Grading Guide
How to rate the difficulty of your activities when logging them. Use this reference to pick the right grade for hiking, paddling and vertical adventures, so your logs stay consistent and comparable.
Easier
Harder
Hiking
Track difficulty from an easy accessible stroll through to remote off-track navigation.
1
No experience required. Flat, even surface with no steps or steep sections. Suitable for assisted wheelchair users. Walks no greater than 5km.
2
No experience required. Hardened or compacted surface with occasional gentle hills and steps. Walks no greater than 10km.
3
Suitable for most ages and fitness levels; some experience recommended. Short steep sections, rough surface and many steps. Up to 20km.
4
Experience recommended. Tracks may be long, rough and very steep. Directional signage may be limited.
5
Very experienced walkers with navigation and first-aid skills. Very rough, very steep, unmarked. May exceed 20km.
OT
Off Track
No tracks, signs or markers. Compass and map required, often in thick bushland with little visibility.
U
Ungraded
A track may be simple and accessible, but with no grading signs or listings it is classified as ungraded.
Paddling — Flatwater / Sea
Open-water paddling rated by shelter, sea state, currents and distance from safe landing.
S01
Sheltered flat water with minimal current, easy entry and exit, never more than 500m from a safe landing.
S02
Unsheltered inland open water, estuaries and lakes, or sheltered coast. Waves under 0.5m, currents under 2km/h, crossings under 1km.
S03
Sheltered coastal water with possible wind-against-tide and moderate breaking seas. Surf under 1m, currents under 4km/h, up to 5km crossings.
S04
Unsheltered coastal water with steepening swell and breaking seas. Difficult entry/exit through surf up to 2m, currents up to 7km/h, up to 10km crossings.
S05
Unsheltered, isolated and remote water up to 30km from safe landing. Large steep swell, complex fast currents, dangerous surf over 2m.
Paddling — Whitewater
River rapids from easy moving water through to the extreme limit of navigability.
I
Moving water with a few riffles or small regular waves. Easy passage, care needed with obstacles.
II
Many medium waves under 1m, low ledges, easy eddies and gradual bends. Passage easy to read and generally unobstructed.
III
High waves (1-2m), broken water, strong currents and eddies, holes, exposed rocks and small falls. Manoeuvring required.
IV
High, powerful, irregular waves, boiling eddies, strong hydraulics and drops. Precise sequential manoeuvring; real risk of injury or long swims.
V
Very powerful, confused water, massive waves, large drops, violent currents and stoppers. Life-threatening hazards; the extreme for commercial operations.
VI
Effectively unraftable. Every difficulty at the limit of practicability. Controlled navigation is virtually impossible; swimming is considered suicidal.
Climbing, Abseiling & Caving
A simplified skill band for roped vertical activities. Suggestions welcome at info@logskeptsimple.com.au.
Beg
Beginner
The first couple of days of climbing (seconding or top-roping). Many manage this on day one, though some climbs here are still scary or dangerous.
Int
Intermediate
Typical for under a year of climbing. Most outdoor climbing happens in this band, and many experienced climbers settle back here for life.
Exp
Experienced
Achievable after climbing regularly for a couple of years. This is where social climbers start to become rare.
Xpt
Expert
You really need to be training in a focused way to climb at this level. Not many people reach it.
Eli
Elite
You climb for a living, sponsored, with a full-time trainer. The best of the best.
Canyoning
Canyons use their own recognised grade, not the climbing scale above. A canyon is described by three independent parts written together, for example V4 A3 III. Record whichever parts you know and the log builds the combined grade for you.
V4 A3 III
Read as Vertical 4 (multiple, awkward abseils), Aquatic 3 (moving water, mild current) and Commitment III (about a full day, limited escape). Each axis is independent, so a canyon can be technically hard on rope yet dry, or gentle on rope yet serious in water.
Vertical (V) — rope & abseil difficulty
V1
No rope needed. Walking, scrambling and easy downclimbing.
V2
Handline or a very short, easy abseil on simple natural anchors.
V3
Straightforward abseils on good stances with standard rigging.
V4
Multiple or awkward abseils, with some free-hanging sections.
V5
Long or fully free-hanging abseils, technical anchors and guided rappels.
V6
Complex multi-drop rigging with difficult or marginal anchors.
V7
Extremely technical. Artificial anchors and advanced rope techniques.
Aquatic (A) — water & current
A1
Essentially dry, with maybe a few still pools.
A2
Compulsory swims in still water with no current.
A3
Moving water with mild current. Optional jumps or slides.
A4
Notable current and whitewater features, with compulsory jumps or slides.
A5
Strong current, powerful hydraulics and possible siphons.
A6
Very powerful water with dangerous recirculating hydraulics.
A7
Extreme water, passable only in specific low-flow conditions.
Commitment (I-VI) — time & escapability
I
Under about two hours, with easy escape at almost any point.
II
Up to half a day, with escape still possible.
III
About a full day, with limited escape once committed.
IV
A long, committing day where escape is difficult.
V
Very committing, or spilling into a second day.
VI
A multi-day trip where escape mid-route is effectively impossible.
You can also record the traditional Australian overall grade of 1 (easiest) to 6 (hardest) used in many Blue Mountains guidebooks, plus the number of abseils and the longest abseil for a quick sense of the trip.
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