Make climbing fun again.

So what is Grading?

Put simply, grading is a way to assign difficulty, usually using a series of numbers for example: 1 (easy) > 10 (hard).

In climbing, the idea is that assigning levels should help you to find a climb in line with your experience but can also help you to understand how likely you might be to fall off. It can also be a way of measuring and recording your progression over time. 

The Issue.

This approach makes perfect sense in theory but unfortunately, there are a number of different systems used around the world, each varying by location and climbing discipline e.g. bouldering or sport climbing which makes standardising difficult. They can also be difficult to understand with each using a different mixture of numbers and letters.

Add to this that Grading is also an extremely subjective opinion. Every routesetter and customer has differing height, reach (ape index) and body mechanics so the experience will feel different to each person.

Within the indoor climbing centre community there is also very limited continuity between companies and centres (especially in London), so visiting different facilities can feel confusing and sometimes demoralising.

We also think grades create an overly pressurised culture and slow personal development. In our experience, people tend to break physical barriers quicker when they do not have the associated pressure of a prior perceived difficulty.

Finally, drilling down to a specific number is very prone to error which creates negativity. And this is the last thing we want.

Our way of thinking.

We don’t think climbing should be about chasing some arbitrary numbers, it’s about having fun and a great experience.

We want you to walk into the centre, look at any climb and feel inspired, confident and empowered to try it and definitely not be put off by a perceived number of difficulties.

So how does it work?

It’s not a big change per se but we don’t use any existing grading system.

Our tags are the same colour as the wall so you can’t see them from afar, they are just there to give you a last-minute safety indication.

We set climbs at all levels on every wall allowing anyone irrespective of experience to explore the whole centre.

Apart from our introductory circuit, the colour of our holds has no relation to the difficulty of a climb. This gives our setters the ability to use every wall and hold in the centre for every customer.

As usual, you will find two tags at the bottom of a climb showing where your hands should start, but, just like a cheeky Nandos, you need to choose a spice level you’re comfortable with and enjoy.

The more chillis on the tag the spicier it is. So if you like it hot, go for our Infernos but, if you prefer something cooler stick to our lemon + herb.

They’re all great.

Our setting style.

We aim to provide comfy, interesting, pleasing on the eye, and stylistically diverse climbs with cool holds for every difficulty.

Reach out.

Hopefully, as the explanation above illustrates, we try to have a customer-first culture. Our setters work tirelessly to try and create beautiful masterpieces that meet everyone’s expectations.

We believe open lines of communication are essential to everyone’s experience, so we actively welcome constructive feedback.

Please use the form below to forward any comments, requests or issues to our setting team.