Via ferrata grades A–F explained

The grades A to F

The descriptions follow the commonly published definitions of the Schall scale.

A Easy

Terrain: Flat to steep, mostly rocky or interspersed with rock; exposed passages are possible.

Protection: Wire ropes, chains, iron rungs and the occasional short ladder. Most of the route can be done without using the fixtures.

Requirements: Sure-footedness and a head for heights are recommended. The ferrata itself needs no particular fitness, though that depends on the length of the whole tour. A via ferrata set is recommended.

B Moderately difficult

Terrain: Steeper rock with small footholds in places; expect exposed sections.

Protection: Wire ropes, chains, rungs, stepping pegs and longer ladders, which may be vertical.

Requirements: As for A, but better fitness and some strength and stamina in arms and legs are a clear advantage. A via ferrata set is recommended.

C Difficult

Terrain: Steep to very steep rock, mostly small footholds, with long or very frequent exposed passages.

Protection: Wire ropes, rungs and pegs, often longer and even overhanging ladders; rungs and pegs can be set further apart. Vertical sections sometimes have only the wire rope.

Requirements: Good fitness — longer routes at this grade already count among the big via ferrata undertakings. A via ferrata set is strongly recommended; inexperienced people and children may need to be belayed with an additional rope.

D Very difficult

Terrain: Vertical, often overhanging terrain; mostly very exposed.

Protection: Wire rope, rungs and pegs that are often far apart; exposed and steep sections frequently have nothing but the wire rope.

Requirements: As for C, plus good overall physical condition and enough strength in arms and hands for longer vertical to overhanging sections. Short unprotected climbing passages (up to UIAA grade II) are possible. A via ferrata set is obligatory. Not recommended for beginners or children.

E Extremely difficult

Terrain: Vertical to overhanging and exposed throughout; very small footholds or friction climbing.

Protection: As for D, but more often combined with actual climbing.

Requirements: A lot of strength in hands and fingers, arms and legs, plus above-average fitness and mobility — over longer stretches most of your weight can hang on your arms. A via ferrata set is obligatory. Not recommended for beginners or children.

F More than extremely difficult

Terrain: Primarily overhanging and exposed; very small footholds or friction climbing.

Protection: As for E, combined with climbing.

Requirements: As for E, with good climbing ability obligatory; additional top-rope protection is recommended. Not for anyone who does not handle grade E with ease. Only a few routes of this grade exist in the Alps.

Intermediate grades such as A/B, B/C or C/D mark routes that fall between two steps. Above F, a grade G has so far been used for a single route, the Ferrata Extraplomix on Gran Canaria.

How to read a grade

The hardest passage decides: Most scales, Schall’s included, rate the technical difficulty of the hardest passage under normal conditions. Route descriptions often grade each section separately, so a route listed as C may be mostly B with one short C step — or C almost all the way.
What the grade does not tell you: Length, approach time, total ascent, altitude and how serious the surroundings are do not go into the letter. A long high-mountain route with extended D passages is a very different undertaking from a short valley route with one brief D section — which is why guidebooks give this information separately.
Grades vary between sources: Assessments occasionally differ from one guidebook or website to the next, and how hard a passage feels depends on your height, fitness and form on the day. If a grade seems doubtful, compare several sources.
Conditions change everything: Grades assume normal conditions. Wet rock and iced-up cables make a route far harder, and cables buried under snow cannot be used at all. The steel cable also conducts lightning, which makes via ferratas especially dangerous in thunderstorms.

Equipment and falling

The equipment recommended by the UIAA and the German Alpine Club (DAV) for any via ferrata is a climbing harness, a mountaineering helmet and a via ferrata set that meets the standard, with an energy absorber and two carabiners; gloves protect your hands on the cable. A plain sling or rope lanyard is no substitute — without the absorber, the forces in a fall can injure you badly and break the equipment.

Even with the right set, a fall on a via ferrata is serious: you fall as far as the next anchor of the cable, which can be several metres, and the stop is abrupt. The set is there to prevent the worst, not to make falling acceptable — choose a grade you can climb without falling.

Other scales you will meet

Different regions and guidebooks use different systems. The most common besides Schall:

Hüsler scale (K1–K6): Devised by the guidebook author Eugen E. Hüsler and still in use alongside the Schall scale. K1 corresponds roughly to A and K2 to B; higher up, published comparisons no longer agree with each other.
French grades (F, PD, AD, D, TD, ED): France uses the letter grades familiar from alpine climbing — facile, peu difficile, assez difficile, difficile, très difficile, extrêmement difficile. On a via ferrata they have their own meaning and cannot be compared with the same letters on a mountaineering route.
Italian grades: Italian guidebooks use their own letter grades, starting at F (facile). Several variants are in circulation, so check the key of the guidebook you are using.

Treat any conversion between scales as a rough guide. The descriptions are what matters — read the definition in the source you are using rather than trusting the letter alone.

Via ferrata grades in TrailPack

Via ferrata data in TrailPack comes from OpenStreetMap and CampToCamp. OpenStreetMap stores the grade as a number from 0 to 6 in the via_ferrata_scale tag; TrailPack shows it as the matching letter:

OpenStreetMap value	Shown in TrailPack
`via_ferrata_scale=0`	Secured path
`via_ferrata_scale=1`	A · easy
`via_ferrata_scale=2`	B · moderate
`via_ferrata_scale=3`	C · difficult
`via_ferrata_scale=4`	D · very difficult
`via_ferrata_scale=5`	E · extremely difficult
`via_ferrata_scale=6`	F · extreme

Value 0 is not a Schall grade. OpenStreetMap uses it for short, easy secured paths below grade A, so place details and lists label it “Secured path” instead of giving it a letter.

Where the source records a finer grade — B/C, or C+ — TrailPack keeps it instead of rounding to a single letter. A question mark means the source has no grade for that route; it says nothing about how hard the route is.

You will find the grade in the place details on the map and in the list of places along an uploaded GPX route. When you plan with the “Waymarked + via ferrata” profile, legs that use a via ferrata carry a badge with its grade.

Find via ferratas along your GPX route Data sources and licences

Frequently asked questions

Which grade is suitable for a first via ferrata?

By the published definitions, grade A asks mainly for sure-footedness and a head for heights, and B adds some strength and stamina. From C upwards the definitions suggest belaying inexperienced people and children with a rope, and D and harder are explicitly not recommended for beginners.

What does a grade like B/C mean?

It is an intermediate grade: the hardest passage lies between B and C. TrailPack shows such grades as recorded in the source instead of rounding them.

Is grade C the same as K3?

Roughly, but not reliably. Schall’s A–F and Hüsler’s K1–K6 line up at the easy end (A ≈ K1, B ≈ K2); for C and above, published tables give different equivalents. Use the description, not the conversion.

Does the grade tell me how long or serious the route is?

No. The letter rates the technical difficulty of the hardest passage. Length, ascent, altitude and remoteness are described separately in guidebooks and matter just as much for planning.

Do I need a via ferrata set on an easy route?

The published definitions recommend a set from grade A, strongly recommend it at C and treat it as obligatory from D. Experienced people are sometimes seen without self-belay on grade A — but the cable only protects you if you are clipped in.

Sources

The Schall scale is published in Kurt Schall’s guidebooks; the descriptions here follow the definitions as reproduced in the sources below, checked against each other. Last reviewed in October 2026.

This page explains a grading system. It cannot assess a specific route, the conditions on the day or your own ability — that judgement remains yours.

Via ferrata grades: what A to F mean