Circuit-Style Grading: Elevate Your Climbing Experience at Skyhook Bouldering

Climbing grades have always been a hot topic in the climbing world. It's one of the few

sports that relies on a subjective grading system, leaving room for interpretation and

debate. But what if we told you there's a way to make climbing grades more accessible,

enjoyable, and beneficial for both beginners and experienced climbers? Welcome to the

world of circuit-style grading, a system that's gaining popularity in climbing gyms,

including Skyhook Bouldering. In this blog post, we'll explore what circuit-style grading

is, why it's a game-changer, and how it can enhance your climbing experience. Curious

what routesetting is and why it’s important? Click here to read our previous post

explaining the basics of setting!

Riley Kenna, setter and pro-climber extraordinaire, helped us with all of our planning and ideas around setting and hold ordering.

What Is Circuit-Style Grading?

Pretend you are brand new to climbing, walking into the gym for the very first time.

Explaining what V-grades are to that new climber can be challenging, and getting them

to feel comfortable with what climbs to try their first time in is made harder if they dont

really understand what to look for and try.

Circuit-style grading is like crafting a climbing menu with categories of difficulties, rather

than relying on specific grades. At Skyhook Bouldering, we believe that climbing should

be an inclusive and enjoyable experience for everyone, regardless of their skill level. In

circuit-style grading, climbs are grouped into categories based on their difficulty ranges,

often represented by colors. With Circuit style grading, we can tell that new climber,

"Climb any route in the gym with Black holds. Once you've done that, if the black routes felt too easy, try the routes with purple holds." It takes a big portion of the guess work out of the experience for the new climber.

The bouldering projects circuit system. They heavily inspired Skyhook, and we love to pay homage to them, I think they are the best climbing gym in the USA currently. If you ever have a chance to go to one of their gyms, do it!

Why Choose Circuit-Style Grading? Here's why we believe circuit-style grading is a game-changer:

1. 1. Creating Sustainable Climbers: Circuit grading encourages climbers to explore

   a wide range of climbs without fixating on grades. It fosters a mindset of enjoying

   the climbs themselves rather than obsessing over the difficulty. This approach

   promotes long-term engagement and helps climbers avoid frustration and

   burnout.

   2. Serving Climbers Efficiently: From an operational standpoint, circuit grading

   makes it easier to cater to climbers of different skill levels. It streamlines the

   process of setting and organizing climbs, ensuring that there are enough options

   for climbers at every stage of their journey.

   3. Reducing Grade Debates: Circuit-style grading tends to lead to fewer grade-

   related disputes and customer complaints. Climbers can focus on enjoying the

   climbs without getting hung up on precise number grades. This results in a more

   harmonious climbing community.

Implementing Circuit Grading at Skyhook Bouldering

We believe that circuit-style grading can enhance your climbing experience at our gym. Here's how we plan to implement it effectively:

1. Hold Ordering With Circuit Grading Planned At Opening: Circuit grading is a

   more recent development in the climbing industry. If a gym does not plan their

   hold ordering from opening with circuit grading in mind, it costs a lot more money

   to order holds later to make it happen. It costs more regardless, since holds have

   to be ordered for each color and grade range, many gyms want to save money

   instead of offering circuit style grading. By planning our initial hold order with

   Circuit Grading in mind, we can make sure it works well for us and our

   customers. It also ensures that we have awesome holds for everyone to climb on

   at every difficulty, too many gyms save the "cool"holds for their advanced

   climbers.

   2. Routesetter feedback and Buy In: We decided to go for Circuit grading due to

   our setters pushing for it. We built Skyhook Bouldering around providing the best

   possible climbing experience for our members, and we know how important the

   setters are to that! They are the ones who create the art that we climb on, who

   eat, sleep and dream about climbing and setting awesome problems for our

   customers to climb on. By giving them everything they could ask for, all the cool

   Euro-holds and volumes, and then actually listening to their opinions regarding

   setting, we get a better "product", IE, the climbs our customers get to climb on!

   
   

   3. Adaptable Parameters: The parameters of our circuit grading, including range,

   overlap, and labeling, has been carefully chosen to provide the best experience

   for our climbers. We'll be flexible and ready to make adjustments based on

   feedback however! We'll maintain open communication with our climbers to

   ensure they understand the system we've put in place. Our goal is to make the

   transition to circuit grading as seamless as possible for Portland climbers who

   haven't experienced circuit style grading at a gym that planned it from the

   beginning.

Here's a breakdown of our circuit-style grading:

• Black: Perfect for beginners, these climbs offer a gentle introduction to

  bouldering. Whether you're new to climbing or just looking for a relaxed warmup,

  our black circuit has something for everyone, anyone walking in off the street,

  having never climbed should be able to do our Black routes.

• Purple: Stepping up in difficulty, our purple circuit provides a bit more challenge

  while still accommodating climbers who are developing their skills. It's the ideal

  progression from the black circuit. Large feet and fun shapes help get climbers

  up, or across the walls.

• Green: As you advance in your climbing journey, the green circuit awaits. With a

  variety of engaging problems, this circuit offers a fantastic range of climbs to test

  your skills and build confidence. Expect to see more complex movements, but

  set with the intention of teaching more advanced movements.

• Red: The red circuit brings more complexity and excitement to your climbing

  experience. It's the perfect choice for climbers seeking a mix of moderate and

  challenging problems.

• Blue: If you're looking to push your limits further, the blue circuit offers a range of

  climbs that will keep you engaged and motivated to improve your climbing

  abilities. This color group will explode in diversity regarding climb styles, hold

  types, and movements

• Pink: Climbers seeking a substantial challenge will find satisfaction in our pink

  circuit. With intricate and demanding problems, this circuit is designed for those

  looking to master their technique.

• Yellow: For our most experienced climbers, the yellow circuit provides a set of

  climbs that demand strength, agility, and advanced problem-solving skills. It's the

  ultimate test for those looking to conquer the most challenging routes. Many

  climbers will never climb a yellow route at Skyhook, and that’s ok.

• White: The white circuit represents the pinnacle of difficulty at Skyhook

  Bouldering. These climbs are reserved for the elite climbers who crave the most

  demanding and rewarding challenges. Often full of coordination moves and

  challenging holds

Our circuit-style grading system is designed to accommodate climbers at every stage of

their journey. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, you'll find climbs that suit

your skill level and help you progress. We can't wait to see you conquer these circuits

and experience the thrill of bouldering at Skyhook Bouldering.

Conclusion Circuit-style grading is transforming the climbing world, making it more

accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable. At Skyhook Bouldering, we're excited to

introduce this innovative grading system to enhance your climbing experience. Join us

on this climbing journey, and let's explore the world of circuit-style grading together!

Chances are, if you've tried it before here in Portland, it was not done well. Not to point

fingers, but don't worry, you won’t have to worry about pink-green routes, or white-black

routes at Skyhook Bouldering. We ordered all our holds planning on hyper

monochromatic routes from the get go.

Stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to embark on a climbing adventure like no

other at Skyhook Bouldering.

We're here to answer any questions you may have about circuit-style grading or our

gym. Feel free to reach out to us at cody@skyhookfitness.com or

jamieb@skyhookfitness.com for more information. To see more of Riley Kenna’s

Awesome Setting, check him out on Instagram.