Andes Website : Climbing, Skiing, Trekking and Guidebooks in South America

Grades

We use a two scale system to grade our holidays and expeditions.

A number indicates the technical difficulty

and

a letter indicates the level of fitness required.

For trekking and mountaineering these grades are outlined below.  Further down the page is our separate system for ski grades and a few comparisons for peaks and treks elsewhere in the world.

It is always best to phone or e-mail us before booking so that we can answer specific questions about your fitness and experience. Our expeditions require different levels of previous experience. All are designed for fit and healthy people who are keen on the outdoor life, but the easier trips could be joined by fit and adventurous people with little previous experience. On some of our mountaineering expeditions members must have previous experience of winter hillwalking and on the most difficult we ask for experience of Alpine or winter climbing. To climb above 6000m needs a high standard of fitness, particularly heart/lung fitness. Further details of the sort of experience and fitness required can be found in the table below and in the specific trek and expedition dossiers. We attempt on this website to give a rough indication of the experience necessary for each of our expeditions through our grading system, but please phone or email for full details.

Trekking and Mountaineering grades

Difficulty

Our numerical grade indicates the technical difficulty of the expedition. The higher the grade the more extensive previous experience of walking or climbing you'll need.

Fitness

Our alphabetic grade is an indication of the level of fitness and general commitment you will need to bring to achieve your trek or summit.

1

Walking, or climbing involving only easy rock or snow. No previous experience of climbing is required and we don't expect to use ropes.

A

Good general fitness the same as for a week of continuous hillwalking in Britain. Only day sacks will be carried (up to 10kg) in the mountains. For downhill ski trips - basic downhill ski or board fitness is recommended.

2

Ropes are used mainly for glacier travel and perhaps some easy scrambling. Previous roped climbing experience may be useful but is not essential.

B

Good fitness needed with some light training, such as circuits or running. Expedition rucksacks of up to 20kg will be carried at times, but only for short periods or downhill or at low altitude.

3 

Climbing with short sections of ice where two tools may be necessary, e.g. Scottish II or Alpine PD or rock scrambling to about Diff./Alpine II. A little previous experience of roped climbing is essential.

C

A very high level of fitness and stamina are required. You will need to be able to carry a heavy rucksack (20-25kg) for several days, often uphill at high altitude. Several months of training, particularly for cardiovascular fitness, will be necessary.

4  

More difficult or more continuous climbing e.g. Scottish grade III or Alpine AD or rock to about Severe/Alpine IV Extensive experience is required, e.g. several Alpine seasons.

5

Highly technical climbing requiring considerable competence from the client. Rock climbing to HVS/E1 or ice to Scottish grade IV.


Ski Grades

For our ski trips we use a three point technical scale plus the same alphabetical fitness ratings as listed in the table above.

 

1  

Good downhill ability required, with red runs being skied confidently. No previous off-piste, touring or mountaineering experience is required.

2  

As for grade 1 but also requiring a little off-piste or ski-touring experience plus some previous mountaineering experience, including use of ice-axe and crampons.

3

Excellent downhill skiing ability required, black runs being skied confidently. Previous ski-touring and more extensive mountaineering experience is also necessary, e.g. ropework and climbs to Alpine PD.

 

 

Comparisons

As a rough guide for those who have climbed elsewhere in the world the following peaks would be graded by us as follows.

West Highland Way 1A

Everest Base Camp 1A

Kilimanjaro 1A

Mera 2A

Mt. Blanc 2B

Pik Lenin 2C

Denali 3C

Matterhorn 4B

Alpine Haute-Route on Skis 2B

 

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