Fontainebleau Grades
In Europe the Fontainebleau grading is the most widely used. The numerical system ranges from 1a to 8c+ (the equivalent of V16 or B16), but problems easier than 2b are rarely found. The adjectival system goes from F- (Facile Inf, easy inferior) to ED+ (Extrêmement Difficile Sup, Extremely Difficult Higher). The system was first devised to classify the sandstone climbing in the Fontainebleau area, but is now widely used also in other bouldering areas around the world.
The grades in this system are similar to the French route grades, but have different meaning. An 8a route is significantly easier than an 8a boulder problem. To reduce confusion, some people write the bouldering grades in upper-case letters (e.g. "8B+" vs. "8b+").
Read more about this topic: Grade (bouldering)
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