Multi-pitch and big wall: routes longer than a rope.

Pitches

Wikipedia's article on multi-pitch climbing defines multi-pitch routes as routes too long for one rope length, which it puts at roughly 50 to 70 metres. They are climbed in sections called pitches. A multi-pitch route can be trad, sport or aid: the term describes the length of the route, not how it is protected.

On these routes, Wikipedia says, climbers usually work in pairs. One leads each pitch while the other belays, and the pair sometimes swap leads. How the team moves between pitches and manages the rope is taught in person and is not described here; the top-rope and lead page explains the basic roles.

Where big walls begin

Wikipedia says routes of more than about 10 pitches, or 300 to 500 metres, especially steep ones, are generally called big walls. It also says the line between multi-pitch, big wall and alpine climbing is not precisely defined. The alpine, ice and mixed page covers the mountain end of that range.

Wikipedia's list of styles for multi-pitch routes includes aid. In aid climbing, gear such as pitons and mechanical devices is used to make upward progress, rather than only to protect against a fall (Wikipedia, secondary).

The gear the UIAA adds

The UIAA's 2018 extract from its Alpine Skills Summer Handbook gives separate equipment lists for single-pitch and multi-pitch climbing. The multi-pitch list adds items for longer routes, for navigation and for weather. The UIAA also says that anyone using technical gear must read its instructions, get specific training, understand its limits and accept the risks, and warns that failing to do so may result in severe injury or death.

Grades for length, commitment and aid

The CAI paper on grade scales notes that the Yosemite Decimal System usually rates only the hardest passage of a route. Other scales cover length, commitment and aid.

Commitment grades

Wikipedia describes the US National Climbing Classification System (NCCS) commitment grades as running from I to VII, from routes of a few hours to routes of many days, and credits Leigh Ortenburger. This comes from Wikipedia only and is unconfirmed. The same CAI paper (Italian Alpine Club, by G. Mandelli and A. Angriman, hosted by the UIAA, undated) notes that some Yosemite routes once at the top of the American overall commitment scale were later downgraded as techniques improved.

Aid grades

• Wikipedia gives aid grades as A1 to A5, with a "new wave" extension that reaches A6, and says C grades are used when no hammer is needed.
• The CAI paper credits Jim Bridwell with a table for grading aid climbing that reflects the mental commitment involved. It notes that routes once graded A5 have been downgraded to A4 or A3.

The grading systems page covers these scales alongside the free-climbing ones.

Permits for overnight walls in Yosemite

We could not open the National Park Service's Yosemite climbing permits page, so the following is unconfirmed. A search summary of that page says Yosemite requires a wilderness climbing permit for anyone staying overnight on a big wall climb, while day climbs do not need one, and that climbers must pack out solid human waste from big walls. The American Alpine Club, in a 27 May 2025 news item we also saw only in a search summary, reports that the big-wall permit system began as a pilot in 2021 and became permanent in January 2023. Current rules are the ones the park publishes.

Who teaches and guides on multi-pitch terrain

The American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) treats multi-pitch terrain as its own qualification. It lists a Multi-Pitch Instructor programme alongside its Single Pitch Instructor and Rock Guide programmes. Its Scope of Practice (version 4, dated 15 November 2024) says guides and instructors must complete discipline-specific training before working in a discipline, giving multi-pitch rock guiding as an example that requires multi-pitch training. The learning and guide certification page explains these awards.