9a to V Scale: How It Converts to a V17 or 5.14d
Contents
- Key Takeaways
- Comparing 9a Routes and V Scale Boulders
- What Is The V Scale?
- What Is The French Scale?
- How Climbing Grades Evolve
- Setting Grades: Indoors vs Outdoors
- Training for Elite Levels
- Grading Systems Around the World
- The Climber’s Perspective on Grades
- Climbing Grade Conversions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the main difference between the V Scale and the French Scale?
- How does a 9a route compare to a V-scale boulder problem?
- Why do climbing grades differ between indoor and outdoor climbs?
- Can I convert French climbing grades directly to the V Scale?
- How do climbing grades change over time?
- What is the hardest grade currently climbed on the V Scale and French Scale?
- Why are there different grading systems around the world?
- Sources
If you’re wondering how 9A on the Fontainebleau (or “Font”) scale converts to the V scale, or how a 9a sport route converts to the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS), here’s a quick answer:
- 9A in the Font scale equals about V17
- A French sport 9a route is roughly 5.14d on the YDS
- Lowercase 9a (sport) and uppercase 9A (Font boulder) are different scales, so comparing a sport 9a with a V grade is only a rough rule of thumb
Burden of Dreams in Finland was the first boulder graded 9A (V17). Wolfgang Güllich’s Action Directe, a contender for the first 9a (5.14d) sport route, went up in 1991.
This guide breaks down how these grading systems compare, why the conversion isn’t exact, and what each grade really means for climbers.
Key Takeaways
- The V scale is the most widely used grading scale for bouldering in the U.S. It ranges from V0 for novice climbers to V17 for the most difficult elite-level boulder problems.
- The French scale is commonly used for sport climbing worldwide, using grades like 6a or 9a to indicate route difficulty.
- Side-by-side comparison of physical and technical demands between the V scale and the French scale reveal significant discrepancies. This creates a challenge for climbers looking to move from bouldering to sport climbing to draw straightforward comparisons.
- Climbing grades have evolved alongside advances in equipment, technique, and community feedback, leading to more accurate and standardized assessments of difficulty.
- Indoor and outdoor climbs often feel different at the same grade. This variation is particularly driven by environmental conditions and rock type. Where indoor gym grades are largely consistent, outdoor grades can vary widely.
- Understanding multiple grading systems and receiving community support helps climbers set realistic goals, stay motivated, and safely progress in their climbing journey.
Comparing 9a Routes and V Scale Boulders
Climbing grades help folks track progress and set goals, but 9a routes and V scale boulders are two very different beasts. Sport climbs rated 9a are rare, even at hard sport crags like Rifle or the Red River Gorge. These lengthy routes require a unique blend of endurance, strength, and technical footwork.
V scale boulders in Hueco Tanks provide some of the most intense short, explosive action. Unlike many 5.13 and 5.14 routes, they test your finger strength and body tension with demanding, burly moves. In comparison, a 9a sport route can run from about 14 meters, like Action Directe, to well over 30 meters, and takes minutes to climb.
Even a V14 boulder, albeit a few meters tall, takes the full exertion and laser focus for only a handful of moves.
| Grade System | Example Grade | Typical Difficulty | Example Locations | Key Challenge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French (Sport) | 9a | Elite | Frankenjura (Action Directe) | Endurance, Sequence |
| V Scale (Boulder) | V14-15 | Elite | Hueco Tanks, Bishop | Power, Precision |
Climbers transitioning between these grades feel significant jumps. A long 9a route is a matter of how long you can hang on, maintain concentration, and connect difficult portions without a recovery point.
The V scale is all about the raw power. It demands dynamic movements such as massive dynos and micro crimps, where a slip is not an option. Many climbers have a hard time making the switch as the skills required aren’t always transferrable.
For instance, someone who excels in 9a sport might need time to build the finger strength for a V14 boulder.
The grading gap influences the way climbers discuss difficulty among one another. Sport grades seem more constant and linear, whereas bouldering grades shoot up quickly and demand immediate solutions.
