Climbing

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Climbing - Other languages
Logo. Feature : Climbing
One example for Feature : Climbing
Description
Climbing and related features
Group

Sports

Tags

climbing=*, climbing:*=*, sport=climbing

A set of tags to describe climbing facilities, routes, and crags.

Climbing sites

The main climbing sites are marked with `area` and `crag` relations (see below).

Natural or man made elements, representing the climbing sites on the ground, can be marked with sport=climbing. This applies to:

Basic tags

The most important, basic tags to describe a climbing site:

Tag Description
sport=climbing Climbing is possible here.
name=* Name of the crag/climbing hall/boulder, if applicable.
leisure=sports_centre
Artificial climbing wall outdoors (Teufelsberg, Berlin)
Artificial climbing wall.
In combination with building=yes or similar if it is indoors, otherwise outdoors, for example on a playground, or plastic holds installed on a bridge. It should not be used for natural rock crags.

For tower-like structures, man_made=tower and tower:type=climbing can be added.

leisure=sports_hall Climbing gyms smaller than sports centre.

Note that the sport=climbing tag must be present in the relations listed below.

Climbing areas

All of the crags within a climbing area are grouped into a site relation of type climbing and tagged with climbing=area. Areas can be nested within parent areas, providing a convenient way to group crags, sectors, and smaller areas into bigger ones.

To optionally add additional information about the area, such as the climbing styles, see the Climbing styles, Grading, and Additional information sections.

Key Value Comment
type site A site relation is used to group several objects which together have a single identity as a whole but cannot be accurately described by other data types.
climbing area A region with numerous climbing routes.
name * Name of the area

Crags

All of the routes within a crag are grouped into a site relation of type climbing and tagged with climbing=crag.

To optionally add additional information about the crag, such as the climbing styles, see the Climbing styles, Grading, and Additional information sections.

Key Value Comment
type site A site relation is used to group several objects which together have a single identity as a whole but cannot be accurately described by other data types.
climbing crag A small area with climbing routes, often just a small cliff face or a few boulders.
name * Name of the crag

Climbing Gyms

These are indoor locations intended for climbing.

Key Value Comment
building yes A building representing the physical structure.
sport climbing
name * Name of the gym

Boulders

Boulders are small rocks that have "problems" instead of routes. Sometimes they can be climbed with less protection than other areas to practice moves. There are two possibilities to map them:

A free-standing rock with a single "route" could be mapped as, e.g., natural=stone + sport=climbing +

Key Value Element Comment
climbing boulder nodearea This is a boulder
name * nodearea Name of the boulder

Crags or sites with more routes can be mapped as site or crag in combination with climbing:boulder=yes.

Climbing routes

Climbing routes can be mapped with a single node marking the bottom of the route, tagged as climbing=route_bottom, or two nodes tagged with climbing=route_bottom and climbing=route_top connected by a way tagged as climbing=route.

Since climbing routes are generally quite vertical, the start and end nodes may be almost on top of each other. The rationale behind allowing two nodes and a connecting way, even though they may be extremely close on the map, is to allow a path connecting to the bottom of the route to be differentiated from a path connecting to the top. As such, if there is no top-access to the route, only a single node, marking the start, is probably preferable - see discussion.

If the climbing route is more or less horizontal or doesn't have a clear top/bottom it may be mapped only with a way or node climbing=route.

Key Value Element Comment
name * nodeway Name of the route.
climbing route_bottom node This is the bottom of a climbing route.
climbing bolt node This is a point of protection permanently installed in a hole drilled into the rock, to which a metal hanger is attached, with a hole for a carabiner or ring.
climbing route_top node This is the top of a climbing route.
climbing route nodeway This is the route itself (but see the note above).
climbing:bolts <number> nodeway The amount of bolts in the route (indicates how much gear you have to take).
climbing:length * nodeway The length of the route (in metres).
climbing:pitches * nodeway How many pitches make up the route? (Defaults to 1).

