UK climbing grades
stands for Hard Very Severe. The UK system of climbing grades is adjectival and alpha-numerical. The alpha numberical
part describes how tecnicaly difficult a climb is.
The adjectival part describes how intimidating, dangerous ,
serious a route is. The HVS category was being climbed back in the 1930's. At this time people climbed in hobnailed boots with hawser ropes and no real protection from falling to speak of. You might even say that back in those days
climbers were real climbers, rock was real rock and hard very severe was real hard very severe. Now with the advent
of modern nylon ropes, rubber fitted climbing boots
and enless pieces of advanced safetey equipment a HVS
is not likley to kill you, a fun day out for all in fact.
My favourite HVS is called pis fluch, It is in the
Burren next to siren. It is an intimidating sheer
corder of limestone that rises from the sea. It is on the
same cliff body that was used as the cliffs of insanity
in the princess bride.
You can layback or bridge your way up the corner.
| 
