I'll come clean - I'm a defender of soft grades. In my opinion, they not only matter, but they are necessary for growth and balance. Does that mean I'm against stiff grades? Not at all. In fact, if we didn't have soft grades, wouldn't stiff grades just be your average everyday normal grades?

Honestly, I'm bothered a little every time that I hear someone disparage or choose not to do a certain climb because it's considered soft. I should just let the ridiculousness of it float away in the breeze, but it's a tough one for me to let go of for whatever reason. I feel the same defensiveness when Sierra Blair-Coyle is dissed, but that's a different story for another day. 

Here is a fact for you:

When you do a rock climb and log it on your 8a, no matter what grade you give it, or what grade the guidebook gives it, the difficulty of said rock climb does not change. It's exactly the same amount of challenging for you no matter what number you, or anyone else, attaches to it.

So let's talk some of the reasons why soft grades should remain exactly what they are…

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