Alpine Grading
F (Easy) These routes involve easy glacier travel and may require some rock scrambling. Except for the glacier sections, you can often climb ropeless.
PD (Little Difficult) These routes involve some technical climbing sections and glaciers of higher difficulty. There may also be some short sections of steep terrain. They are good introductory climbs for beginners.
AD (Fairly Difficult) These are physically demanding routes for experienced alpine climbers. They usually have steep and exposed climbing sections or snow/ice slopes over 50°. The descents are long and more complicated, and most of the route requires to be roped.
D (Difficult) These routes involve sustained rock climbing, ice climbing or snow travel. They are considered a significant undertaking and demand a huge commitment.
TD (Very Difficult) Highly technical climbs that involve long distances, remote locations, and hard multi-pitch climbing sections. Besides, there are often other hazards like bad weather (extreme cold, strong winds) or poor protection on the routes.
ED (Extremely difficult) These are extreme climbs (the most difficult in the world, actually!) with continuous difficulties. They take several days to be completed.
Fitness Grading
1- Fitness level to be able to enjoy multi-day walks of 6-7 hours per day. Should be able to carry 5-8kg of weight during the activity days.
2 - Good level of cardio-vascular fitness and strength fitness needed. Can train by running or cycling 30+ min 3/4 times a week combined with some gym session of endurance or lower body straightening. Should be able to carry 10kgs during the activity day.
3 - High level of fitness level required both in strengthening and endurance fitness level. Should be able to carry 8 -12 kgs of the load. Training or gym sessions are required to attain this level of fitness. Previous experience of multi-day hill walking is essential.
4 - Exceptional level of all-round fitness will be required to cope with the exceptionally strenuous nature of these expeditions. Exceptional level of endurance and strength fitness level is required. Mental toughness aspect is equally required. Experience is required to be able to take on tours of this physical grading.
5 - Exceptional level of all-round fitness coupled with the ability to cope and resist at the highest altitude. Exceptional level of endurance and strength fitness level is required with high degree of mental toughness. A resistance to extreme weather conditions over extended periods of time. Heavy loads over multiple days may need to be carried. Previous experience is highly crucial in order to prepare your body to endure a high level of mental and physical toughness from both altitude and terrain.
Rock Climbing route grading
Class 5: Technical and belayed roping with protection is required. Not for novice climbers. Any fall from a Class 5 could be fatal.
Class 5 sub-categories
5.1-5.4: Easy. A steep section that has large handholds and footholds. Suitable for beginners.
5.5-5.8: Intermediate. Small footholds and handholds. Low-angle to vertical terrain. Beginner to intermediate rock climbing skills required.
5.9-5.10: Hard. Technical and/or vertical, and may have overhangs. These hard climbs require specific climbing skills that most weekend climbers can attain.
5.11-5.12: Hard to Difficult. Technical and vertical, and may have overhangs with small holds. Dedicated climbers may reach this level with lots of practice.
5.13-5.15: Very Difficult. Strenuous climbing that’s technical and vertical, and may have overhangs with small holds. These routes are for expert climbers who train regularly and have lots of natural ability.
6.0: Can’t be free climbed. Devoid of hand- and footholds, the route can only be aid-climbed. An added rating of A1 through A5 further designates difficulty level.
Reference: REI
Ice Climbing Grading
WI-1: General angle: 50 degrees. Easy, low-angled ice. Walking up ice where crampons are necessary. The easiest ice for which a belay rope would be used. A basic level of technical expertise for safety is required. General angle: 50 degrees.
WI-2: General angle: 60 degrees. Moderate, low-angled with possible bulges. Good protection and anchors.
WI-3: General angle: 70º with possible long bulges of 80º-90º; reasonable rests and good stances for placing screws. Steeper water ice, with longer bulges. Some continuous front-pointing but with good resting places between. Generally good protection, screws can be placed from comfortable stances. The ice is usually of good quality. Requires adeptness at placing protection and making belays.
WI-4: General angle: 80 degrees. Sustained climbing with some vertical sections, separated by good belays. The ice may have some technical features like chandeliers but generally, the quality of ice is good and offers secure protection and belays. Usually demands that screws be placed while on vertical or near-vertical ice. Fairly long sections of 90º ice broken up by occasional rests.
WI-5: General angle: 90 degrees. Long and strenuous, with a rope length of 85º- 90º ice offering few goods rests. Expertise in dealing with the different ice formations is required (e.g., chandeliers, cauliflowers, candled sections). Adequate protection requires effort to place. The climb may sometimes be run-out above protection. Belays may be difficult to create and/or hanging.
WI-6: General angle: 90+ degrees. A serious lead on severe and/or thin ice. Long vertical and/or overhanging sections, extremely sustained difficulties. Few, if any, resting sites. Ice may not be of the best quality, often thin, chandeliered, and hard to protect. Expert technique and a powerful, positive mind frame are prerequisites. Hanging belays of dubious quality may be required.
WI-7: General angle: 90++. Ice that is very thin, long, overhanging, or very technical. Free-hanging columns of dubious adhesion. This grade requires creative techniques to climb and to find protection. Protection may be non-existent. A very physical and emotional pitch. Total commitment is required. Protection is impossible or very difficult to place and of dubious quality. Belays require a very high level of expertise and may be marginal at best. This grade applies to only a handful of routes led by an even fewer number of world-class climbers.
Reference: Alpinist.com and neice.com
Expedition Fitness
When it comes to an expedition the more fitter you are and stronger the better your chances of successfully climbing to the summit and most of all enjoying the expedition. The grading system gives you an indication of the level required for each expedition both technically and physically. It is very important that you train and build your level of fitness depending on your choice of the expedition and whilst on expedition if your fitness is deemed to be inadequate our leaders would ask you to remain at camp. Please discuss with our guiding leaders how you feel and whether you can actually make that push during all climbing/expedition, as we take your and staff safety seriously and would not want any unchecked incidents or miss out on your successful summit bid.
Adventure Travel – Accuracy of Itinerary
It is in our best interest to operate our expeditions as printed in the itinerary but due to unseen circumstances, it may be necessary to make some changes as a result of flight schedules, climatic conditions, limitations of infrastructure, or other operational factors. As a consequence, the order or location of overnight stops and the duration of the day may vary from those outlined. We would ask for your patience in this case as a lot of these can be out of our hands and we will best decide to plan alternatives.
Our assigned leader is responsible for the overall safety of the whole team during the expedition and will encourage the use of safe climbing practices during the expedition. They will ensure that every opportunity is taken to fulfill the objectives described in the trip’s outline itinerary but have the freedom to modify any plans subject to weather, delays, or unforeseen circumstances that are deemed to be out of the control of Namas Adventure. The leader will maintain a good team spirit and attempt to keep morale high for the whole group. Wherever possible the leader will keep the Namas Adventure office informed of team progress and any emergency situations that may arise.
Local guides possess the detailed local knowledge we need to achieve our goals and support our teams. They do not guide in the same way as UIAGM/IFMGA Alpine Guides but work in the more traditional sense as route finders and assistants to our expedition leader. We encourage our groups to work as teams, helping to support and trust each other throughout the duration of the expedition.