People argue all the time about which one is more “hard,” but it truly depends on the advantage each climber has.
What Is The V Scale?
The V scale is a grading system that was created particularly for bouldering. In bouldering, climbers ascend short but difficult problems without the use of ropes. It is primarily used in the United States and is referred to as the American bouldering grade system.
It is separate from the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) and tailored to bouldering in particular. It is intuitive to climbers since the V scale begins at V0, the simplest problems.
It goes all the way up to V17, the hardest confirmed problems in the world right now, and the first V18 was proposed in 2025. Each increment requires a noticeable increase in the strength, skill, or technique required. A V2 boulder problem asks for basic technique and moderate strength.
In comparison, a V10 tests your finger strength, body tension, and technical footwork.
The V scale spread in the early 1990s. Writer and climber John “Verm” Sherman codified this system in his 1991 guidebook to help other climbers have a better idea of what to expect when taking on boulder problems at Hueco Tanks in Texas.
It’s for this reason that Verm’s scale is known as the “V” scale, named after Verm. Eventually, it became the dominant system for rating boulders in the US. The V scale and the Hueco system are two names for the same grading technique.
This system is employed for outdoor climbing locations as well as indoor climbing gyms.
In terms of grading systems, the V scale is in proximity to the French Font-grade system, which is more commonly used in Europe. Once you get beyond the easiest grades, V-scale and Font grades line up pretty nicely.
To put this into English, V10 corresponds to Font 7C+. Indoors, grades seem almost plush compared to how they read on rock. This means that a V7 at the gym might not be pushing you as hard as a V7 on real rock would.
What Is The French Scale?
The French scale or French numerical scale is a way of denoting the difficulty of a climbing route. It’s the scale most popularly used in sport climbing. It was popularized by French guidebook writer François Labande in the late 1980s.
His guides replaced the confusing old UIAA Roman numerals with straightforward Arabic numbers. As a result, climbers are more easily able to communicate and come to a consensus on what a grade should be. The French scale runs from 1 to 9c. A low grade is very easy, and the 9s are reserved for the hardest routes in the world.
Each of those grades gets divided even further with a, b, and c, like 6a, 7b, or 8c. A + shows a small increase in the difficulty of a route. So, a 7a+ is only marginally harder than a 7a.
This scale is extremely important in the world of sport climbing, especially in Europe. It creates a simple, clear standard that is fairly consistent across climbing areas. If you make a trip over to climbing areas in France or Spain, you would see routes with these numbers on them.
This way, a 6b at one climbing area should feel about the same in difficulty as a 6b at another climbing area. This scale gives climbers from every corner of the globe a shared way to judge the difficulty of a route.
Not limited to roped climbs, the Font scale, a variant on the French system, is used for bouldering as well. The French scale lines up with other grading systems such as UIAA, for example, French 6a is approximately equivalent to UIAA VI+.
Armed with this standardized language, climbers can choose routes appropriate for their skill level, wherever they go.
How Climbing Grades Evolve
These changes are a result of evolution in climbing style, development of equipment, and status of the broader climbing community. The intention behind these early systems, such as the British adjectival grades, was to convey the overall difficulty and seriousness of a climb. With the rise of new styles such as sport climbing and bouldering, climbers had to find new ways to communicate about increasingly difficult routes.
British climbers added E-grades as standards rose, and the French system later spread through sport climbing. In the U.S., the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS) had developed earlier, each providing its own distinctive way of conveying climb difficulty. In 1967, John Ewbank introduced his own scale in Australia, which is also used in New Zealand.
This is hardly the first time that improved gear has influenced the progression of grades. With safer ropes, quickdraws, and stronger protection, climbers began pushing the limits of difficulty. That escalated grades. Routes that current climbers thought they could never climb soon had numerical equivalents.
The highest grades just continue advancing. British trad grades have pushed into double-digit E-grades, while the French scale has extended to 9c. New tricks and equipment continue to push the limits.