Multi-Pitch

Multi-pitch routes can be mapped in two ways.

  1. If they are a continuous route, they can simply be added as a climbing=route with climbing:pitches=* tag showing the number of pitches on the route.
  2. Each stage/pitch of a multi-pitch route can be mapped as a climbing route. A relation that represents the whole route can include all of them together. There could also be a highway=path connecting the climbing routes. These sections can also be added to the relation. The route relation would have the name of the route.

The route can be added to a crag or a site.

Climbing styles

Tags for multiple climbing styles can be combined and more tags can be invented as needed, the list of wikipedia:Climbing serves as first indication. If any of those tags is not stated explicitly, it defaults to no.

Can be applied to single routes, boulders, crags or general climbing sites.

limited means that there aren't many routes in this style so it's not really a place you'd go for for that style specifically. Especially used in the context of gyms.

Tag Value Description
climbing:boulder yes / no / limited / <amount of routes> / <climbing surface> m² Bouldering is possible.
climbing:sport yes / no / limited / <amount of routes> Sport climbing (relies on permanent, fixed anchors) is possible. In the context of gyms: lead climbing.
climbing:speed yes / no / <amount of routes> Speed climbing Facility has a standardized speed climbing wall.
climbing:toprope yes / no / limited / <amount of routes> Top rope climbing (approach at the route top and letting the rope down) is possible. Fixed or natural anchors may be placed at the top, but routes may not have protection for leading. In the context of gyms: top ropes are provided, permanently hanging from the wall every few metres.
climbing:trad yes / no / <amount of routes> Traditional climbing (no fixed anchors, gear has to be placed by yourself) is possible. Cannot be expressed by climbing:bolted=no if a climbing site also offers sport climbing.
climbing:multipitch yes / no / <amount of routes> There are multi-pitch routes.
climbing:ice yes / no / <amount of routes> Icefalls or the like enable ice climbing. In contrast to mixed climbing, no rock climbing is involved here.
climbing:mixed yes / no / <amount of routes> Mixed climbing on partially iced rocks is possible.
climbing:deepwater yes / no / <amount of routes> Steep cliffs with deep enough water below permit deep-water soloing.

Grading

Can be applied to single routes, boulders, crags or general climbing sites.

When used for crags or regions, we have to specify a difficulty, aid or danger range from easiest to most difficult route. The main character of a climbing area is tagged using mean.

Numerous grading systems exist. Map the usual one(s) for the climbing spot, i.e. commonly used ones - grades in other systems can be derived by conversion. In this tagging scheme, you can use any system by deriving the key from the system's name or acronym similar to the following examples.

Tag Description
climbing:grade:uiaa=* Grade according to the UIAA grading system, e.g. 1-, 1, 1+, 2-, 2, etc.

UIAA grades are used in some parts of central and eastern Europe. The UIAA system is sanctioned by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation.

Minimum/maximum/average grade according to the UIAA grading system, e.g. 1-, 1, 1+, 2-, 2, etc.
climbing:grade:french=* Grade according to the French grading system, e.g. 4, 5a, 5b, etc. Here, we do not distinguish between bouldering (FB) and climbing.

French grades are widespread even outside France.

Minimum/maximum/average grade according to the French grading system, e.g. 4, 5a, 5b, etc. Here, we do not distinguish between bouldering (FB) and climbing.
climbing:grade:saxon=* Grade according to the Saxon grading system, e.g. VI, VIIa, VIIb, etc, predominantly used in the Saxon Switzerland, Germany
Minimum/maximum/average grade according to the Saxon grading system, e.g. VI, VIIa, VIIb etc, predominantly used in the Saxon Switzerland, Germany
climbing:grade:aid=* A0 to A5 for aid routes (DE: Technisches Klettern)
climbing:grade:hueco=* V-scale used with bouldering in the United States; e.g. V0, V1, V2, etc.
climbing:grade:yds_class=* Yosemite Decimal System class, e.g. 5.7, 5.10a, 5.12d, etc.
climbing:grade:ice=* Waterfall ice climbing, e.g. WI2, WI3+, etc.
climbing:grade:norwegian=* Nordic grading system.
climbing:grade:british_traditional=* The British grading system for traditional climbs.
climbing:grade:british_adjectival=* The Adjectival English Scale or the overall assessment scale.
... ...

