Ski trail ratings

North America

In North America, a colorÐshape rating system is used to indicate the difficulty of trails (otherwise known as slopes or pistes). Australian ski slopes also share the same rating system.

There is no governing body that assigns difficulty ratings to ski trails. Instead, ski resorts assign ratings to their own trails, marking a given trail according to its relative difficulty when compared with other trails at that resort. As a result, identically-pitched trails at different resorts can have different ratings. Some skiers and snowboarders may interpret this as manipulation of ratings of their slopes to appeal to as wide an audience as possible; in fact, it is an attempt by ski areas to conform to the trail rating conventions.

Although slope gradient is the primary consideration in assigning a trail rating, other factors come into play Ñ including trail width, normal snow conditions and whether or not the resort regularly grooms the trail.

Ski trail difficulty ratings in North America

Trail Rating	Symbol	Level of difficulty	Description
Green circle		Easiest	The easiest pistes at a mountain. Green Circle trails are generally wide and groomed, typically with slope gradients ranging from 6% to 25%[1] (a 100% slope is a 45 degree angle).
Blue square		Intermediate	Intermediate difficulty slopes with grades commonly ranging from 25% to 40%.[1] These slopes are usually groomed. Blue Square runs comprise the bulk of pistes at most ski areas, and are usually among the most heavily-trafficked.
Black diamond		Difficult	Amongst the most difficult at a given mountain. Black Diamond trails tend to be steep (typically 40% and up)[1] and may or may not be groomed, though the introduction of winch-cats has made the grooming of steep slopes both possible and more frequent.
Double black diamond		Expert	These trails are even more difficult than Black Diamond, due to exceptionally steep slopes and other hazards such as narrow trails, exposure to wind, and the presence of obstacles such as steep drop-offs or trees. They are intended only for the most experienced skiers. This trail rating is fairly new; by the 1980s, technological improvements in trail construction and maintenance, coupled with intense marketing competition, led to the creation of a Double Black Diamond rating.
Variations		Various	Variations such as doubling a symbol to indicate increased difficulty, or combining two different symbols to indicate intermediate difficulty are occasionally used. One example is a diamond overlapping a square to indicate a trail rating between a Blue Square and a Black Diamond. Mont Tremblant in Canada utilizes two blue squares right next to each other to indicate the same thing. Many resorts in Summit County, Colorado use a double diamond with an "EX" in the center to mark a trail even more difficult than a double diamond. The combination of symbols is comparatively rare at U.S. ski areas; most ski resorts stick to the standard 4-symbol progression.
Terrain parks		Various	Terrain parks are whole or portions of trails that can offer a variety of jumps, half-pipes, and other special "extreme" sporting obstacles beyond traditional moguls. The trails are typically represented by an orange rectangle with rounded corners. Usually, the terrain park will carry its own trail rating, indicating the level of challenge. A terrain park with a Black Diamond or Double Black Diamond rating would contain greater and more challenging obstacles than a park with a Blue Square rating.

Triple black diamond trails can be found in certain ski resorts, such as Black Hole in Smuggler's Notch, Vermont. There are also unrated slopes, generally as hard as or harder than double blacks. One such example is the Palmer Glacier on Mount Hood, Oregon.

Europe

In Europe, pistes are classified by a similar, colour-coded system, although shapes are not always used (sometimes all ratings are circles). The ratings are:

Green

(Spain, France, Scandinavia, UK) Learning or "Beginner" slopes. These are usually not marked trails, but tend to be large open, gently sloping areas at the base of the ski area.

Blue

An easy trail, similar to the North American Green Circle, and are almost always groomed, or on so shallow a slope as not to need it.

Red

An intermediate slope. Steeper, or narrower than a blue slope, these are usually groomed, unless the narrowness of the trail prohibits it.

Black

An expert slope. Steep, may or may not be groomed, or may be groomed for moguls. "Black" can be a very wide classification, ranging from a slope marginally more difficult than a "Red" to very steep avalanche chutes like the infamous Couloirs of Courchevel. France tends to have a higher limit between red and black.

Orange

(Austria, Switzerland, certain other areas) Extremely difficult.

Double-black

(Scandinavia) Extremely difficult.

Yellow

In recent years, many resorts reclassified some black slopes to yellow slopes. This signifies a skiroute, an ungroomed and unpatrolled slope which is actually off-piste skiing in a marked area. Famous examples are the Stockhorn area in Zermatt and the Tortin slopes in Verbier. In Austria, skiroutes are usually marked with orange squares instead.

Alpine slope classification in Europe is less rigidly tied to slope angle than in North America. A lower angle slope may be classified as more difficult than a steeper slope if, for instance, it is narrower and/or requires better skiing ability to carry speed through flatter sections while controlling speed through sharp hairpin turns, off-camber slope angles or exposed rock.

Japan

Japan uses a color-coded system, but shapes do not usually accompany them. Some resorts, mainly those catering to foreigners, use the North American or European color-coding system, adding to the confusion. When in doubt, check the map legend. The usual ratings are:

Green

Beginner slopes. These are usually near the base of the mountain, although some follow switchback routes down from the top.

Red

Intermediate slopes. At most ski areas in Japan, these constitute the majority of the slopes (40¡ to 60¡, depending on how the slopes are accounted).

Black

Expert slopes. These are the steepest and most difficult slopes at the ski area. The difficulty of these compared to like-classified slopes at other ski areas is heavily dependent on the target audience.

Japan has more than 1000 ski areas (115 in Nagano Prefecture alone), many of them small and family-oriented, so comparisons between slope classifications in Japan and "equivalent" slopes in Europe or North America are minimal.

New Zealand

Green

Beginner slopes but are a lot more difficult than North American Greens. Some say New Zealand greens are as hard as an American Blue or even Black run on some resorts.

Blue

Intermediate slopes with an increase in gradient and usually a tighter and less open trail.

Black

More difficult than Blue

Double Black (or "Black diamond")

More difficult than Black

Triple Black (or "Double black diamond")

Most difficult of all slopes - dubbed "suicidal" by some resorts.