Key takeaways
- The Ewbank grade rates climbing difficulty with a single open-ended number (higher = harder).
- It's used in Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa.
- Created by John Ewbank, it's valued for its simplicity — just one number.
- It corresponds via conversion to the YDS, French, and other scales.
Named after climber John Ewbank, who devised it.
What the Ewbank grade is
The Ewbank grade is a climbing difficulty system that uses a single open-ended number (e.g., 12, 20, 30…) to rate a climb’s overall difficulty — higher meaning harder. It’s used in Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa, and was created by Australian climber John Ewbank. Its hallmark is simplicity: one continuous number, no letters or decimals.
How it works
Each climb gets a single number, starting low for easy climbs and rising open-endedly into the 20s and 30s for very hard ones. Because it’s one continuous scale, there’s no need for the +/− modifiers or letter grades of other systems — you just compare the numbers.
A visiting climber sees an Australian route graded ’18’ and another ’23’. Knowing the Ewbank scale is just ‘higher = harder’, they use a conversion chart to translate those numbers into the YDS grades they’re familiar with and choose accordingly.
How it compares
The Ewbank grade corresponds via conversion to the YDS, the French scale, the UIAA scale, and others. Our grade converter and the broader topic of grade conversion translate between them.
The bottom line
The Ewbank grade is the elegantly simple climbing scale of Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa — one open-ended number where higher means harder, no letters or decimals needed. Created by John Ewbank, it rates a climb's overall difficulty and maps via conversion onto the YDS, French, and UIAA scales, so a chart lets you translate it across regions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ewbank grade?
The Ewbank grade is a climbing difficulty scale that uses a single, open-ended number to rate a climb's overall difficulty — higher numbers mean harder climbing. It's used in Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa, and was created by Australian climber John Ewbank. Its appeal is simplicity: one continuous number, with no letters or decimals.
How does the Ewbank system work?
Each climb gets a single number, starting low (easy) and rising open-endedly as difficulty increases (into the 20s and 30s for very hard climbs). Because it's one continuous, open-ended scale, there's no need for the +/− modifiers or letter grades of other systems — you just compare the numbers, with bigger meaning harder.
How does the Ewbank grade compare to other systems?
It corresponds via conversion charts to the American YDS (5.x), the French sport scale, the UIAA scale, and others. For example, a mid-range Ewbank number maps onto a particular YDS or French grade. Climbers traveling between regions that use different systems use a conversion chart or tool to translate Ewbank grades to the system they know.
Sources
- Grading systems — UIAA
- Climbing grades — American Alpine Club