Hey all, a quick correction on this video: around 1:48, we mentioned that the green/blue/black rating system has become a "widely recognized standard worldwide." We should have clarified that "worldwide" does not refer to every region, and that several areas in Europe, South America, and Asia abide by different standards. This system is really used in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand-and to a certain extent in Scandinavia, with greens and blues being easier than in other countries. Thanks for watching!
Don't be ashamed of making a mistake, but also don't try to talk it good. This is the worst excuse since "the several areas" have many more ski resorts than the US lmao. So its basically just a small part that uses the system yall talked about compared to the world...
Yeah, in Europe it s simply a question of the colour. (Green), blue, red and black. And to add: in Europe the slopes are almost always signed with that colour on posts aside the whole slope.
These are actually not the same worldwide. In most of Europe Blue (no specific shapes used) means about the same as Green Circle in America, Red corresponds to Blue Square (not just to Double Blue Square) while Black is similar to Black Diamond (but typically groomed.) A few European countries use Green for very easy. Some use Orange or Yellow for expert or off-piste (ungroomed) itineraries, corresponding to Double Black Diamond terrain.
True usually all the runs in europe are groomed and the blue marking is used also for the begginner areas (only in some bigger and more international ski areas green is used), in some places i know (know from other people that i know not from my personal expience) that brownish colors are used for a middle ground betwenn red and black, black runs in europe are much steper than black diamonds in america and car reach 75%+ but they are still groomed
Here are some tips I gathered from skiing out West for a few years. If you typically ski alone and want to venture into double black/extreme terrain, wait at the Avy Gate for other people to ski in first. Don’t flag people down, but if someone else stops politely ask if you can ski with them on the particular run. Nine out of ten times people will be kind and receptive. More eyes on the variable terrain the better for everyone as long as you keep a safe distance from others. Plus, it’s often easier to execute a line if you see someone else do it first. Always know how to self rescue and self arrest. Go into avy gates with a charged phone or walkie talkie. Know where to stop above and to the side of a fall line. Make sure your boots are tight. Take your time. Don’t speed run if you aren’t confident in where you’re going, even if you’re a good skier. Traversing often makes skiing down extreme terrain easier, but don’t get cliffed out. Practice your kick turns on easier runs. Stay clear of tree wells. If you found a powder stache, that’s great. Make sure you know how to get back to the defined tracks because a powder Stache can appear before cliffs. Make sure your skis are the proper width and underfoot for extreme terrain (rentals might not cut it depending on the mountain). Use powder baskets on polls. Wear a helmet. If nothing I said here made sense, google is your friend and maybe find a ski instructor for your first time!
this is some of the worst advice I've ever seen. NEVER EVER go into avy terrain unless you are trained and have a beacon and rescue gear and know how to use them and you are with a partner. if you get caught in an avalanche and burried without an avy beacon your chances of survival are near 0. Additionally you shouldnt be going into avy terrain if you cant read terrain and know the avy forecast.
Also remember that the green/blue/black designations vary from hill to hill and are relative to that hill only. A black diamond in the east will likely be very different than a black at the western slopes.
Yeah a double black at Breck is way different than a double black at Crested Butte. Waiting to drop into a Crested Butte double black is the only time I've ever been afraid to drop into a run. Shit was a fucking wall. My brother almost died cause he almost fell off an unmarked cliff. Crested Butte is a different fucking breed
yeah - that is one of the things that creates a great deal of danger in skiing. They could come up with a universal marking that uses some type of average slope % so you know what to expect when you get on a trail regardless of where you are. But this would make too much sense.
@@jvwMUSICyeah. The one I would go to was smaller, and the black diamonds are close to a double black at a larger place I frequent. Conditions play a big part too. Powder makes it way easier and funner.
@@hudson5610double black is double black…you better be ready for anything and everything….and if you aren’t sure, go with someone who’s done it…ski responsibly…and don’t fall on double blacks
I remember once my novice friends decided to try a black diamond trail that was like 6 feet wide and was almost straight down. We tried it on our snowboards and we ended up sliding on our butts the whole way down and that was when I decided the mellow runs are actually way more fun and chill, plus less chance for hurting yourself.
