Dr. Rainer Newberry, a geology professor at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, invented the Fun Scale around 1985. Getting to the geologic study site in Alaska in those days involved hiking and climbing over challenging terrain. It could be raining or even snowing. He created the Fun Scale during one trip that was, in his words, “pretty hairy.”
The scale has 3 types of fun:
- Type 1 fun is enjoyable while it’s happening. Also known as, simply, fun.
- Type 2 fun is miserable while it’s happening but fun in retrospect.
- Type 3 fun is not fun at all. Not even in hindsight.
The Fun Scale was quickly adopted by the mountaineering community as a simple mechanism for rating climbs and quantifying the fun-to-suffer ratio. Of course, where an effort falls on the Fun Scale depends on one’s tolerance for discomfort and risk. One person’s Type 2 fun may be another’s Type 3 fun.
The scale has since been applied to other outdoor activities. When applied to cycling, Type 1 rides are leisurely, casual rides along a scenic route at a comfortable pace.
Type 2 rides are challenging rides that feel good to complete, like an Audax ride. I wouldn’t describe them as “miserable.” They can hurt, though. This photograph was taken during an Audax 300 km ride in 2017.
Type 3 rides are very difficult or dangerous, such as riding in extreme weather conditions or cycling through heavy traffic with significant danger.
I have not had any “What was I thinking?” Type 3 rides. I have done a few rides that were fun in parts, but I would not do them again. The Audax 400 km ride in 2016 is one of those. My friends and I remember
Less memorable are particular incidents during that ride. Like the fall into a drain that led to this:
I do not have any 300 km or 400 km rides left in me. Not at my current level of fitness.
These days, my friends and I occasionally stray into Type 2 territory, like the 109 km Audax Pink Ride we did last January. Again, this ride was not miserable, but it was certainly uncomfortable at times.
We are mostly about Type 1 rides now.
Definitely heavy on the “enjoyable while it’s happening” side of the Fun Scale.
Old Roots, New Routes 