grading aid routes

ive been trying to learn as much aid as i can the last month, getting in a decent number of pitches here in MN. the problem is, none of the routes are rated for aid and i dont know any other aid climbers to ask how theyd rate them. im curious to see how the routes im climbing will compare routes id like to climb some day.

any advice on grading clean aid routes?

these are all routes that ive free climbed in the past, but some of them have taken some creativity to find gear for aiding. i guess i just have no idea how to tell im moving from c0 to c1 to c2.

thanks

if it isn't like indian creek, it isn't C0

It's all A1 until you fall....

youtube.com/watch?v=boQHYBh…

Despite the theoretical nature of aid ratings they seem to be a pretty good indication of what you're getting into. Maybe no one has ever zipped a whole pitch of A5 and died but you can be pretty sure that an A5 pitch is going to be technically and psychologically intense.

so what would be a difference between C1 and C2? Is this when you start needing hooks? Do you go from all super solid placements to some sketchy micro nuts? I dunno

Replace the "A" with "C" for clean aid.

From Alpinist:
A0: Occasional aid moves often done without aiders (etriers) or climbed on fixed gear; sometimes called “French free.”
A1: All placements are solid and easy.
A2: Good placements, but sometimes tricky.
A3: Many difficult, insecure placements, but with little risk.
A4: Many placements in a row that hold nothing more than body weight.
A5: Enough body-weight placements in a row that one failure results in a fall of at least 20 meters.

From Wikipedia:
A0 Pulling on solid protection, often without the use of étriers.
A1 Easy aid, no risk of any piece of protection pulling out. Safe falls.
A2 Moderate aid. Short sections of tenuous placements above good protection.
A2+ May include easier A3 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such.
A3 Hard aid. Involves many tenuous placements in a row.
A3+ May include easier A4 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such.
A4 Runout, complex and time consuming. Many body weight placements.
A4+ May include easier A5 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such.
A5 Serious, hard aid with huge falls and possibly lethal results. No bolts or rivets.

Jake wander wrote:so what would be a difference between C1 and C2? Is this when you start needing hooks? Do you go from all super solid placements to some sketchy micro nuts? I dunno

Exactly right. C0 is a bolt latter. C1 is every piece is pretty bomber and things are cruiser. C2 requires more careful thought and some pieces might be a little sketchy but with good pieces below you. May require a single hook move. C3 is many body weight placements only in a row.

thanks guys

alpinejason wrote:Replace the "A" with "C" for clean aid. From Alpinist: A0: Occasional aid moves often done without aiders (etriers) or climbed on fixed gear; sometimes called “French free.” A1: All placements are solid and easy. A2: Good placements, but sometimes tricky. A3: Many difficult, insecure placements, but with little risk. A4: Many placements in a row that hold nothing more than body weight. A5: Enough body-weight placements in a row that one failure results in a fall of at least 20 meters. From Wikipedia: A0 Pulling on solid protection, often without the use of étriers. A1 Easy aid, no risk of any piece of protection pulling out. Safe falls. A2 Moderate aid. Short sections of tenuous placements above good protection. A2+ May include easier A3 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such. A3 Hard aid. Involves many tenuous placements in a row. A3+ May include easier A4 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such. A4 Runout, complex and time consuming. Many body weight placements. A4+ May include easier A5 moves but is not hard enough to be rated as such. A5 Serious, hard aid with huge falls and possibly lethal results. No bolts or rivets.

I would say the Wikipedia grades are much more accurate. C2 is not always entirely good placements, although the tricky placements are always over good gear.