You were very lucky and sensible about the mistake. One kid on a ski trip I took decided on a dare to take a wooded trail. Double black diamond by himself on his last run of the day, barely could ski a diamond, that’s what my dad (a chaperone who’s an expert skier) told me. He ended up with a cracked collarbone, a furious counselor, and a three hour hold up for everyone on the trip. I still say he was lucky he was that safe. Considering what he did.
I grew up skiing in the Alps and after moving to the USA and skiing there a bit, I've found that I still prefer the European designation of trails. The green slopes there are your bunny hills/easier greens, the blues there are trails that are steeper than greens but are still groomed and don't have bumps. Reds are trails that are steeper than blues but still groomed with the introductions of some bumps; this is what I find blues to be like at least on the east coast. Then blacks are ungroomed, steeper terrain which is equivalent to black diamonds here and then there are expert blacks which are your double blacks and above. In addition, I've found that resorts in the Alps at least all have trail markers along the way with the color or grade of the run and number markers every so often. This helps a lot not get lost when conditions are bad and I think I've only seen something similar once at Hunter mountain (which you featured earlier in the video =) ). I wish more resorts did that.
black runs in europe are nearly always groomed and ungroomed ones are usually specifically marked as mogul/ungroomed, at least everywhere i've skied so far
Rather than "beginner, intermediate, advanced," the colored symbols are often described as denoting "easier", "more difficult", "most difficult". This helps make clear that they are explanatory of RELATIVE difficulty among various runs for that particular resort and do not provide information related to other resorts. My daughter, raised skiing and riding Washington State, with some experience at resorts in Canadian and Oregon, found herself at a small resort in upstate New York during grad school and came away with the observation that a black run there was the same steepness as a steep green in the Pacific NW.
aye. very true. tbf, a lot of resorts in southern VT/MA/NY are very liberal about labeling things Diamond and even Double Diamond that places like Killington, Stowe, etc. might label Square. Personally, I think DD needs more objective criteria relating to pitch, trail width, and technical skill as gauged by something more than comparing it to other runs on the same resort. but that's simply not how it is.
An under-rated trail sign in Canada is "easiest way down", which can frequently use green or perhaps skip green when snow or grooming is poor (especially in spring melt) to denote where snow conditions (and not only angle) are in fact the safest way to the base
Yes! Most resorts I’ve been to have this. Although my last time out on my first run I followed the “easiest way down” sign and there were Definitely easier runs down than that so I guess use at your discretion haha
Ya the only problem with this tho is they often rate blue runs green so they can say it is the easiest way down however u have been to a few hills where they had it blue and it still had the easiest way down sign but it is rarer and usually only on harder chairs. Most of the hills I’ve been to tho don’t change they usually stay where they are but I could see bigger hills like kicking horse maybe doing that I didn’t really pay attention when I was there.
You can also call the Ski Patrol or the attendant at the top of the chairlift. My brother got trapped at the top of the mountain his first month (he took a wrong chairlift), and the ski patrol helped him down. The signs are an amazing idea anyway because of people who do get lost and need help down.
Wow, that Disney connection to the trail ratings is really interesting... Ive skied my whole life and never once asked myself where the system came from. Thanks for including that!
This makes way more sence than what I initiallythought. Thought it was base one the slopes degree of pitch. thinking about the other slopes ive been to thiough, makes way more sence. They kinda rate the trails how ever they want ive been on some black 45° slopes and ive been on some blue 45° slopes
In Austria, Germany and Switzerland, we have a blue, red and a black circle. For trails there is a red diamond or for the hard ones a red diamond with black edges.
Yes. In France it is green for beginner/easy, blue for slightly difficult, red for hard and black for extremely hard. Some blacks can be easier than others
This is a super detailed guide, and I wish more resorts used a more detailed rating system like what you’ve described instead of just a simple 3 symbol system. That’s why I love Telluride in Colorado because they use - single green - double green - single blue - double blue - single black - double black - extreme double black so you have a very clear and gradual progression
This is so interesting! It seems that American resorts are very different from European resorts in several ways. For one, basically all marked runs are groomed and cleared of obstacles in Europe. There are some ungroomed free terrain runs, but they are a rarity. Many of these double and triple black diamond runs seem like they would involve quite a bit of avalanche risk? I wonder if they are closed a lot of the time? Especially with the american approach to liabilty, it would seem many of these are a lawsuit waiting to happen (not saying that's right). In Europe, anything in a forest or dropping off a cliff or something like that would be considered off-piste, which is something many skiers consider something of a diviving line that many are hesistant to cross.
Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming (and probably other major ski industry states) actually have laws specifically making ski areas not liable for injury or death resulting from "the inherent risks of skiing." If the avalanche risk is too high, they will close the terrain and possibly shell the slope with artillery to trigger avalanches or they'll just wait to open it. The ski areas in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada get so much snow that they kinda just have to be able to evaluate and mitigate avalanche risk. 🙂 Also, if you are injured or require search and rescue because you entered closed terrain, you (or your family) will be required to pay for all costs associated with that and you may be prosecuted. If you are injured within a ski area on terrain that was open, you will not have to pay for ski patrol services (but you will have to pay for your medical bills because America 😂).
@@mack.attack Different states treat SAR differently. Colorado law specifically prevents you from being charged for SAR services if you're outside a resort, though closed in bounds terrain may be different. Wyoming may bill you for SAR services outside a resort. Utah has mandatory minimum $10,000 rescue fee if you have to be SARd outside a resort.
compared to European runs: green circle = groomed blue runs (and green runs France) blue square = groomed harder blue or easy red run double blue square = groomed red run black diamond = ungroomed or groomed black runs or yellow mogul runs double black diamond = ungroomed black runs, yellow mogul runs or unmarked routes (usually only trails found on fatmap, other apps or by guides) triple black diamond = ungroomed unmarked routes in harsh steep terrain with rocks/cliffs (usually only trails found on fatmap, other apps or by guides)
been snowboarding since like 9 but still thoroughly enjoyed this. I would add on to the end: terrain park features are usually individually marked with a size from S to XXL, some resorts also have XS. The sign at the entrance to a park will say "this park has S-L features", for example.
I'm going snowboarding on my first snow-trip this coming January in Colorado. I'm super stoked, and hope to accomplish a blue square or two by the end of the trip. We'll see if I'm being overly ambitious LOL
The system works well enough that it has been extended over to the mountain biking world to rate MTB trails. The orange freeride circle has also extended over to MTB to designate a trail with jumps, drops, etc.
@@bartholemew4362Bro don't be rude, I was terrified when I went on my first blue but I just got over it. My friend gave a tip if you're really stuck... shimmy your way down. If that sucks then roll your way down
Ya blue sometimes feels like a big jump from green, at my home hill the main face is all blue and I sometimes see people struggling to get down don’t worry there is nothing wrong with not doing blues. I know lots of people who can do black diamonds but just don’t want to.
Interesting video! I didn't realize Colorado mandated the EX terrain. Would be interested to hear how that came about in another video. And if possible, would you be able to throw a small label in the corner denoting which mountain each video clip is from? I find myself enviously wanting to visit the amazing places shown in your videos, but don't always know which mountain they are from. Thanks!
Thank you! We'll try in future videos but may be awhile, since the editing for that is pretty time consuming. If there are any trails you specifically want to know about, I'll dig them up!
Thanks for considering it! I like your channel for both the info you provide and also to get inspiration for future trips. In particular I'm interested in the locations starting at 0:00, 0:53, 4:39, 5:21 and 9:06. Thanks again!
@@garrettlanger4048 here you go: 0:00: Jackson Hole Rendezvous Bowl 0:53: A-Basin North Pole Hike 4:39: A-Basin Dercum's Gulch 5:21: Jackson Hole Laramie Bowl 9:06: A-Basin 2nd Notch I think we can tell what two mountains you need to visit!
Be aware that the green circle, blue square and black diamond system is mostly unique to the USA. For example in most of europe the slopes are classified with blue for easy, red for medium, black for hard, yellow/orange for off-piste and in some countries green for very easy. (Heck, even to describe slopes Americans need their own measuring system xD)
During my first time skiing 3 years ago, in two days of skiing with family i started from learning how to properly stand or walk with skies, to going down the really steep slope. I was scared as hell when i saw how high it really is close up, but after i did it my confidence sky rocket, ive been on that resort 2 times (now it will be my third) and no matter what i still love that, small, long, high slopes, after one year of pause everything feels like i learn it again but with a little more confidence, its great
I recently went to Copper Mountain and found the rating system quite… off. 2 of the hardest runs for me were single blacks, the Extreme Terrains felt somewhat underwhelming, and I found an ungroomed blue run harder than a couple double blacks! Maybe a part of that was my expectations, but it was the first time I’ve not understood multiple trail ratings at one resort
Conditions can change the character of a run. This past season was a huge snow year in California and some runs that are normally quite difficult narrow chutes were wide open runs.
