BLCIM — Indoor bouldering for absolute beginners | blcim.com
Two scales share every grade board: V0-V12 and Font 3 to 8C+. Memorize two anchors — V0 = Font 3 and V5 = Font 6C — and the whole chart becomes readable.
The V scale runs from V0 to V12. The Font scale starts at 3 and climbs to 8C+. They measure the same thing — problem difficulty — and most gyms print both on the board or on the tags at the base of each problem.
The conversion you need on day one is two anchors: V0 is roughly Font 3, and V5 is roughly Font 6C. Between them sit the beginner and intermediate bands; above V5 you are looking at months to years of work, not weeks.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
What the bands feel like: V0-V2 problems live mostly on 15-30° walls with generous holds, where feet carry real weight. As grades rise, the angle follows — advanced problems move onto 40-60° overhangs, which is why 'just try the harder color' fails.
Choice is built in. A gym typically sets 15-25 routes per grade band across a 40-60 hold wall section, so even the V0 row offers more problems than a 60-minute session can hold. Pick 4-6, photograph the board, and work the list — the first-session page shows how to pace them.
Grades are calibrated per gym, not worldwide, so treat them as local weather: consistent indoors, approximate between venues. The anchors still hold — a V0 anywhere should feel like Font 3 anywhere else, within a band of honest error.
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