Difficulty points of hiking-mountaineering routes

The classification of a hiking route’s difficulty level is quite complex, as it depends both on the hiker’s abilities and on the subjective judgement of the person who assigned the rating.

Beginners should understand that they need to give themselves time to adapt and gradually become able to cope at a satisfactory level. This is because they are placing both their body and mind in a new situation and in an environment completely different from what they have been used to so far.

For new hikers, the difficulty level also increases when challenging weather conditions arise, such as rain, snow, or strong wind, as well as depending on the condition of the terrain, such as mud, river crossings, or rocky ground.

In combination with the emotional stress that may be created by the feeling that someone is delaying the group, or by the thought that they may not ultimately manage to complete the hike, all the above can prevent them from enjoying this new activity.

The following grading system is the most recent one and serves as a tool used by mountaineering clubs, so that there is a common code for describing the difficulty of a route. This rating is written next to each route.

The difficulty level also takes into account the season during which the route will take place, whether summer or winter.

Difficulty Levels

The symbol + is added to the difficulty level, for example 2+, 3+, etc., when there are climbing passages, exposed ridges, gullies, or snow/ice slopes of 40 degrees or more.

Participation in such routes requires very good physical condition and familiarity with mountain terrain. For winter ascents, basic knowledge of partner belaying with technical equipment is also required.