@@tedthurgate it was early January, so before a ton had really filled in. But the two single black runs were definitely a lot steeper than most of the other runs there
I went to copper for the first time in late January and as I was heading back toward the car with my friend we decided to hit a run called Indian Ridge because it was only marked single black, how hard could it be? Well the whole thing was >30° pitch with a ton of deep moguls and hidden obstacles. Learned my lesson that day
@@wesleychaffin4029 Indian’s Ridge was one of the runs I had in mind lol. And from the pitch other runs there have been measured as, I believe Indian’s Ridge is much closer to 40° than 30
I had that experience as well. Additionally at winter park I experienced the opposite. Many of the runs labeled as black smelled to me like blues, but what was interesting was that the slope conditions showed that everyone else was treating these runs as extremely difficult. The resulting mogul pattern made the runs more difficult even though it was a shallow grade.
Depends on the conditions also. Rode a bkue black run. But that day the trail was more of a black diamond. Came back 3 weeks later same trail with more snow the trail was significnatly easier to ride.
Always thought double black and EX marked trails were the same difficulty and have definitely treated them indiscriminately. Good to keep in mind for the future!
All your content is fantastic, love this channel! I’d be interested in a video going over the ski gear you use Sam, how you maintain it, and how often.
@ 1:50 these ratings are not used worldwide. In Europe (at least the Alps GER/CH/AT,) they are different as we use blue (easy), red (intermidiary) and black (expert). Also there are no shapes attached to them.
Im a mug skier but ended up on the double black birds of prey at Beaver creek. I didnt realise it was meant to be expert till afterwards. Nice and steep but wide enough to make turns and snow was soft enough that you could hold an edge. OTOH some of the gladed blue runs there were well beyond my comfort level and the black tree runs would have killed me!
Interestingly enough that run is used for racing whenever beaver creek hosts international competitions. It’s one of the only groomed double blacks I’ve ever seen on a resort, definitely a unique one, it can get pretty icy at times but otherwise it’s a fun one to bomb down
@campbell9825 It was fun watching the world cup with some non skiing friends and casually telling them I've skied the same run that the race was on! Not sure they really believed me!
@@misham6547 That's sort of the opposite of the point I was trying to make! Within the one resort some blacks were easy for me as they were wide and or groomed and or good conditions but other blacks icy, bumped, tight trees etc were way out of my comfort range.
There are no red trails at Falls Creek. I did n't see any Perisher. The Blue runs at both places are steep enough to make learners' snow plough technique unsuitable for the terrain IMHO.
one thing to keep in mind is that the ratings are more often than not based around sking not snowboarding, trails that are rated to be hard are usually more easy on snow boards. im not sure how true this is but ive been told this alot
They're easier to do poorly on a snowboard, but much harder to do well. Most snowboarders will slip through an entire double black and scrape all the snow off. Sure they could get down easily and safely, but it's not polite. I've skied and boarded a few of the double blacks in this video, and proper boarding is more difficult than proper skiing at those levels
I have a fun story for you guys. So we’re at beech mtn. NC and it’s our second day skiing, we also never took any lessons so we just kinda taught each other we are also with 2 other families so we ski and do blues and greens and we all really like it, but then my dad said, “hey we should do the black diamond”, and I was scared at first but eventually was like “ok” so we ride the chairlifts up there and we’re really high up and the slope was very steep but we started going down it anyways, and I’m skiing with my friend that came with us and helping him go left and right and I’m looking at him and all of the sudden my other friend comes down n the slope at 200 MILES AN HOUR and he’s bending down and he hits the one I was helping in the feet and crashes down the hill, but the first friend had fell backwards reallly quick and been knocked out. (Just so you know there both about 8 and 9) so the parents come over and there all freaked out and then he just gets up, completely fine doesn’t remember what happened and anyways we just finish skiing down the hill like nothing happened. So yeah that’s one of my fav. Stories to tell people Thanks for reading👍
Snow sports are so fun, but I live pretty far away from any good places to do it regularly. I do try to go at least once a year and always have blast even though I'm pretty nooby.