The following conversion chart can be used for approximate conversion between different grading systems. This information can also be found in a CSV format here: grading_system_conversion.csv.

Climbing grading systems conversion chart
UIAA, Germany UK Tech UK ADJ FB, French British French Saxon, Swiss Nordic, Scandinavian YDS, YDS_class V Grade WI Mixed
System used by the International Climbing and Mountaineering Federation. The British grading system for traditional climbs. The Adjectival English Scale or the overall assessment scale. Sport climbing in Britain and Ireland uses the French grading system. The French numerical system (Fontainebleau Scale) rates a climb according to the overall technical difficulty and strenuousness of the route. The Saxon grading system was developed in the beginning of the 20th century for the formidable Saxon Switzerland climbing region. The Nordic grading system. The Yosemite Decimal System of grading routes of hikes and climbs developed for the Sierra Nevada range. V scale grading system, created by John Sherman, is the most widely used system in North America for bouldering. Waterfall ice rating system as used in the Canadian Rockies. Mixed climbing has its own grading scale that roughly follows the WI rating system.
climbing:grade:uiaa=* climbing:grade:british_traditional=* climbing:grade:british_adjectival=* climbing:grade:french_british=* climbing:grade:french=* climbing:grade:saxon=* climbing:grade:norwegian=* climbing:grade:yds_class=* climbing:grade:hueco=* climbing:grade:ice=* climbing:grade:mixed=*
1- 1 M 1 1 I 1 5 VB- WI2 M2
1 1 M 1 1 I 1 5 VB- WI2 M2
1+ 1 M 1 1 I 1 5 VB- WI2 M2
2- 2 M/D 1 2 II 1 5.1 VB- WI2 M2
2 2 M/D 1 2 II 1 5.1 VB- WI2 M2
2+ 2 M/D 1 2 II 1 5.2 VB- WI2 M2
3- 3 D 1/2 3 III 1/2 5.2 VB- WI2 M2
3 3 D 1/2 3 III 1/2 5.3 VB- WI3 M3
3+ 3 D 1/2 3 III 1/2 5.3 VB- WI3 M3
4- 4a D/VD 2 4 IV 2 5.4 VB- WI3 M3
4 4a D/VD 2 4 IV 2 5.5 VB- WI3 M3
4+ 4a VD 2 4+ IV/V 2 5.6 VB- WI3 M3
5- 4a/4b S 2/3 5a V 2/3 5.7 VB-/VB WI3 M3
5 4b HS 3 5a/5b VI 3 5.8 VB WI4 M4
5+ 4c HS/VS 4a 5b VI/VIIa 4a 5.9 VB/V0- WI5 M5
6- 4c/5a VS 4a/4b 5b/5c VIIa 4a/4b 5.10a V0- WI6 M6
6 5a HVS 4b 5c VIIb 4b 5.10b V0-/V0 WI6 M6
6+ 5a/5b E1 4c 6a VIIc 4c 5.10c V0 WI6 M6
6+/7- 5a/5b E1 4c 6a VIIc 4c 5.10c V0 WI6 M6
