A good understanding of the ski run color is a must before you hit the piste. Different ski run coloring represents different levels of difficulty. A ski resort rating system is primarily based on the slope gradient.
Other criteria that determine ski slope difficulty include the width, the turns, the smooth or rough terrain, and the grooming. For safe skiing, it’s best to stick to the rating that matches your ability. Besides the eye test, which is not reliable, the color-coded system is the standardized way of knowing the difficulty rating of a piste.
Listed below is the ski runs code information along with the shapes.
Green Circle
The green circle symbolizes the easiest trail, suitable for beginners. If you have limited or no skiing skills, here is where you learn the fundamentals. Though the gentleness of the slope may differ, all ski pistes have easy green for newbies to practice turns and build skills.
Navigating the ski trail should pose no trouble for a first-timer. It is often a near-flat and vast plain with a slope grade between 6 to 25%, which can extend several kilometers.
Blue Square
It is a ski run rating most suited for intermediate skiers looking to up their skiing technique. Beginners bored with the green circle can try something more challenging with the blue square. Advanced skiers can also cool off on the trail.
In some resorts, the blue slopes might be left ungroomed with obstacles like small moguled courses or trees. Since the trail caters to people with different skiing experiences, the blue square color-coded ski is found in most resorts. It accounts for close to half of all the resort runs. The blue square ski run slope gradient ranges between 25 and 40%.
Black Diamond
With a steepness of greater than 40%, black diamond is a color-shape rating for experienced skiers and snowboarders. If you are honing your skiing technique, the ground rule is to stay away from this trail to prevent serious injuries. While they are generally ungroomed, some may be groomed. The ski area is often the steepest and narrowest in most resorts.
Be prepared to encounter obstacles and hazards like bumps, cliffs, rocks, high winds, and trees on this trail. Successfully navigating demands controlling speed and direction position with frequent hairpin turns.
Double Black Diamond
Double black diamond is a ski run color rating strictly for expert skiers. The ski area features challenging terrain with extreme vertical drops close to the slope. The narrow trail is full of other hazards like exposed rocks and trees.
Considering double blacks’ challenging run and unpredictability, navigating it offers an incredible thrill for veteran skiers and snowboarders only.
Skiing the hardest black diamond is the bare minimum before you can think of a double black diamond. You must have mastered skills like turning, stopping, side sliding, skiing off-piste, etc.
Final Thoughts
The four ski runs color code, or rating, makes up most of the ski runs in North America and Europe. Some combined ratings and variations also exist based on geographical differences but if you’re heading to a major resort, these are the ones to look out for.