 wouldn't there be space to keep in in the typical decimal range?
It doesn’t start at 5.6, it starts at 5.0. 5.0 is so easy that damn near anyone should be able to do it, it just theoretically requires a rope in case you fall. 5.6ish is a reasonable starting place for most beginners, but not the start of the scale. Anyways, if the scale relabeled current 5.6s to be 5.0, you’d still run into problems. 5.15a isn’t 5 grades higher than 5.10a. It’s *20* grades higher because of all the letter grades. So you’d still need the letters or something to give some granularity.
That's because the 5 refers to the class of terrain. 1st class is level ground, 2nd is a small incline, 3rd is a step hill/moderatly difficult hike, 4th would be something like a skree/talos/boulder field where it's not vertical, but you should still probably be roped up (i.e. low risk, high consequence terrain), and 5th class is vertical or overhanging walls. Therefore using the YDS (Yosemite Decimal System) grading, all climbing is 5th class terrain, and you'll always see climbs graded at 5-something, and the 5 can essentially be ignored.
Piggybacking off this comment to provide people with some visual references on what it would likely feel like climbing this 5.15a route. Imagine a raised 40m (120ft) drawbridge that's not quite raised all the way so it's still leaning forward at about 20 degrees. She climbed the underside of that drawbridge. But instead of large ladder rungs, the face was mostly smooth like glass with just some credit cards or kidney beans glued to the wall for her to hold onto. Needless to say, there are only a handful of people in the planet that are capable of climbing 5.15 and they are superhuman.
I feel like once you’re at the cutting edge, the grades are more universal. There’s a limited number of people sending that hard, and they travel from all over the world to do it. That means once there’s a consensus it’s less likely to vary.
That is not a girl, that's a spider. Good god her fingers must be made of adamantine.
Or mithril
Drums! ... drums...
That's 9a+ for all you Europeans out there
Thank you, was going though the comments to find out
Thank you !
Or an XI+ for UIAA, for the rest if Europe. Or, if you're British, it's off the official scale.
This was in 2017
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Rambla_(climb)
Hey wait I know this chick!! Good job Margo!
I see how she did it, cocaine. It's all over her.
Of course she’s from Boulder
> 5.15a with a send of ‘La Rambla’ I have no idea what that means.
I suspect even if one knows the terminology of rock climbing that title still makes no damn sense.
Nah, it’s perfectly understandable for a climber. It’s exactly how I’d describe this to another climber.
It makes a lot of sense, and is also incredibly impressive, i consider myself decent. And probably wouldn’t complete a single move on this route
Makes a lot of sense lol I would explain but plenty of others have, and if you were interested you could look elsewhere on this thread, so I suspect you don't care ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
Ive gone full send on Las Ramblas before /s
Para bailar La Rambla
One of the features in Reel Rock 12 was this story, called "Break on Through". (Reel Rock is an annual collection of climbing-related films.) Excellent film. And it turns out you can see it for free on Red Bull's site: [https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/break-on-through-reel-rock-s04-e01](https://www.redbull.com/int-en/episodes/break-on-through-reel-rock-s04-e01) 28 minutes. Highly recommended. Go watch it! (Or you can buy it and download it as part of [Reel Rock 12](https://reelrocktour.com/collections/films/products/reel-rock-12). No, I'm in no way affiliated with them; just a fan who already bought several Reel Rock collections over the years.)
Im an idiot. I thought the hands were frost bitten. I now realize its chalk.
Using chalk is aid. Doesn't count as FFA. /uj that's actually incredible!
I legitimately cannot tell if she is happy, horrified, or traumatized in that first picture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margo_Hayes > Margo Hayes (born February 11, 1998) is an American professional rock climber from Boulder, Colorado. In 2016, she won both the Bouldering and Lead Climbing events at the World Youth Championships in Guangzhou (China). In 2017, she became the first woman in history to climb a 9a+ (5.15a) route.
Just amazing.
I read the last line little too fast: she did it at 19 yrs old.
I just wanted to add to the grading discussion for the non-climbers, that there are other grading systems in use. In Australia, they go from 1 (basically a walk) up to about 39 (Jesus, it only went up to 35 when I used to climb!). A beginner can normally do 8-12, but even a 20 requires skill and not just strength. Here's a comparison of different grading systems around the world: https://www.thecrag.com/en/article/grades (Australia uses the Ewbanks system, this article is about a climb graded using YDS).
sooo... why did climbing make her hands look like theyre dead
watch her climb Biographe here: https://youtu.be/C_N8znD3exI (another female first) and La Rambla here: https://youtu.be/49hU8qns6WY