The Difficulty level scale is based on the classification of the Swiss Alpine Club and used worldwide by the collaborative openstreetmap, project (see SAC-Scale) . In Colombia, Caminantes del Retorno de Colombia has developed a similar scale (until level 5).

The scale goes from T1 to T6. The letter T represents "Tourism" or -in our case- "Trekking", reason why the scale was slighly adopted to the Andean context:

Trail well cleared. Area flat or slightly sloped. Requirements: None.

T2 Mountain Hiking
Trail with continuous line and balanced ascent. Terrain partially steep, fall hazard possible. Requirements: Hiking shoes recommended, some sure footedness.

T3 Demanding mountain hiking /trekking
Trail through irregular terrain, often with significant differences of altitude, partly exposed sites with fall hazard, scree, pathless jagged rocks. Requirements: Endurence, well sure-footed, good hiking shoes, basic alpine experience. In case of a several day trekking, daily walking times of 5 to 8 h. Hostels or mountain huts often available.

T4 alpine hiking /trekking
Small trail or trace, sometimes cross-country, quite exposed, precarious grassy acclivities, jagged rocks, facile snow-free glaciers, sometimes need for hand use to get ahead
. Requirements: Familiarity with exposed terrain, Solid trekking boots, Some ability for terrain assessment, alpine experience. In case of a several day trekking, daily walking times of 7 to 10 h. Alpine huts sometimes available, sometimes not.

T5 demanding alpine hiking /trekking
Small traces, often cross-country, in exposed, demanding terrain, jagged rocks, few dangerous glacier and névé, single plainly climbing up to second grade (5.4).
Requirements: Mountaineering boots, reliable assessment of terrain, profound alpine experience, elementary knowledge of handling with ice axe and rope. In case of a several day trekking, daily walking times of 7 to 10 h. Camping over snowline or 5.000m.

T6 difficult alpine hiking
Like T5, but more exposed, precarious jagged rocks, glacier with crevasses with danger to slip and fall. Climbing difficulty up to second grade (5.4)
Requirements: mature alpine experience, familiarity with the handling of technical alpine equipment.

Alpine areas are posing the hiker greater difficulties. Exposed sites, boulders and debris, remoteness, high altitude, the possibility of rapid whether changes and often pathless routes that may change depending on conditions and time of the year are all factors that make up alpine regions. Note that just because a way is at high altitude but well maintained (e.g. cablecar nearby that carries tourist up to the Gornergrat ) means that even though a way is in alpine surroundings, the way itself should not be classified T4-T6. In alpine areas dangers such as avalanches, creveases, falling rocks or ice mean that the difficulty of a way is not the way alone, but also the requirement to know how to handle such situations. .