What is a Category 1 or 2 climb?

[David M]

I was watching a video on the AAWT track at AAWT Part 1 Perisher to Mt Cobberas August - S…: http://youtu.be/CJb-SJmERBE and the terms Category 1 and 2 climbs were used. What do these categories mean and are there others? Thanks.

[Gippsmick]

Initially I thought the categories may be in reference to the Ewbank climbing system but didn't recall any difficult climbing at all up to the Cobbera's - the last short pitch is relatively straight forward. Admittedly I didn't watch the clip right through to establish the context of how the Category was used, which I since have. The YouTuber refers to a category two descent off the ridge to Cowombat flat along a fire road and I now reckon he is using the Australian Walking Track Grading system.
Refer to:
http://www.depi.vic.gov.au/forestry-and ... ing-system

[north-north-west]

What relevance does cycling climb classification have for the AAWT, given that apart from sections on public roads and fire trails it is closed to bikes? You certainly wouldn't be pedal-pushing up the Cobberas.

I'm assuming this relates to one of the rock-climbing classification systems, which would have categories one and two as from step-ups to very basic scrambles. There's certainly nothing difficult on the AAWT, the hardest bit in the Perisher-Cobberas section being the last tiny little climb onto the top of Cobberas No 1.

From wikipedia:
Ewbank

The Ewbank system, used in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, was developed in the mid 1960s by John Ewbank. Ewbank also developed an open ended “M” system for aid climbing. The numerical Ewbank system is open-ended, starting from 1, which you can (at least in theory) walk up, to the four climbs located in Australia given the hardest currently confirmed grade of 35.[13] South African and Australian grades differ by 1 or 2 grade points.[14]

The Ewbank system is not intended to simply grade the hardest individual move on a climb though the grading system is often described this way. Ewbank explained "Grading takes the following into consideration: Technical difficulty, exposure, length, quality of rock, protection and other smaller factors. As these are more or less all related to each other, I have rejected the idea of 3 or 4 grades, i.e. one for exposure, one for technical difficulty, one for protection etc. Instead the climb is given its one general grading, and if any of the other factors is outstanding, this is stated verbally in the short introduction to that climb"[15]

The current practice is to make mention of all factors affecting the climber's experience (exposure, difficulty of setting protection or outright lack of protection) in the description of the climb contained in the guide.

[GPSGuided]

Any HC climbs?

[Gippsmick]

An answer to my question on YouTube reveals the categories used in the clip are indeed a reference to cycling hill categories.

[DaveNoble]

Rock Climbing has "grades", not categories. Categories are used in cycling (in tours like the Tour de France) - I think Category 4 is the lowest (easiest) uphill, ranging harder to Category 1, with even harder uphill given the "Haute Category". Points are awarded for the riders reaching the top first according to the category of hill - which goes towards the "King of the Mountains" jersey winner part of the competition.

None of this applies to bushwalking, except perhaps if people make up their own scheme for a walk they are doing.

Dave