North Peak Class 4, Grade III (Advanced Beginner).

Park Entrance Fee, Advice on Training and Personal Gear, Transport, Meals, Certified Mountain Guide, Communal Gear, Technical Gear, Camping Gear, Lunch Box

• Hat
• Sunglasses 100% UV
• Headlamp
• Sunblock
• Sleeping Bag (-3°C)
• Sleeping Pad
• Toque and Buff
• Thermal T-Shirt
• Thermal Pants
• Light Gloves
• Waterproof Jacket (Hardshell)
• Fleece Jacket
• Light Down Jacket
• Hiking Pants (Softshell)
• Hiking Boots or Shoes
• Polyester Hiking Socks
• Water Bottles (1.5 L)
• Backpack (22 L)

Day 1

• 10:45 Meeting Point
• 11:00 Depart to Nevado de Colima
• 14:00 Arrival to the Base Camp
• 15:00 Theoretical and Practical class at the Base Camp
• 18:00 Dinner
• 19:30 Gear Check and Physical Condition Assesment
• 20:00 Sleeping Time

Day 2

• 04:00 Time to wake up
• 04:15 Breakfast
• 05:20 Start the ascent up to the summit
• 15:00 Travel Back to Guadalajara

Climbing Rating Systems

Beginner | Advanced Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced Intermediate | Advanced

Yosemite Decimal System

Commitment Grade:

• Grade I: Up to three hours.
• Grade II: Three to five hours.
• Grade III: Five to eight hours.
• Grade IV: Ten to fifteen hours, generally at least 5.7
• Grade V: Overnight on the route.
• Grade VI: Multiple days of hard tech­ni­cal climb­ing.
• Grade VII: Remote big walls climbed in alpine style.

Difficulty (CLASS): Uses numbers one through five.

Class 1 : Easy trail walking.

Class 2: Hiking on more difficult trails.

Class 3: Scrambling, using hands and feet.

Class 4: Scrambling with exposure. Rope should be used.

Class 5: Technical rock climbing. Further broken down as 5.0, 5.1, 5.2 to 5.9. At 5.10 it is subdivided into 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d, 5.11a up to 5.15d.

Class 6: Aid Climbing. Using equipment to climb and hang off of, rather than body movement on the rock. This class is further broken down by numbers preceded by the letter “A”.

• A1: Easy aid. No risk of a piece pulling out.
• A2: Mod­er­ate aid. Sol­id gear that’s more dif­fi­cult to place.
• A2+: 10-meter fall poten­tial from ten­u­ous place­ments, but with­out dan­ger.
• A3: Hard aid. Many ten­u­ous place­ments in a row, 15-meter fall poten­tial, could require sev­er­al hours for a sin­gle pitch.
• A3+: A3 with dan­ger­ous fall poten­tial.
• A4: Seri­ous aid. 30-meter ledge-fall poten­tial from con­tin­u­ous­ly ten­u­ous gear.
• A4+: Even more seri­ous, with even greater fall poten­tial, where each pitch could take many hours to lead.
• A5: Extreme aid. Noth­ing on the entire pitch can be trust­ed to hold a fall.
• A6: A5 climb­ing with belay anchors that won’t hold a fall either.

 

French Alpine System

In contrast to the Yosemite Decimal System (described earlier), the French alpine system evaluates the overall difficulty of a route, taking into consideration the length, difficulty, exposure, altitude and commitment-level, number of difficult pitches and how sustained they are, and quality of rock, snow and ice. It is world-wide recognized and it is often used to grade mountain climbs.

• F: facile (easy). Rock scrambling or easy snow slopes; some glacier travel or easy uphills; often climbed ropeless except on glaciers.
• PD: peu difficile (slightly difficult). Routes may be longer at altitude, with snow and ice slopes up to 45 degrees. Glaciers are more complex, scrambling is harder, climbing may require some belaying, descent may involve rappelling. More objective hazards.
• AD: assez difficile (fairly difficult). Fairly hard, snow and ice at an angle of 45–65 degrees, belayed climbing in addition to a large amount of exposed but easier terrain. Significant objective hazard.
• D: difficile (difficult). Hard, more serious with rock climbing at 5.5 up to 5.7 (YDS), snow and ice slopes at 50–70 degrees. Routes may be long and sustained or harder but shorter. Serious objective hazards.
• TD: très difficile (very difficult). Very hard routes, at this grade are serious undertakings with high levels of objective danger. Sustained snow and ice at an angle of 65–80 degrees, rock climbing at grade 5.8 up to 5.10b with possible aid, very long sections of hard climbing.
• ED1/2/3: extrêmement difficile (extremely difficult). Extremely hard, exceptional objective danger, vertical ice slopes and rock climbing up to 5.10a to 5.12b, with possible aid pitches.
• ABO: Abominablement difficile (abominable). Difficulty and danger at their limit.

Mountain environments can be harsh and unforgiving but when conditions are right, there is no more serene or authentic natural environment. Many mountaineers feel a deep connection with the mountains and develop unmatched feelings of achievement as a result of their accomplishments. Getting to the top of a mountain often tests a person both physically and mentally so it’s no wonder accomplishments become very significant for many mountaineers. As a result, experiences and connections in the mountains can be deeply personal. Mountaineering skill development is best done by spending  time in the mountains.