WI Grades

[daler]

Grades the way I see them. I don't buy into all that just go climb it and have fun crap(sure I just go climb and have fun but sometimes you get in over your head and crap). Water ice is dangerous and folks should have a good idea of how hard a climb is before they try it. I think strong climbers have a trend of sandbagging ice. It is true that once you reach a certain level all ice feels about the same, but for those with less experience the difference between grade 3 and 4+ is hard to tell from the ground and can be lethal if not understood. Grade 5 is serious but with the right amount of training and patience working the grades it can be climbed with little effort. Sure grade 6 is no problem but only after you have tons of mileage on grade 5 and become an expert on farreting out reasonable gear. I have always been able to get gear on grade 6 so I don't believe the whole grade 6 is always r or x philosophy.

 

grades the way I see them!!!!!

 

WI 3

 

WI 4

 

WI5

 

WI6+

 

 

Drink beer, climb within your abilities, and don't sandbag!!!

 

dale

[lummox]

here is quoted comments from q tuan luong:

"Some comments: My interpretation of the ratings (technical grade):

2: you can climb with one tool

3: a second tool helps here, but your weight is on your feet

4: feels steep, but not vertical

5: about half of the pitch is vertical

6: the pitch is mostly vertical (usually free-standing)

7: the pitch is mostly vertical and unprotectable

Although Albi Sole refers as grade 5 as the "5.9 of ice climbing", don't kid yourself. A grade 5 lead is a quite serious undertaking, more comparable in my opinion to a 5.10 trad lead. I am once of the only person that I know (:-)) who has been able to lead grade 6 ice while being only a 5.10- climber. You will see that grade 5 ice is actually rather difficult to find. For instance a guidebook like the one for Western Ontario or Western British Columbia has 140 pages, but lists only a handful of grade 5 climbs. There are no grade 6 at all in well established areas such as New England, Ontario, British Columbia (well, I must say was, until 1996, when The Theft was climbed in BC). This is because a grade 5 climb has to have about a half-pitch vertical, and a grade 6 a full pitch vertical, which brings me to the second point.

Vertical is 90 degrees, not 85 degrees. This seemingly unsignificant difference is actually quite important. When you are on 85 degrees ice you might have the feeling that it is overhanging, because of your position, but in fact there is not that many formations which are strictly vertical, except free-standing columns."

 

 

here are my comments: guidebooks offer suggestions of climb ratings. not the final verdict. conditions change. ratings change.

and here is another comment: a 'grade' is not a 'rating'. know the difference. and have fun crap.

[cracked]

When get to go to Lilloet again I'm going to take a plumb bob, an inclinometer, and a tape measure so I can be sure of the grades.

[SmokeShow]

As defined in 'An Ice Climber's Guide to Northern New England'

 

Grade I - low angle ice less than 50 degrees

Grade II - low angle ice routes with short bulges up to 60 degrees

Grade III - steeper ice of 50-60 degrees with short 70-90 degree bulges

Grade IV - short vertical columns interspersed with rests on 50-60 degree ice

Grade V - generally multi-pitch ice climbs with sustained difficulties and/or strenuous vertical columns with little rest possible

 

As noted above, there is nothing greater than Grade V in NE so the list stops there (as far as the guide is concerned). With this grading system I think the difficulty of the climb becomes pretty clear. The NEI system was one of the first to be established and it provided a basis for the internationally accepted system.

[lummox]

dood. in alaska they rate iceclimbs from 1 to 10. wtf?

[Cpt.Caveman]

Here's a good rule for not good climbers in regards to my posts.

 

If I report I lead or followed a route it's not rated WI5.

 

If I report we did one I probably toproped it.

 

 

Thanks

[Bug]

So far, in the last decade, I have swung my Cobras many times. Unfortunately, only one of those times was outside and on ice.

Therefore, I pronounce this thread highly appropriate and infinately useful.

Thanks to all. Especially Daler for the pics and grades.

[Dru]

part of the reason the BC guidebook is 140 pages long with no WI6's listed is cause they had to put in all that stuff recommending Abalakovs over conduit and lots of comments like "Looks pretty French - bonne chance!"

[Cpt.Caveman]

That's not one tenth of what I read in the WA Ice book. Feel good about it. ;-)

 

Do you think French climbers are better or are the Euros and the Rennaisance Will Gadd your man?

[Dru]

i'd have to say the climbers from east of revelstoke have got us whupped in general.

[willstrickland]

I call bullshit on all ya'll. There's only 3 grades of ice:

 

WI-Y (YEAH, I can climb that)

WI-M (MAYBE, I can climb that)

WI-NFW (NO FUCKING WAY am I getting on that)

[Cpt.Caveman]

Missed out on the:

 

I got scared and retreated of dat

[thelawgoddess]

Here's a good rule for not good climbers in regards to my posts.

 

If I report I lead or followed a route it's not rated WI5.

 

If I report we did one I probably toproped it.

 

 

Thanks

 

i have learned that paper guides can be kind of useless for grades, too. we went to a w2 in the park the other day to show a friend how to ice climb. she passed on what actually turned out to be a w3/4 ... quite daunting for a total newbie. at least most ice climbs are approached from the bottom!

[chris]

This reminds me of a grading system I think Bridwell introduced. I've adapted it for ice:

WI Fun

WI Hard

WI Scared

 

But seriously, an insert was in the latest issue of The American Alpine News. Its the AAJ's "official" International Grade Comparison Chart and also includes descriptions of Water Ice Grades. Here what they have to say:

 

"Water Ice and Alpine Ice Grades:

Ice climbing ratings are highly variable by region and are still evolving. The following descriptions approximate the average systems. The WI acronym implies seasonal ice; AI is often substituted for year-around Alpine Ice and may be easier that a WI grade with the same number. Canadians often drop the WI symbol and hyphenate the technical grade after the Canadian commitment grade's roman numeral (example: II-5).

WI 1: Low angle ice, no tools required.

WI 2: Consistent 60 degrees ice with possible bulges; good protection.

WI 3: Sustained 70 degrees with possible long bulges of 80-90 degrees; reasonable rests with good stances for placing screws.

WI 4: Continuous 80 degree ice or fairly long sections of 90 degree ice broken up by occasional rests.

WI 5: Long and strenuous, with a rope-length of 85-90 degree ice offering few good rests; or a shorter pitch of thin or bad ice with protection that's difficult to place.

WI 6: A full ropelength of near-90 degree ice with no rests, or a shorter pitch even more tenuous than WI 5. Highly technical.

WI 7: As above, but on thin poorly bonded ice or long, overhanging poorly adhered columns. Protection is impossible or very difficult to place and of dubious quality.

WI 8: Under discussion."

 

There you have it.