In Austria there are circles for prepared slopes and diamonds for unprepared ski routes. In Austria there are no green slopes as far as I know, only blue, red and black. I have seen green slopes in France and also lots of unprepared black slopes that simply had a black circle. The only thing you can really trust are the colors.
This was quite informative and accurate to my knowledge. I ski the intermediates or easy blues starting with the greens at the start of the season. I go to different resorts in East Coast, west coast and also in Europe. The ratings of terrains are definitely relative across resorts, so much that I can ski 'black' in a small ski area. However varies the blues and blacks are, the easy ones are always good for beginners in the USA. But to my surprise, I found the Stubai Glacier in Austria to be rated quite differently. I literally got stuck at one easy run as it was steep like a blue in the USA and very long. I hit it by mistake and it was my first day skiing in the season. I couldn't do it. I had to be helped down by another very kind and expert skiier and I fell a lot, which I never do even during the blues. (My legs were not in the best shape strength wise tbh but I never fall regardless). I did write to the resort to share my experience and ask if the trail was rated accurately and they said that it was an easy trail and marked as such. I cannot agree with that but I don't know enough about their rating system. How are the ratings different across the European resorts compared to the ones in USA?A video comparing ratings internationally would be great because I plan to skiing in different countries.
Some amazing slopes in this video! Here in Europe we use a slightly different system of green for the bunny slopes, blue for beginner slopes (your green), red for intermediate, black for advanced but generally groomed and black diamond for very advanced /ungroomed. But the type of slopes you show under double and triple diamond basically don't exist here as marked slopes. In general these would be considered "off piste" and would be undertaken at your own risk / just following what other skiiers have done. Personally I've never come across a marked trail with tightly packed trees or anything like that (although while I have skiied about 1-2 dozen resorts across the alps fully, I have by no means skiied anything like all of them).
In Canada, specifically Ontario. Double black diamond runs can be very easy. They just use the title's reputation to get attention and attract customers.
I've never been skiing, nor do I know if I will ever ski in the future, and still got this in my recommended for some reason. And you bet your bottom I'm going to watch the entire thing.
Notably missing is BC skiing. Probably worth it's own video but highlight that you should be skiing nearly all inbounds terrain comfortably, and have taken your AIARE, and WFR course in addition to rope handling skills if you're entering crevasse terrain plus ice climbing skills using screws and crampons. It is not a linear progression.
In the 90s copper mountain had a blue called Bouncer that was my entire childhood. Crazy jumps in and out of the woods off the main run. Man I miss those days with my family.
I’m a very careful skier. I started at ~19 years old and it took me longer than most to get the hang of it, but I almost never fall despite skiing almost once a week all winter. At 19 I started skiing on a family friendly mountain. Back then I only did the greens. The same year I tried with my family (including my father who skied a lot in is youth and is expert) a mountain that is known for the powder it receives. I only did the green slopes, but man they were so hard. Next week when we got back to the family moutain I did all of the slopes (green to single diamond) and they were easy. Edit to clarify: the mountain is known for its powder, but more in the glades. The easy slopes were groomed.
it depends on what you're used to for sure. the mountain I usually go to has a double black that I can ski relatively easily (although definitely not in a way that looks good lol) but I never powder ski so whenever I have done it I'm pretty bad at it.
green and blue runs are generally harder when theres deep untouched powder on them. I rarely mess with powder unless its at least a single diamond slope, steepness is your friend when its deep
The most insane thing is for me. I have learned to snowboard here in NC, and have never been anywhere else other than WV. I went to Solden last year in Austria. For one, it costs way cheaper. For 4days was $300!! Any ways. I was able to kick ass from learning on the ice coast.
I grew up skiing on ice in southeastern Michigan and it serves me very well at 60, years later. I do live in North Carolina, and I shutter to think of skiing at Cataloochee or beach, both due to the ice and the extremely unskilled skiers that are even more dangerous than the ice…
5:59 that's paradise at MRG!!! That is the one part of it to avoid if you like your skis, the rock is always exposed. It would probably be labeled as double black to extreme most places. 7:37 is a mandatory cliff! I love that bit!
