Grading System

The grading system is designed to help you in making your right decision, before booking your trip. Please read carefully the description of the tour, its rating and what is that means and be sure that you won’t overestimate your abilities.

The difficulty of a hiking route as per the SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) rating scale:

T1 Hiking:

Path / terrain: Well-constructed footpath. Where possible, all exposed areas are made secure with fixed cables, railings, etc. The risk of falling can largely be ruled out with normal behavior.

Requirements: None; also possible in trainers. Orientation without any problems, usually also possible without a map.

T2 Mountain Hiking:

Path / terrain: Continuous established footpath. Exposed areas made more secure. Partially steep terrain. Risk of falling not ruled out.

Requirements: Surefootedness. Proper hiking boots are recommended. Basic orientation skills.

T3 Difficult Mountain Hiking:

Path / terrain: Path not always obvious / visible. The more exposed areas can be secured. You may need your hands for balance. Some exposed areas remain, where there is a risk of falling. Pathless sections over scree or talus.

Requirements: Good balance and surefootedness. Mid/high top hiking boots are recommended. Average orientation skills. Basic alpine experience.

T4 Alpine hiking:

Path / terrain: Occasionally pathless. In certain places you’ll need to use your hands. Some quite exposed terrain, e.g. steep grass slopes, rock ledges, simple firn fields and minor glacier passages (with little crevasse risk).

Requirements: Experience in exposed terrain. Appropriate, sturdy footwear. Good orientation skills. Alpine experience. Good preparation: time and weather considerations, ground conditions & group dynamics need to be considered.

T5 Difficult Alpine Hiking:

Path / terrain: Often pathless. Individual easy climbing sections. Exposed, challenging terrain, steep cliffs. Bare glaciers and firn slopes which posed some risk of falling.

Requirements: Mountaineering boots. Very good terrain assessment- and orientation skills. Breadth of alpine experience, also in high alpine terrain. Basic skills with ice axe, rope and crampons.

T6 Very Difficult Alpine Hiking:

Path / terrain: Mostly pathless. Grade II scrambling. Often very exposed. Terrain examples: Dangerous talus slopes, rock gullies, steeper sections of snow-free glaciers =increased risk of falling.

Requirements: Excellent orientation skills. Extensive alpine experience and strong familiarity with all technical alpine aids (ice axe, rope, crampons, security devices, etc.)

Grading System for Via Ferrata routes (in accordance with UIAA, the Italian scale has been adopted as international standard)

F	Equipped path, with low exposure and long walking tracts. Good fixed protections, consisting mainly in metalic ropes (or chains) used only to increase safety.
PD	Short Via Ferrata with low exposure. The itinerary usually presents couloirs, chimneys, short vertical tracts where chains. ropes, pegs and stairs help the progression.
D	Via Ferrata with a medium-long length, requiring a good physical condition and technical competency. Often, the itinerary is vertical and overhangs may be present. Equipped with metallic ropes, chains, pegs and stairs.
TD	The itinerary presents exposed and technical sequences; a very good physical condition and technical competence required. The itinerary is vertical, and overhangs are climbed with few artificial aids. Equipment consists of metallic ropes, with pegs and stairs.
ED	The itinerary presents several exposed and technical sequences, possibly created on purpose; in order to increase the engagement, only few artificial pegs/ stairs are in place. Therefore, a very good physical condition and some climbing technical competences are required.

• F = facile (easy)
• PD = peu difficile (not very difficult)
• D = difficile (difficult)
• TD = très difficile (very difficult)
• ED = extrêmement difficile (extremely difficult)

ADDITIONAL DESCRIPTIONS & GRADES

TECHNICAL ENGAGEMENT	1. Null or low technical difficulty, very good equipment.
	2. Equipped with pegs, stairs, bridges: sometimes it is required to climb using natural holds.
	3. Many vertical or overhanging segments; it is necessary to climb using natural holds; advisable a minimum knowledge of rope techniques.
PHYSICAL ENGAGEMENT	1. It requires a physical effort equivalent to a moderate walking excursion.
	2. It requires a good physical condition (force and resistance).
	3. It requires a very good physical condition (force and resistance).
EXPOSURE	1. Low Exposure
	2. Moderate Exposure, some aerial steps
	3. Very exposed with many aerial sequencese
ENVIRONMENT	1. Low altitude, often warm and safe weather. easy escape.
	2. Mountain environment, altitude between 1000 and 2000 m; beware of thunderstorms, wind and cold weather.
	3. High mountain environment; altitude higher than 2000 m; possible presence of snow section; beware of thunderstorms. wind and cold weather.

Grading System for Snowshoeing Tours