Editing Grade (climbing) (section)

===Other notable systems===

*{{anchor|Saxon}}German/Swiss '''Saxon scale''' (or '''Dresden scale''', or '''East German scale'''). Developed at the start of the 20th century for the emerging [[Saxon Switzerland climbing region]], it was gradually adopted by other climbing areas in the region, such as [[Bohemian Switzerland]], [[Bohemian Paradise]], [[Lusatian Mountains]], and the [[Zittau Mountains]]. While it uses Roman numerals, it is a separate system from the [[#UIAA scale|UIAA scale]]. As well as Roman numerals, the Saxon grades use the symbols "a", "b" and "c" for further refinement between numerals from grade VII onwards.  Unlike the [[#American YDS grade|American YDS]] and [[#French sport grade|French sport]] systems, the Saxon grading system is not purely focused on technical difficulties but is also based on "route length, the total psychological commitment, the placements distance, the risk, [and] the random stops";<ref name=CAI/> it is thus not directly comparable to other systems.<ref name=CAI/>
[[File:Punks Wall (29529972985).jpg|thumb|Climber on ''Punks in the Gym'', [[Mount Arapiles]], grade 32 (Ewbank) and the world's [[List of grade milestones in rock climbing#Redpointed by men|first-ever]] 8b+ (French), 5.14a (American) route.]]
*{{anchor|Ewbank}}Australia/New Zealand/South African '''Ewbank''' system. In 1967, Australian climber [[John Ewbank (climber)|John Ewbank]] created his scale as an alternative to the [[#British E-grade|British E-grade]], and it became the dominant system for Australia and New Zealand, and latterly for South Africa (with small local variations).  The system is open-ended and uses only Arabic numerals (i.e. no "a", "b", "c" or "+" and "−" refinements), starts a 1 (easiest), and continues upward.  Unlike many other systems (e.g. [[#American YDS grade|American YDS]] and [[#French sport grade|French sport]]), the Ewbank system is not solely based on the hardest technical movement on the route but also takes into account the exposure, length, quality of rock, availability of protection, and other factors.  Thus, a dangerous route with easier technical climbing might get the same grade as a safe route but with harder technical climbing.  The system relies on the [[climbing guidebook]], or word of mouth, to clarify the factors that influenced the grade.  For the strongest modern sport climbing routes, the Ewbank grade is largely a technical grade.<ref name=CAI/><ref name=Rockfax/>
* {{anchor|Scandinavian}}'''Scandinavian'''. Norway, Finland, and Sweden have scales that are numerically different (e.g. they don't align exactly), but in effect are very similar and can be aligned in [[#Comparison tables|comparison tables]]. Their scales are all open-ended, use Arabic numerals, and use "+" and "−" symbols for additional refinement between the numerals (e.g. −4, 4, 4+, −5, 5, 5+, 6−, 6, ... etc.,). Originally, the Scandinavian countries used the [[#UIAA scale|UIAA scale]] but its closed-end status at VI (up until 1985) led them to create their own systems, however, they align closely to the UIAA scale, particularly to grade IV.  While the UIAA scale is still used in Scandinavian countries, the [[#French sport grade|French sport grade]] is now more common for sport-climbing routes.<ref name=CAI/><ref name=Rockfax/>
* {{anchor|Brazil}}'''Brazilian technical scale'''. Climbing in the [[carioca]] dates from 1912 and the ascent of the "Dedo de Deus" (God's Finger) in the [[Serra dos Órgãos]]. Brazilian climbing has two grades, with the first being a numerical grade from 1 (easiest) to 8 (hardest) and giving the "overall" level of difficulty (akin to the [[#French Alpine System|UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty]]). The second, the technical grade, which is the most in use, defines the technical difficulty of the hardest movements (or sequences of movements) and is an open-ended scale that starts with Roman numerals (and a "sup." for additional refinement between numerals), up to VIsup., which is roughly VII+ (UIAA) f6b+ (French) or 5.10d (American).  After VIsup., the system moves to Arabic numerals, starting at 7, and using the symbols "a", "b", and "c" for additional refinement between numerals (e.g. VI, VIsup, 7a, 7b, 7c, 8a, etc.,.).<ref name=CAI/>
* {{anchor|Polish}}Polish '''Cracow scale''' (or '''Kurtyka's scale'''). Up until the 1970s, the [[#UIAA scale|UIAA scale]] was used in the limestone climbing areas near [[Kraków]], where Polish sport climbing was developed, with Grade I (easiest) to Grade VI (hardest). As the climbing level grew, the UIAA scale became inadequate. Polish climber and alpinist [[Wojciech Kurtyka]] proposed an extension to the scale. Easier routes were described by the UIAA scale, and harder routes above Grade VI+ used Arabic numerals with a "+" refinement, so that after Grade VI+ came the new grades of: VI.1, VI.1+, VI.2, VI.2+, and so on.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abcwspinania.info/home-page/hiden/historia|title=Historia wspinania na Jurze - ABCWSPINANIA.info|website=abcwspinania.info|language=pl-pl|access-date=18 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118081646/http://abcwspinania.info/home-page/hiden/historia|archive-date=18 November 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* '''Deep-water soloing''' grades.  A number of systems have been used to assign a "risk" grade for [[deep-water soloing]] routes (they typically use the French grading system or American YDS system for the technical challenge). Notable examples include the British [[Deep-water soloing#S-grades|S-grades]] (e.g. S0, S1, S2, S3), which covers the objective risk of the route including tides, under-water objects, height of any potential fall etc.<ref name=Robinson>{{cite book | title=Deep Water: Rockfax Guidebook to Deep Water Soloing | first=Mike | last=Robinson | date=2007 | isbn=978-1873341766 | publisher=Rockfax|page=14}}</ref>