Routes

The centre offers routes for all technical abilities. From simple slabs to steep roofs we have something to challenge all.

If routes aren’t your bag then the devious route-setters have created a plethora of brain & body testing boulder problems ranging from V0 (easy) to V10 (desperate).

Our climbing routes are changed every 3 months by our hard working team of Route Setters.

How many routes are there?
There are around 165 routes at any time on the top roping and lead walls throughout the centre and roughly 100 boulder problems on our bouldering walls in the main hall, basement and on the training boards upstairs.

What grading system do we use?
On both our top roping and lead walls we use the French grading system as we believe it describes the overall difficulty of a route better than British grades.

Boulder problems use a combination of British technical grades, the Font grading system and the “V” Grading system, this may sound complicated but if you prefer one type, use the conversion chart to find the equivalent grade although please take this conversion with a pinch of salt!

Grading is a bit of a minefield and will often depend on the individual style of the climber as to what grade they deem route to be. Although in general the grade is only an indication of the difficulty of the climb.

What is Route Setting?
It’s the changing round of climbing holds on the various walls in order to make new and interesting routes for you to climb. We do this in order to ensure that regular customers are provided with varied climbing that we endeavour to change over a period of two to three months trying to strike a balance between keeping things fresh and allowing projects to be worked.

Who does the route setting?
We have a large varied team of setters working throughout the year all of whom come from various different backgrounds in climbing. We have numerous boulderers, sport climbers and trad climbers in our arsenal each drawing from their own experience in order to set new and interesting routes for you. Each setter’s initials and the dates at which the route was set should appear in the small box at the bottom of each panel in order for you to identify whose route and what grade it is you are going to attempt.

Below you will find a list of the setters that set regularly within the centre although throughout the year we do employ other individuals.

AC – Alan Cassidy
JL – Jacob Lovatt
MD – Mark Davidson
TS – Thomas Sandison
PJ -Peter Johnstone

Feedback
If you thought the routes you have done are a bag of s*^! Let us know! Feel free to email your CONSTRUCTIVE thoughts to me at, tom.sandison@glasgowclimbingcentre.co.uk

On the flip-side please let me know of any routes you believe to be of extraordinary quality so the setter it belongs to can get the praise they deserve!

House Rules…
On routes, features are allowed for hands and feet unless the route description says otherwise.

Occasionally routes may be no features for hands or feet or both.

On routes with inset disks the disks are not included unless the description says so.

For routes which follow corners (eg panel 57/58) bridging to adjacent panels is permitted unless the description says otherwise.

For boulder problems the rules are written on the board beside the gents changing room along with the grades and location of problems.

The following abbreviations may be used:
FFF: Feet follow features
FFH: Feet follow hand holds
FFFH: Feet follow features and holds
SDS: Sit down start (most problems have sit starts)