When climbers discuss climbing roped climbing routes, the difficulty rating of the climb is often considered essential information. The difficulty rating gives a climber an indication of what moves, strength and/or skill the route might involve.

In North America, vertical travel is generally described using the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS). The YDS gives any describes any given hiking, scrambling, or climbing route with a Class. For Class 5 and Class 6 travel, it also includes a Rating.

Beginning climbers can ease their learning curve on their first day climbing by learning a few common climbing terms used by American climbers. While it’s impossible to memorize or understand all these terms, just having some familiarity will help you better understand the goings-on at the climbing area.