AMERICAN MEATBALLS

Bohuslän 411

• By Air: With planning, you can fly to Stockholm for less than $1,000. From there, rent a car.
• By Car: Bohuslän stretches for 93 miles along Sweden’s western coast, from Gothenburg to the Norwegian border. The granite sits in the northern half of Bohuslän. From Stockholm, take the E20 to Götene, and from there, the 44 to Uddevalla and then the E6 north (toward Oslo), until you take off on 162 toward Lysekil. The 300-mile drive takes six hours, though Oslo (136 miles) and Gothenburg (93 miles) are closer.
• Guidebooks: Klätterguide Bohuslän, compiled in 2002 by Joakim Hermasson in cooperation with the Bohuslän Climbing Club, can be bought at the outdoor shop Upplevelsebolaget, in Uddevalla, or at upplevelsebolaget.com. Jonas Paulsson also has compiled an excellent guide at highandlow.nu.
• Season: April through September is best, with August and September offering good swimming.
• Lodging: The Bohuslän Climbing Club offers a climbers’ hut for a nominal fee, providing clean cooking, comfortable sleeping, and a great meeting point in the Bärfendal Valley, minutes from several crags; contact Rickard Larsson (46 707 73 67 84 or ricklar@gmail.com). There is also abundant camping throughout the area, with hotels and rooms for rent in Gothenburg, or in Brastad and Lysekil.
• Access: Most crags in Bohuslän are situated on private land, so be mindful. Park to the side of the road, keep your voice down, pack out your (and others’) trash, and stay up to date on changing access situations via klatterforbundet.se or by visiting the climbers’ hut in Bohuslän.

Swedish grade conversion scale

As the Americans Mike Brumbaugh and Rob “The Piz” Pizem discovered, matching up Swedish grades with Yosemite Decimal System grades is no simple arithmetic. An ankle-eating offwidth roof called Presenten initially received a 6+, though today it’s called an 8 (how do you say “sandbag” in Swedish?). Below, find the Swedish-to-American grade “conversions,” which, like a good slice of humble pie, should be taken with a grain of salt:

4 = 5.7
5 = 5.9
5+ = 5.9/5.10a
6- = 5.10b
6 = 5.10c
6+ = 5.10d
7- = 5.11a/b
7 = 5.11c
7+ = 5.11d
8- = 5.12a/b
8 = 5.12c
8/8+ = 5.12d
8+ = 5.13a
9- = 5.13b
9-/9 = 5.13c
9 = 5.13d
9/9+ = 5.14a
9+ = 5.14b