UKH

hi,

could you help me out here. I am trying to come up with a trad grade for a single pitch route in the alps.

The route is 30m long, contiously very steep and enduring. with some active resting positions.

after 5 steep meters of climbing, is the crux, with the hardest move around french route 7a or 7b.

the whole route beeing french 7c+.

it has a lot of good placements and is easy to protect with gear. the crux section is a bit run out for about 5 meter.

the route is very exposed and steep. it starts kind of after an aproach pitch, which makes it a bit scary but also save, because you cannot hit the ground or a ledge.

I would say the britsh technical grade is around 6a/6b. i just dont know how an endurance climb converts in the E-grade?

thanks for your help!

Sounds like hard E6 to easy E7 to me.

jcm

Agreed. In the early days of Sport routes they were given UK trad grades, and pretty soon a concensus emerged that 7c+ was top-end E6 and 8a was bottom-end E7. That's for bolt-protected climbs. Any significant extra stress of having to place trad gear or having to risk longer falls would quickly push a 7c+ route into E7, so it sounds like your route may well be low-end E7.

French 7c+, why make it any harder... unless the gear is uber fiddly to place (thus making it even more sustained and adding to the overall pump).

ah ok, thank you John! That helps a lot!

I can't think of any e6's that are 7c+,or even 7c for that matter. Help me out... 

E7 6c.

I think Cave Route Left at Goredale was E6, now bolted at 7c+.

Eye of the Tiger (E7 6c)

Hell's Wall (E6 6c)

Both around 7c+. Apparently. 

Andy F

OK I'll rephrase that, name an e6 where you have to place gear that is anywhere near 7c+

Screaming dream? Little women? Although they'd suit Font grades really. 

Yeah endurance type ones where you place gear. I can't think of any that are even close to that. 

Strawberries (E7 6b)? 

Andy F

Strawberries used to get E6 before grade inflation... 

Andy F

OP says there is a 5 metre runout and then the crux of a 7c+ sport route. Granted I have very little experience of trying E6 and E7 routes but the idea that 7c+ sport with a 10m fall if you fluff the crux would be E6 seems far fetched.

Used to get e6 before everyone realised it was e7... 

Surely E7 6b not 6c if it’s endurance and the crux is F7a/b.