One thing I think anyone whose not a true expert should note is that condition will make a big difference in how difficult a run is the most difficult run at a mountain on a powder day could be relatively tame compared to the same exact run when it’s wind blown and icy
the highest ive done was double black, some were hard some were easy, glad to know that im actually not as good as i thought id be, would be down to try something harder, its a shame that quebec can only offer so much respect the difficulties & stay safe
I've only gone skiing once but did it give me quite the story. I was going with my troop of boy scouts at about 16, we went to pats peak. (north east america, granite states area) got plenty of experience with some green and blue trails. the lodge itself was very generous with it's rankings and most trails we tried were very simple and had little to no technical differences like glades or drops. anyways about 4-6 hours in, it's getting dark and we decide to go one more hour before heading in. I ask the troop master if I could head up the lift to the top of the mountain since we didn't get the chance to go there. the troop master knew there some good blue trails up top and figured it was fine but didn't want me going alone so he sent me with a buddy. we get to the top, and due to the darkness and much denser foliage I didn't see the, now obvious, path to the left leading to the blue trails. of course the troop master expected us to have some common sense and know our limits and reasoning ability so he didn't feel the need to mention the blue trails. so me and my buddy get to the top and all we see are a black diamond and two double blacks. the black diamond was a near straight drop with a clear path straight back to the lodge. clearly a simple thrill trail, but a little too intense for me and my buddy. one double black trail we saw on the way up we knew to be filled with jumps and bumps so that was a no-go as well. the last double black we knew was a decently spacious trail with some sharper turns and generally steeper than the other double black. but with our cold addled brains we figured that was our best shot to get back to the lodge. at the time we figured that we were running out of time to get back since the ski lift had to stop a couple of times on the way up. so we took the double black. we barely stuck together and we both lost our skis and stumbled multiple times. pizza wedging did next to nothing and we didn't have the courage to keep pace. luckily we made it to the bottom and nobody got hurt but it was quite the experience. there were some helpful people who went down the trail that helped us on the way down so it was pretty fun overall.
14 годин тому
I've been skiing for most of my life. I like to ski down Red slopes once I've warmed up.
Wait in the US you just have one big resort associated with a skiing park? or are there multiple? I'm curious cause i ski on the alps and usually there are many types of accomodation near by the slopes, but the ski park is separate from the resorts or houses.
In Big Sky MT our runs are rated 2 Levels lower, Our Blues are Double Blacks to other resorts. All The hardest runs require approved ski Patrol access, Gps Locator, and Shovel. People come all Season and never get off the bunny slopes.
I wish there were more rules to the system to keep it more consistent between parks. In Sweden the difference between greens are romme alpin and kungsberget are quite large (as a beginner) the greens at kungs are mellow and gently sloped throughout the runs, the green runs at romme have sections that are the same as blues at other places I've been too. It can really throw you into a negative headspace when you're eating snow on a green at romme but able to glide through the greens at kungs. I'd love a more nuanced rating system like the v system that exists in climbing.
As a CO skier I was like "what's a triple black diamond?" Then you mentioned that we call it extreme terrain. I was all excited thinking I could find a new challenge.
Great video! Would it be possible to get the locations shown in the Double and Triple black section? I recognize some of them, but the others make me say I need to ski them ASAP!
I noticed jackson hole and vail for runs shown in the video. if you want to try and ski the steepest inbound run in north america you can head over to bigsky montana and try little couloir
@@jameson1239no. At Sunshine Village, the two free ride areas (Delirium Dive and Wild West) are considered inbounds and have avalanche control and patrollers, but due to the difficult access in the event of an avalanche some self-sufficiency in rescue is expected, hence the requirements. There are also traditional backcountry gates that lead out of bounds (such as on WaWa ridge) as you would expect have no patrol or avalanche control.
Expert advice, The double blacks and above are generally only good to ski when you have fresh snow or powder. They are very fun and the best runs on the mountain with fresh snow. Otherwise they generally are not worth your time.
If youv'e only skied on one mountain its very important to note that bit about the ratings being subjective. If you learned on some place that is smaller and local, and then you go to a bigger resort, you may run into some blue squares that are both as difficult and longer than black diamond runs on your local ski slope. If you're not super experienced, start out with a green circle to warm up, take in the views, and get a feel of the snow conditions. Then go do whatever you want. I learned to ski when I was like 3 or 4 and had to go from a bunny hill to a blue square cause that's all they had on my slope. Ended up moving away and then back years later. If you just give yourself a warm-up to get accustomed again when you start a season, it'll all come back to you.