It’s not just developers who create grades, climbers themselves have the power to influence grades by leaving reviews. When one climber pronounces a route a sandbag, everyone else is inclined to accept the verdict or dispute it. This feedback loop both protects the integrity of grades and accounts for the sometimes confusing variation in how grades feel from area to area.
Even within a single country, a 5.12 California may not do the same as a 5.12 Kentucky. Regional quirks and personal opinions still manage to sneak through, ensuring a lively debate.
Setting Grades: Indoors vs Outdoors
Making grades in climbing has never failed to make for an exciting discussion, particularly when you consider the 9a and V scales. Indoors, gyms aim for consistent grades. Route setters choreograph each hold and sequence, targeting a specific difficulty throughout. That way, you always have a good idea of what to expect, and the grades are designed to give you a general sense of how you’re doing.
Still, even then, some climbers will tell you a V3 indoors is going to feel much more doable than a V3 outdoors. Some climbers argue that gyms grade generously so newer climbers feel good about their progress. Gym climbs also emphasize short bursts and train specific skills like grip strength and small hold endurance.
It turns out that outdoor grading works quite differently. The bottom line is nature doesn’t work like that. Climate, geological substrate, and even time of year can change the character of a climb. Slick holds after a rain, loose rock, or a hidden hold that isn’t visible from the ground can surprise even the most experienced climbers.
A boulder graded V7 might flummox climbers who send harder grades at the gym. Real stone has a lot of roughness, slopers, and crimps. It takes phenomenal footwork, balance, and improvisational problem solving to get around these obstacles. Most climbers who have ever tried to transition to the outdoors quickly discover that indoor grades aren’t much use out there. You may send a grade easily in the gym, then struggle on the same grade outdoors.
It’s difficult to ensure uniformity in outdoor climbing. Each route only receives review by a limited number of climbers or perhaps even just judging from one’s own limited experience. Grades can seem arbitrary, and critics claim that they eventually turn “all but useless.
Training for Elite Levels
Elite level climbing requires an intense level of commitment and dedication. This sort of commitment is the rarest thing that distinguishes a climber even among elite athletes. Climbers with outside aspirations to V7 (7A+) or above come into the sport with intense training schedules. Those looking to climb V5 (6C/+) or more outside also face this reality.
These grades represent a steep increase in physicality and technical ability. Climbers devote countless hours per week to hangboard workouts, weighted pull-ups and campus board drills. These workouts develop finger intensity and attack. They improve shoulder stability too, all of which are key for crimping hard problems with difficulty marks on the V-Scale or Font-Scale.
At this level, bouldering sessions often include repeated tries on hard moves, working sequences, and resting between attempts to keep the mind fresh. With elite levels of performance, technique is equally as important, if not more so, than raw strength. To avoid getting pumped, elite climbers work on footwork, body tension, and movement drills to be as efficient as possible on the wall.
Most climbers aspire to start high and make dynamic, hero-like openings. They enjoy tall highball problems, like those found in areas such as the Grampians. These climbs require a unique level of confidence, as well as serious mental preparation. Visualization, breathing exercises, and maintaining poise are all key mental tactics.
Recovery, as well as injury prevention, come into play here as well. Elite climbers have physios, foam rollers and regular rest days to stave off injury. Little adjustments in training, such as incorporating antagonist exercises and prehab-stretching programs, prevent injuries and prolong careers.
Progress is a uniquely personal endeavor. Some climbers are able to progress to the next grade in weeks, others require months or years. Fatigue and pump are no joke, particularly when transitioning from bouldering to sport climbing, illustrating the importance of general fitness.
Grading Systems Around the World
Just ask any climber because for some reason, it’s not enough to just have one method of ranking climbs. Every region has to have their own. This is the product of an alchemy of local history, culture, and even geology.
Here are some of the main grading systems used across the world:
- V Scale (Vermin scale, used for bouldering, primarily in US)
- French numerical grading system (used for sport climbing, widespread in Europe)
- Yosemite Decimal System (YDS, most commonly used in North America)
- UIAA scale (I-XII, as used in Germany, Austria, etc.)