7- 5b E1/E2 5a 6a+ VIIIa 5a 5.10d V0+ WI6 M6
7-/7 5a/5b E1 4c 6a VIIc 4c 5.10c V0 WI6 M6
7 5b/5c E2 5b 6b VIIIb 5b 5.11a V1 WI7 M7
7/7+ 5b/5c E2 5b 6b VIIIb 5b 5.11a V1 WI7 M7
7+ 5c E2/E3 5c 6b+ VIIIc 5c 5.11b V1/V2 WI7 M7
7+/8- 5c E2/E3 5c 6b+ VIIIc 5c 5.11b V1/V2 WI7 M7
8- 5c/6a E3 6a 6c IXa 6a 5.11c V2 WI8 M8
8-/8 5c/6a E3 6a 6c IXa 6a 5.11c V2 WI8 M8
8 6a E4 6b 7a IXb 6b 5.11d V3 WI8 M8
8/8+ 6a E4 6b 7a IXb 6b 5.11d V3 WI8 M8
8+ 6a E4/E5 6b+ 7a+ IXc 6b+ 5.12a V3/V4 WI8 M8
8+/9- 6a E4/E5 6b+ 7a+ IXc 6b+ 5.12a V3/V4 WI8 M8
9- 6b E5 6c 7b+ Xa 6c 5.12b V4 WI8 M8
9-/9 6b E5 6c 7b+ Xa 6c 5.12b V4 WI8 M8
9 6b/6c E6 6c+ 7c Xb 6c+ 5.12c V4/V5 WI9 M9
9/9+ 6b/6c E6 6c+ 7c Xb 6c+ 5.12c V4/V5 WI9 M9
9+ 6c E6/E7 7a 7c+ Xc 7a 5.12d V5 WI9 M9
9+/10- 6c E6/E7 7a 7c+ Xc 7a 5.12d V5 WI9 M9
10- 6c E7 7a+ 8a Xc 7a+ 5.13a V6 WI9 M9
10-/10 6c E7 7a+ 8a Xc 7a+ 5.13a V6 WI9 M9
10 6c/7a E7/E8 7a+/7b 8a/8a+ Xc/XIa 7a+/7b 5.13b V6/V7 WI9 M9
10/10+ 6c/7a E7/E8 7a+/7b 8a/8a+ Xc/XIa 7a+/7b 5.13b V6/V7 WI9 M9
10+ 7a E8 7b 8a+ XIa 7b 5.13c V7 WI10 M10
10+/11- 7a E8 7b 8a+ XIa 7b 5.13c V7 WI10 M10
11- 7a E9 7b+ 8b XIb 7b+ 5.13d V8 WI10 M10
11-/11 7a E9 7b+ 8b XIb 7b+ 5.13d V8 WI10 M10
11 7a/7b E9/E10 7c 8b+ XIc 7c 5.14a V9 WI10 M10
11/11+ 7a/7b E9/E10 7c 8b+ XIc 7c 5.14a V9 WI10 M10
11+ 7b E10 7c+ 8c XIc/XIIa 7c+ 5.14b V10 WI10 M10
11+/12- 7b E10 7c+ 8c XIc/XIIa 7c+ 5.14b V10 WI10 M10
12- 7b E11 7c+/8a 8c+ XIIa 7c+/8a 5.14c V10/V11 WI11 M11
12-/12 7b E11 7c+/8a 8c+ XIIa 7c+/8a 5.14c V10/V11 WI11 M11
12 7b E11 8a 9a XIIb 8a 5.14d V11 WI11 M11
12/12+ 7b E11 8a 9a XIIb 8a 5.14d V11 WI11 M11
12+ >7b >E11 8a+/8b 9a+ XIIb/XIIc 8a+/8b 5.15a V12 WI11 M11
12+/13- >7b >E11 8a+/8b 9a+ XIIb/XIIc 8a+/8b 5.15a V12 WI11 M11
13- >7b >E11 8b 9a+/9b XIIc 8b 5.15a V13 WI11 M11
13-/13 >7b >E11 8b 9a+/9b XIIc 8b 5.15a V13 WI11 M11
13 >7b >E11 8b+ 9b XIIc 8b+ 5.15b V14 WI12 M12
13/13+ >7b >E11 8b+ 9b XIIc 8b+ 5.15b V14 WI12 M12
13+ >7b >E11 8c 9b+ >XIIc 8c 5.15c V15 WI13 M13
13+/14- >7b >E11 8c 9b+ >XIIc 8c 5.15c V15 WI13 M13
14- >7b >E11 8c+ 9c >XIIc 8c+ 5.15d V15 WI13 M13

Additional information

Most of this can be applied to single routes, boulders, crags or general climbing sites, for some details climbing routes have more options - see the section about climbing routes.

