Something to think about...

Here's how the ratings really are, in order of increasing difficulty:

5.10a
5.10b
5.10c
5.10d
5.11a
5.11b
5.11c
5.11d
5.12a
5.12b
5.12c
5.12d
5.13a
5.13b
5.13c
5.13d
5.9 old school

Unless you climb at Vedauwoo, then they are:

Strenuous
Awkward
Embarrassing
Strenuous-awkward
Strenuous-embarrassing
Awkward-embarrasing
Strenuous-Awkward-embarrasing

And every grade harder than strenuous is impossible for 5.14 sport climbers...

Great... I'm about to head out there in a week...

s.price wrote:I don't care at all if my routes get downgraded. Being at the front end of the send train is always harder. Just as easy to spray by downgrading just so you can stroke your own ego.

popcorn.gif...

Thin crimps vs slopers, delicately vertical vs steep thuggery, small static moves or dynamic leaps, power vs endurance, ... Depending on how the route fits your style any of these factors can easily matter more than sandbagged 11d vs fluff .12a.