UKH

How do Font or V grades translate to UK tech grades for single move boulder problems?

For example, if a boulder problem is a single UK 6b move what would that be in either the Font or V bouldering grade systems?

I usually refer to a single crux move of a sport route using UK technical grades and that makes sense to someone used to UK tech grades. However, some climbers don't know that system, but do know Font and V boulder grades really well and can relate to those.

In reply to Intergalactic Planetary:

Rockfax have a bouldering grade conversion chart which might help: https://rockfax.com/climbing-guides/grades/

In reply to PaulJepson:

Thanks, that's really useful.

I assume the lower end of each UK Tech grade 'region' maps across to a single move. So a single move UK 6b would be a single move font 6b or V4?

In reply to Intergalactic Planetary:

Sounds about right to me. There are in guidebooks highball "V3 6b"s where the crux isn't even the first move...not quite sure how that works (basically, they're either V3 6a, or they're V4 6b). Those grades are V + UK tech btw, a system used in a few books.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Thanks. I can now add font and V grade translations to my CV

In reply to Intergalactic Planetary:

I believe the UK tech and font grades did correlate originally.  V grades are deemed more useful for sustained problems apparently.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

UK guidebooks didn't usually grade harder for highballs.

Central UK tech 6b is more like f6B+ or f6C than f6B (or borderline V4/V5). I'd recommend people ignore the V grade conversions in Rockfax sub F7A as they distorted the V grade system by equating V3 to F6a (when most still have V2 as F6a) so this rather compressed V4 and V5 grade bands cf Font grading.

In reply to Intergalactic Planetary:

It's a shame they missed out the column for Dartmoor's grading system. An 'f4' there feels around Font 6a.

In reply to Offwidth:

Whatever way you cut it, a problem with more moves is harder. And the problem (or is it two?) I'm thinking of, at the L side of Rivelin, is not even cruxy. It's just been given a nonsensical grade, but you can try to defend it if you like!

In reply to above:

So a problem with a single 6a move would be V2?

(OK there is more than one move but only one hard one)

In reply to Michael Gordon:

V3/f6A+

In reply to Michael Gordon:

I've seen 'lowball grading' - an absolute stinker of a move from the ground at Helsby gets a slightly mean guidebook V3/6b. The grade fuzz Offwidth is talking about means it translates to sandbag f6A here - https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/helsby-1055/problem_65-292502. It's a stiff English 6b move that never gets done.

In reply to Michael Gordon:

Something like that. This one used to get E2 and V2, which I like. I think there's a bit more to it than a single 6a move as well. Good name, good problem: Sublime Indifference (f6A)

In reply to Jon Stewart:

There were plenty of bad grades around on grit micro-routes. I argued the likes of HVS 5b f6B as being impossible in some respect (nearly always the trad grade in Yorkshire).

Is this the one you are thinking of (I know nothing about it's difficulty so can't comment)?

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/rivelin_edge-86/where_bulldykes_da...

In reply to Offwidth:

You're right, it makes no sense. Wasn't John Allen one of a few gritstoners who, from the look of the old guides, graded anything that they didn't rack up for "HVS 5c". Stuff like NTBTA, DIY, etc. It said something about the genre or character of the route, but nothing at all about the difficulty.

I don't think I ever managed that one. Sloping landing, ledge and dodgy crux, if memory serves. I'm thinking of

Cool Running Left-hand (f6B) and/or Cool Running (f6B+)

In reply to Jon Stewart: I'd feel pretty cheated with only English 5c for Not to be Taken Away (f6C) 😂 also Crescent Arête (f5+) used to be English 5b (HVS 5b) didn't it? 

In reply to dinodinosaur:

I suspect the first move of NTBTA was rather less polished back then!

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Firstly I have to say grading boulder problems is harder than trad as you grade for a nominal easiest sequence, generally more affected by morphology. I always knew when something was too easy for its grade but sometimes had missed a trick when something felt too hard. You need a good team at the grade.

On the data, the Cool Running pair are about the same grade in all the major current guidebooks (once you take into account BMC V3 is Rockfax V4. Cool Runnings is given f6B+ in the VP and Rockfax guidebooks

On V grades its a classic 'victim' of the fact that once Rockfax defined V3 as f6A its a real problem that other guidebooks will have V4 to f6B+

Next, it's not the only guidebook bouldering 'bumbly' grade table issue, Peak Bouldering also have UK tech grades a bit too low for 6a and 6b. The YMC grit guides have my favourite grade table with the fewest annoying factors in my range (mostly sub UK 6b).

Finally although I've not done either problem and had no input to Burb infinity boulder grades I have watched quite a few climbers on them. From that I suspect the BMC grades probably should both have been V4 6b:  In Font terms from the VG guide,  CR as given  f6B+ and CRLH a f6B seemed OKish at the time but that perhaps exaggerated the difference. However what do I know, as all six UKC logs give mid f6B for CR and all 12 logs for CRLH as high F6B+ !?

Coda...not been to those problems for 10 years. I've been told popularity and  traffic has made things harder across Rivelin.