Key Value Description
climbing:bolt abseil / anchor Is the bolt designed for abseiling / fixed anchors? Abseiling points can also be mapped as separate points to allow easier location.
climbing:bolts yes / no / <amount of bolts> Are there fixed anchors? If so, how many bolts are there? How much gear is needed?
climbing:bolted yes / no / <average bolt distance in meters> Are there fixed anchors? If so, what is their average distance (by default in meter, other units possible)? Provides a first indication of how well the routes are secured.

climbing:length
climbing:length:min
climbing:length:max

Average, minimum and maximum length of routes in meters (for other units refer to units overview).

May significantly differ from wall height for roofs or slanted walls. This values is important for deciding, which rope to take.

climbing:sport:indoor
climbing:sport:outdoor
climbing:toprope:indoor
climbing:toprope:outdoor
climbing:speed:indoor
climbing:speed:outdoor
climbing:boulder:indoor
climbing:boulder:outdoor

 yes / no / limited / <amount of routes> / <climbing surface> m² Mainly for artificial walls, indicate whether given climbing style (i.e. sport, toprope, speed or boulder) is indoor or outdoor and how big it is. limited means that there aren't many routes in this style so it's not really a place you'd go for when looking for indoors/outdoors routes in that style specifically.
climbing:orientation
  • N
  • NE
  • E
  • etc.
 Orientation of the rock/wall face. Helps to assess at what hour of the day it might be sunny and how long it takes a wall to get dry after rain. If the cliffs are also mapped as way ways, this information may be derived but tagging still gives a quicker overview and limits to the climbable parts of cliffs.
climbing:quality
  • fragile
  • medium
  • solid
  • etc.
 Quality of the rock/ice.
climbing:rock
  • limestone
  • sandstone
  • granite
  • basalt
  • etc.
 For rock climbing this tag describes the kind of rock available. This information is irrelevant for e.g. ice climbing.
climbing:routes <amount of routes> Amount of routes on this crag (if not tagged in the climbing styles).
climbing:summit_log yes / no The climbing feature has a route / summit log (summit register, de:Gipfelbuch). This tag is clearer in describing the purpose than summit:register=yes.
ele When used with the general climbing site average elevation (height above sea level) at the bottom of the routes in meters. This is not the length of a route or the elevation of the route's top end. When used on other nodes specific to the marked point.
indoor

outdoor

yes / no Artificial climbing structures can have routes indoor, outdoor or both. Natural climbs may be placed inside caves. In the absence of these tags, outdoor-only should be assumed as default.
website URL Official website, e.g. operator
url URL Unofficial website with useful information like topos
wikimedia_commons File Path Photograph of the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:openbeta URL Link to the OpenBeta webpage for the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:mountainproject URL Link to the Mountain Project webpage for the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:thecrag URL Link to the theCrag webpage for the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:sendage URL Link to the Sendage Climbing website for the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:ukclimbing URL Link to the UKClimbing webpage for the route, cliff, crag, or area
climbing:url:toplogger https://app.toplogger.nu/<name of gym> URL of the toplogger.nu webpage for the gym. Strip the language code and the trailing "/boulders" or "/routes" from the URL.
opening_hours
  • Mo-Su 08:00-18:00
  • Sep-May
  • etc. (see opening_hours page for the syntax)
 Artificial walls often have fixed opening hours. For rocks there might be restrictions due to breeding birds, etc.
fee yes / no / donation Artificial walls or climbing halls may charge an entrance fee, natural climbing sites may require a membership in a club (may be day based, see the fee page on how to map with conditional values).
climbing:restriction yes / partly / no Indicates if climbing route is allowed to climb by some local authority
climbing:restriction:time_description * Description when climbing is restricted

Approach

The tag path=climbing_access should be used for paths dedicated to access climbing crags, not for general hiking.

