Never climbed before? What happens on your first visit to a climbing gym, why bouldering is the easiest way in, what to wear, what it costs, and the mistakes most beginners make.

How to start climbing: a beginner’s guide

Bouldering, auto-belay, top rope, lead, sport, trad and multi-pitch: what each type of climbing is, the gear you need, whether you need a partner, and which to try first.

Types of climbing explained: bouldering, top rope, lead, auto-belay and more

How dangerous climbing really is, and how to stay safe: how to fall when bouldering, the partner check before every roped climb, auto-belay rules, and how to avoid finger and shoulder injuries.

Is climbing safe? How to climb safely as a beginner

Climbing grew up in different places at once, and each invented its own grades. Where the main systems come from, what they measure, and how to convert between them.

Why are there so many climbing grade systems?

How bouldering grades work: what V0 to V17 and Font 4 to 9A mean, how the two scales line up, and roughly what each range feels like.

Bouldering grades explained: the V-scale and Font

What 5.10 means, how French grades like 6a and 7b+ work, how UIAA numerals compare, and how the main sport climbing grades line up.

Sport climbing grades explained: French, YDS and UIAA

Why V-scale and Font boulder grades don’t convert to sport grades like 5.11 or 7a, what each one measures, and how to use them side by side.

Can you compare bouldering and sport climbing grades?

Every boulder graded 9A (V17) and the first proposed 9A+ (V18): who climbed them first, how long it took, who has repeated them, and the hardest boulders climbed by women.

The hardest boulders in the world (2026)

V17 (Font 9A) is the hardest bouldering grade confirmed by repeats. How many people have climbed it, how long a V17 takes, how V17 climbers train, and their advice for everyone else.

How hard is V17?

How long it takes to reach V5, from climbers who tracked it: real progression data, what being a V5 climber means, and the skills and habits coaches say get you there.

How long does it take to climb V5?

Why so many boulderers stall around V4 to V6, how to tell a real plateau from a slow month, and the fixes coaches from Lattice, Power Company, Catalyst and others recommend.

V-scale bouldering grades

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Expert

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More conversion charts