Rated R

Rated R is a protection rating in climbing that indicates a route carries serious risk. On an R-rated route, protection is sparse, difficult to place, or unreliable, and a fall in certain sections could result in serious injury such as broken bones or significant trauma from hitting ledges, features, or the ground. R-rated routes demand that the climber is confident they will not fall on the poorly protected sections, as the consequences of a fall are severe. It is more dangerous than PG-13 but less extreme than X-rated routes where a fall could be fatal.

Examples

In lead climbing, an R rating warns that certain sections of the route have inadequate protection and a fall could cause serious injury. For example, an R-rated trad route might have a 10-meter runout above marginal gear with a ledge below, meaning a fall could result in a ground fall or ledge impact with broken bones. On an R-rated sport climb, bolts might be placed very far apart on a slab section where a fall would send the climber sliding down the rock face. Climbers attempting R-rated routes must have the mental fortitude and skill level to climb well within their ability on the unprotected sections.