Tag approach paths using access=destination within nature reserves etc. where leaving of hiking paths is forbidden.[1]

Climbing gym services and facilities

Key Value Description
service:climbing_shoes:rental yes / no Can a pair of climbing shoes be rented here for use within the gym? Also consider one of these:

service:climbing_shoes:rental:fee=* (yes or no) or
service:climbing_shoes:rental:charge=* (price)

service:climbing_harness:rental yes / no Can a harness be rented here for use within the gym? Also consider one of these:

service:climbing_harness:rental:fee=* (yes or no) or
service:climbing_harness:rental:charge=* (price)

service:climbing_belay_device:rental yes / no Can a belay device be rented here for use within the gym? Also consider one of these:

service:climbing_belay_device:rental:fee=* (yes or no) or
service:climbing_belay_device:rental:charge=* (price)

service:climbing_rope:rental yes / no Can a rope for lead climbing be rented here for use within the gym? Also consider one of these:

service:climbing_rope:rental:fee=* (yes or no) or
service:climbing_rope:rental:charge=* (price)

climbing:autobelay:toprope yes / no / all / only / <amount of auto belay devices (not counting those only for speed)> Are there auto belays for top rope routes? (Not counting those used exclusively for speed climbing.)
  • all means that all top rope routes can be climbed on auto belay, but manual belaying is also possible.
  • only means that all top rope routes must be climbed on auto belay.
climbing:autobelay:sport yes / no / all / <amount of auto belay devices> Are there auto belays for lead routes?
  • all means that all lead routes can be climbed on auto belay

Pictogram examples

Photo examples

  • Artificial climb in Berlin, Germany

    Artificial climb in Berlin, Germany

  • Boulder Bridge area at Morialta, Australia

    Boulder Bridge area at Morialta, Australia

  • 5.10b route on The Sentinel Rock at The Real Hidden Valey, Joshua Tree National Park USA

    5.10b route on The Sentinel Rock at The Real Hidden Valey, Joshua Tree National Park USA

  • Kamar Zard Buzhan - Hiker - Nishapur

    Kamar Zard Buzhan - Hiker - Nishapur

  • Climber on Stem Gem a classic V4 boulder problem in Joshua Tree National Park in Hidden Valley Campground

    Climber on Stem Gem a classic V4 boulder problem in Joshua Tree National Park in Hidden Valley Campground

  • Rock climbing on the wall of Voiron, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes championship (Isère, France).

    Rock climbing on the wall of Voiron, Auvergne Rhône-Alpes championship (Isère, France).

  • Climbing in Saxon Switzerland

    Climbing in Saxon Switzerland

  • Indoor climbing

    Indoor climbing

  • Climbing tower in Berlin-Spandau

    Climbing tower in Berlin-Spandau

Renderer and applications

Climbing guide in "openclimbing.org"
openclimbing.org: Show climbing guide with marked climbing routes
Screenshot of "Climb the world"
Climb The World

Like other specialised sports, these tags are not rendered in the standard OpenCarto style. Therefore, these engines visualise them:

The following renderer displays these tags

Related tags

Map features

If you know places with this tag, verify if it could be tagged with another tag.
Automated edits are strongly discouraged unless you really know what you are doing!

Proposals

Proposed features where we could share ideas and maybe re-use common tags:

Statistics

The tags are in active use - see https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/search?q=climbing#keys

pangoSE estimate that, as of September 2018, at least 14000 real world climbing sites exist (estimated from sport=climbing and leisure=climbing) and out of these 10-20% are mapped more detailed with the more detailed keys. climbing=*:

More details at taginfo
More details at taginfo
More details at taginfo
More details at taginfo

Notes and references

  1. ↑ (result of a voting in the Tagging List [1])
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