A composite scale of distance, climb, quality of track and overnight pack measure trip difficulty. Snow skills and equipment required are an extra consideration and to further identify this added difficulty the word “snow’ will be included in the trip description. This Scale defines the category of each trip as follows:
Grade |
Scale |
Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Easy |
1.0 to 1.6 |
Day walks no more than 13 km on a good track and easy gradient. Suitable for beginners with some fitness, frequent rests. Up to 4-5 hours walking. |
|
Easy Medium |
1.7 to 1.9 |
Day / overnight walks on a reasonable track that is either flat but reasonably long (up to 20km) or shorter distance but with some climbing (up to 400m). Suitable for new walkers with some experience or good fitness. Up to 5 hours of walking. |
|
Medium |
2.0 to 2.6 |
Day / overnight walks on rougher / rooted track possibly with river crossings, that has some climbing (up to 250m) and reasonably long distance (up to 20km) or shorter distance but with up to 550m climbing. Suitable for walkers with some experience or good fitness. Up to 6 hours of walking. |
|
Medium Fit |
2.7 to 2.9 |
Day / overnight walks on reasonably rough track, can include river crossings and off-track routes, has climbing between 600-1000m and distances up to 18km/day. Requires experience and good fitness. Up to 7-8 hours of walking |
|
Fit |
3.0 to 3.9 |
Day / overnight walks on rougher track than M-F, has climbing heights between 700-1200m but distances not more than 20km/day. Requires good experience and good fitness. Faster pace required than M-F, for up to 8-10 hours of walking |
|
Hard |
4.0 upwards |
Large climbs (>1200m) and long distances (up to 26km), at a fast pace over a very rough track or technical skills required (e.g. ropework, advanced snow skills, thick bush, navigation). High level of fitness and experience required. More than 8 hours of walking |
Further information is given in the trip description, and when in doubt you should talk to the trip organiser.
Trip Leaders can use a Trip Grade calculator here https://live.nelsontrampingclub.org.nz/club-members/trips/trip-grading-calculator-beta