The F-System

Mr. Z (my regular climbing brah) and I have begun to develop a new rating system for gauging the difficulty of climbing route approaches while wearing flip-flops. We call this new system The F- SYSTEM or TFS. Sport climbers and boulderers should find this system particularly useful when making that difficult cragging/session footwear decision.

Now, firm grading is still in the works, but here's an example of how the system functions:

Each grade indicates the technical difficulty of the hardest section:

• F0 - Cushy. ie: Carpeted area between couch and beer. (May be more difficult depending upon the cleanliness of your apartment)
  
• F1 - Mild Annoyances. i.e.: Cracked sidewalk or pavement between your car and the gym door.
  
• F2- Getting more annoying. i.e.: Well maintained, relatively flat and debris-free dirt trail.
• F3- Who put these rocks here?
• F4- WTF!!!?!
  

..... etc. etc.

I'm working on an excel spreadsheet... look for it in about ten years. Also stay tuned for the DJS, a system that adjusts the difficulty rating for routes by considering the flexibility limitations of designer jeans.