- Saxon scale (from Saxon Switzerland, early 20th century)
- NCCS (National Climbing Classification System, US, for commitment and time)
- WI-grade (ice climbing, worldwide)
- M-grade (mixed climbing, worldwide)
- Aid climbing (A0–A5, plus new wave grades for harder aid)
These systems are a product of their respective local climbing cultures. In Europe, the French system makes logical sense and is open-ended. The American YDS is designed to emphasize the most difficult climbing moves.
Climbers are always looking to climb harder, and right now the hardest proposed route grade is 5.15d (9c). UIAA relies on Roman numerals and “+” or “−” to adjust difficulty, best for long, old-school climbs. Saxon grades, rooted in sandstone morals, look different.
Aid grades rate how secure the placements are rather than the free moves. This is where travelers get angry when moving from one system to another. Sure, a 7a in France corresponds to 5.11d YDS back home, but the experience isn’t necessarily comparable.
Culture plays a big role in what grades end up looking like, what’s difficult in one environment may be easy or even bizarre in another. Conversion charts help bridge these discrepancies. The power of local knowledge is important and powerful.
The Climber’s Perspective on Grades
Grades in climbing are an incredible tool, like a map, but every climber interprets that map differently. To many climbers, a 9a route, or a V10 boulder, might as well be a complete vertical wall of glass. For some people, it’s just another step along their path.
To a climber who recently made the leap from V4, V6 might seem like a huge jump. For a climber at V10, V6 is barely a warm-up. Each climber contributes their abilities, experience on similar routes, and even mood on any given day. This directly affects how difficult or challenging a grade appears.
Grades can mess with your head, as well. When a climber encounters a new grade, it’s often an exciting moment filled with equal parts hope and trepidation. Others artificially inflate their grade when they manage to send a route significantly higher than their personal grade.
Everyone else may get paralyzed or lose confidence if they fall on something they “should” send. Each grade becomes a number to measure yourself against. That’s only a positive development until it starts to become anxiety-inducing and feels like an exam.
Expectations change too. Setting grade targets is common among climbers. Maybe you’re someone whose goal is to just tick your first 5.12, or break into that V8 grade. As they get bigger, priorities start to shift.
What a climber might be focused on is more fluid movement, improved body control, different rock styles rather than necessarily just the digits. This has provided a healthy check on making everything predictable and more focused on grade only.
Perhaps more than anything else, community is what makes the difference. Having friends cheer at the gym or spotters at the crag can help even the hardest grades feel a little less isolating. Guidance from more experienced climbers, beta that you can trust, or even just someone telling you “you can do this” goes a long way.
Climbing will always feel difficult, but with supporters at your back, those grades don’t feel so impossible to achieve.
Climbing Grade Conversions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between the V Scale and the French Scale?
The V Scale, used to rate bouldering problems, mostly found in the U.S. The French Scale, which assigns grades such as 9a, is the international standard for sport climbing routes, particularly throughout Europe. Each of course measures difficulty differently.
How does a 9a route compare to a V-scale boulder problem?
There is no exact match. A sport 9a (roughly 5.14d) is a long route, while V grades rate short boulders, and a Font 9A boulder is about V17. Both demand extraordinary talent and power to master. Both represent elite grades in their respective disciplines.
Why do climbing grades differ between indoor and outdoor climbs?
Indoor grades are set by a small number of route setters. Outdoor grades settle by consensus over time, and both can vary with conditions and style.
Can I convert French climbing grades directly to the V Scale?
Not directly. The French Scale is applied to long routes and the V Scale is applied to short boulder problems. They’re designed for very different kinds and styles of climbing and routes.
How do climbing grades change over time?
If a climb proves easier or harder than originally estimated, the grade can be changed by consensus.
What is the hardest grade currently climbed on the V Scale and French Scale?
V17 is the hardest confirmed boulder grade, and the first V18 was proposed in 2025. The hardest sport climbs are proposed at 9c (5.15d) on the French Scale.
Why are there different grading systems around the world?
Each area created their own specialized grading system based on their climbing culture and heritage. This allows local climbers to easily communicate difficulty, but it can be tricky for international comparison.
