(Personal) Downgrading dilemmas

Grading inflation is something to be expected and part of the game. The easiest way to find the softest grades is simply to look at the most repeated ones of the grade, in the world or at the local crags. Down-gradings have often created controversies, and in order to make them less dramatic we have, during the last ten years or so, labelled them as "personal grades" in the news. Even so, over the years, I have received numerous private messages from climbers who think a certain climb should be downgraded but they do not want to be the "messenger". Lately, on social media, I have read statements that some climbers will stop giving personal grades as they have been criticized or even attacked for their suggested downgrade.

The most classical example of a downgrade that has been featured on 8a is Mind Control in Oliana. The high-class route was put up in 2010 as an 8c+ and it immediately became very popular with many quick ascents. Two years later, Gabri Moroni was the first one to spit it out: "Everybody knows it's only 8c...but nobody will ever downgrade it :-P"

8a reported this and at the same time, we got private messages from other climbers saying it is no way 8c+. In 2013, Silvio Reffo flashed it and commented, "Very very happy for this route, but stay a dream send an 8c+ flash...8c is true," and we started to report it as an 8c (+). Currently, the superb route has 68 ascents in the 8a database, out of which the last 13 have marked it as 8c. Actually, 50% of the latest six repeaters have marked it as soft.

It should be mentioned that several top-climbers often suggest personal grades, but Adam Ondra sticks out with numerous personal downgrades since he was 14 years old. Other celebs frequently giving personal grades in the 8a scorecard are Alex Honnold and James Webb.

It is important to understand that grades can only be based on an average consensus if everyone is honest when giving personal grades. As a matter of a fact, it seems like, at most, one third of all climbers using the 8a scorecard officially suggest downgrades. At the same time, about two thirds sometimes mark routes as "soft" or "hard". This is very useful when we try to decide which grade should be published in the headline. Other facts that could impact which grade to report when in doubt are how many climbers have set a personal record with the climb or have done it relatively quickly. From a retro-perspective, even if 8a sometimes reports a lower grade than other media, exaggerated grades have been published hundreds of times on 8a.