Here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Highball routesetting; grading, start tags, volume rules & reset schedules!
We try to refresh our problems as often as possible, whilst giving climbers plenty of time to fully enjoy them and finish their projects. You can use the calendar below to see what we’re next setting and when.
We use a grading scale from 0 to 7, with 0 being the easiest and 7 the most challenging.
Routesetters will typically grade routes a week after they’ve been set, once all climbs have been thoroughly tested and reviewed. These grades may be adjusted later if there’s a unanimous decision that a climb is harder or easier than initially assessed.
Lower grade climbs (0-2) will always be tagged. This helps new climbers identify suitable climbs. Higher grade climbs will have a blank tag for the first week. This is to encourage experienced climbers to try routes they might not normally attempt.
Grading has always been subjective, and we’re happy to review and refine if you have constructive feedback on a climb’s grade.
We use wooden tags to indicate the start of routes. You can use the tagged hold, and the holds below, to start a climb.
Most climbs have one start tag, however occasionally a climb may have two tags in order to force specific moves.
House Volumes – Black and Wooden can be used for all climbs.
Colour Volumes – Any other colour is specific to the route (for example, blue volumes can ONLY be used when climbing a blue route).
