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Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highpoint

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:47 am
by LesterLong
What do you all think of this system?

http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/hf ... ticle.html

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:00 am
by ExcitableBoy
I think it is unfortunate that he used the term "class" to describe the difficulty, seems a little confusing as there is already the YDS which already defines classes. Other than that it seems like it would be useful to a high pointer who is not familiar technical climbing but is interested in the relative difficulty of the various peaks.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:11 am
by LesterLong
Thank you all for the incredibly quick turnaround. SP lacks a chat, and therefore can feel a little cold, but it's nice to have quick responses. :)

I have only climbed Mt. Washington, Mt. Mitchell, Mt. Elbert, Katadhin, and Humphreys Peak from that list, but so far it's been pretty accurate. It's easier to understand than the Class/Grade/YDS system for me at least.

I'm now planning out a trip to climb Mt. Montgomery,Boundary Peak, and Wheeler Peak, as they are the next hardest ones for me.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:25 am
by sm0421
pretty accurate.

The only HPs in the 48s I failed on first attempt are from the class 8-9s, so from this standpoint it is accurate. (difficult, weather)

I'd say to max your summit chance, REALLY be prepared for the tough ones before you commit.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 7:12 am
by Andinistaloco
It seems to somewhat complicate the system (for which the standard is currently the YDS) without resolving the fundamental problem - namely, that definitions like 3rd class, 5.4, etc., are never definite. Making more categories doesn't solve this... it just does the same thing that spreading 5.10 into 5.10a, 5.10b, 5.10c, 5.10d did. They're always going to be somewhat ambiguous. Now there are just more of them.

Still, it's not a bad system for grading, any more than the YDS is. But the thing is that - for example - a listed 5.4 with 900 feet of air beneath it is always going to feel like a 5.6 to some and a 5.3 to others. Ditto a 2nd class walk over lava rocks in a snowstorm... people will always attach their own very different levels of difficulty to such things.

Weirdly enough I once did Borah and Boundary too. I'd agree with Cat - the former had some steeper and trickier moves, while the latter was longer and had a bit harder routefinding (at the start, I think). But, then again, I did the former in June when there was snow on a section or two... see, that's exactly why it's always going to be so damned ambiguous.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Mon Jun 17, 2013 3:51 pm
by LesterLong
I find it easier to 'rate' mountains through triangulation than through any system. Meaning, knowing that Boundary Peak and Wheeler Peak is akin to Mt. Elbert and Humphreys Peak is far more useful to me at least.

One person's Denali is another person's Sunflower.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:22 pm
by Bark Eater
I felt Borah was significantly more challenging than Boundary. Boundary has a bunch of loose scree but none of it is very steep. Borah (COR) has significant exposure in a number of places and scrambling that non-technical climbers would find fun but challenging. My arms were pretty darn tired when I got done Borah - note to self - have since started doing some upper body work! Time spent on both mountains was similar for me, despite the shorter route on Borah.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:52 pm
by Fletch
I think glaciated peaks should be in a class all themselves... Whitney as a 7, Hood as an 8, Rainier as a 9 and Denali as a 10? Doesn't seem mathmatically correct. I get what the system is trying to do, but you can't climb Elbert twice and exert the same effort/risk/time/etc as a trip up Denali. I'd classify it more like Whitney a 7, Hood a 6, Rainier a 15, and Denali a 35...

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:32 pm
by Buz Groshong
Fletch wrote:I think glaciated peaks should be in a class all themselves... Whitney as a 7, Hood as an 8, Rainier as a 9 and Denali as a 10? Doesn't seem mathmatically correct. I get what the system is trying to do, but you can't climb Elbert twice and exert the same effort/risk/time/etc as a trip up Denali. I'd classify it more like Whitney a 7, Hood a 6, Rainier a 15, and Denali a 35...


This system is obviously intended just for the high points; it is based on ordering them. It just sort of tells which ones are more difficult than others, not how much more difficult. It also doesn't account for mountains that are not state high points and don't really fit into its system.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 7:09 pm
by Fletch
Buz Groshong wrote:
Fletch wrote:I think glaciated peaks should be in a class all themselves... Whitney as a 7, Hood as an 8, Rainier as a 9 and Denali as a 10? Doesn't seem mathmatically correct. I get what the system is trying to do, but you can't climb Elbert twice and exert the same effort/risk/time/etc as a trip up Denali. I'd classify it more like Whitney a 7, Hood a 6, Rainier a 15, and Denali a 35...


This system is obviously intended just for the high points; it is based on ordering them. It just sort of tells which ones are more difficult than others, not how much more difficult. It also doesn't account for mountains that are not state high points and don't really fit into its system.


Buz - I get all that. All i'm saying is that the numerical values given to the "scale" should be recoded to something like colors... Whitney is a red, Hood a blue, Denali a black, etc... saying something is a 1 or a 10 would imply some relationship between the values...

Plus, Rainier and Denali are really in a different league than the rest of the HP's. Having to safely navigate glaciers isn't exactly a tool utilized by most peakbaggers (and this is coming from an admitted peakbagger! :lol:)

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 8:17 pm
by reboyles
It should be noted that this classification only works for what is considered the "standard", or easiest way up the state highpoints. It doesn't work once you start considering other routes that exist on a given peak. For instance, the East Face of Whitney or Liberty Ridge on Rainier would have to be a 20 something on this scale.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 3:42 am
by LesterLong
Agreed. Also, that 'easiest way" could be a drive up. Hence, Washington, Mitchell, etc.

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Thu Sep 29, 2016 7:59 pm
by GEM Trail
In this person's opinion, the list is spot on.

Obviously, high points were listed by order of difficulty, not degree (except for the 1s). This makes perfect sense for what it is. How can yo compare Denali to something yo can literally drive and park at the top? That's like a million to one. This fits all into a list of 10.

I have climbed about 30 high points, read extensively on the rest, and wold say this list is right what I experienced and what I expect going forward.

And of corse it doesn't rank alternate ways of climbing a high point. New Hampshire, for this hiker, was part of a one day Presidential Traverse in which I was sick as a dog, couldn't keep down any calories or water for the first six hors. Bt that is what I chose to do apart fro the list, because let's face it, if yo are high pointing and actually like climbing, yo probably want to avoid a lot of the driving ones and find a worthwhile way to ascend!

Re: Martin Classification of Difficulty for U.S. State Highp

PostPosted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 7:56 pm
by spiderman
Having climbed 49 of them, I have to agree that almost all of the ratings are accurate. Montana should now be an 8 if you climb up the increasingly popular non-technical couloir route instead of the old-standard technical face. All of the ones listed as difficulty 1-6 are non-technical dayhikes. Weather and snow conditions can make such a huge difference on the peaks in the 7-10 category. Hood had been my nemesis since it snowed 2ft every time I attempted to summit. In many ways Gannett is harder than Rainier since it hasn't been tamed to the extent that the Washington peak has been subject to with hordes of guided groups.