I've never skiied in the US and the difference is so interesting. In Europe they groom all the slopes daily even the blacks which is extremely nice. I consider myself a pretty advanced skiier so while moguls dont really present a challenge they really hinder how fast you can go which is a bummer. However the fact that the US has marked trails through woods like that is sick, every place I've skiied in Europe you gotta go off the marked trails for that which inevitably increases the risk of tree wells and crevasses and such.
Nice video. My wife is an absolute beginner and Im not much better myself. Our daughter however is advanced intermediate. We have a hard time finding mountains that suit us all. Wife needs really wide/slow slopes. The ones at 2:29, 2:37, and 3:35, 3:44 looked great. Would you know what resorts that footage was filmed at, respectively? Thank you.
Personally I prefer expert terrains in dense forest although I'm a bit more weary of forced air as I've gotten a commotion during one once but weirdly enough if it's in the forest i wont mind as much the forced air since i usually go pretty fast in these terrains which makes the landing smoother. I believe that here in quebec 3 diamonds might be less difficult then what you showcased but I haven't skied in the last 2 years
Hey all, a quick correction on this video: around 1:48, we mentioned that the green/blue/black rating system has become a "widely recognized standard worldwide." We should have clarified that "worldwide" does not refer to every region, and that several areas in Europe, South America, and Asia abide by different standards.
This system is really used in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand-and to a certain extent in Scandinavia, with greens and blues being easier than in other countries.
Thanks for watching!
Don't be ashamed of making a mistake, but also don't try to talk it good. This is the worst excuse since "the several areas" have many more ski resorts than the US lmao. So its basically just a small part that uses the system yall talked about compared to the world...
Yeah, in Europe it s simply a question of the colour. (Green), blue, red and black.
And to add: in Europe the slopes are almost always signed with that colour on posts aside the whole slope.
A "green" Skii run on a certain mountain would be considered a pretty advanced run here in BC for snowboarding.
One thing you didn’t mention is that on a lot of black 3 diamonds you need to know how to repel with a rope
I'm from NZ.. what about red diamond, between black and blue?
Who else can’t wait for ski season to start???
First one for me.
Meeeee
Yep sleeping giant and red lodge here I come.
Meeee
Same!
These are actually not the same worldwide.
In most of Europe Blue (no specific shapes used) means about the same as Green Circle in America, Red corresponds to Blue Square (not just to Double Blue Square) while Black is similar to Black Diamond (but typically groomed.)
A few European countries use Green for very easy. Some use Orange or Yellow for expert or off-piste (ungroomed) itineraries, corresponding to Double Black Diamond terrain.
Yeah stating this was worldwide is just good'ol US-defaultism
True usually all the runs in europe are groomed and the blue marking is used also for the begginner areas (only in some bigger and more international ski areas green is used), in some places i know (know from other people that i know not from my personal expience) that brownish colors are used for a middle ground betwenn red and black, black runs in europe are much steper than black diamonds in america and car reach 75%+ but they are still groomed
In some ski resort in europe, there are also diamond shapes used to indicate ungroomed runs
Thanks. We have pinned a comment outlining a correction here.
@@PeakRankings Much appreciated.
Here are some tips I gathered from skiing out West for a few years. If you typically ski alone and want to venture into double black/extreme terrain, wait at the Avy Gate for other people to ski in first. Don’t flag people down, but if someone else stops politely ask if you can ski with them on the particular run. Nine out of ten times people will be kind and receptive. More eyes on the variable terrain the better for everyone as long as you keep a safe distance from others. Plus, it’s often easier to execute a line if you see someone else do it first.
Always know how to self rescue and self arrest. Go into avy gates with a charged phone or walkie talkie. Know where to stop above and to the side of a fall line. Make sure your boots are tight. Take your time. Don’t speed run if you aren’t confident in where you’re going, even if you’re a good skier. Traversing often makes skiing down extreme terrain easier, but don’t get cliffed out. Practice your kick turns on easier runs. Stay clear of tree wells. If you found a powder stache, that’s great. Make sure you know how to get back to the defined tracks because a powder Stache can appear before cliffs.
Make sure your skis are the proper width and underfoot for extreme terrain (rentals might not cut it depending on the mountain). Use powder baskets on polls. Wear a helmet. If nothing I said here made sense, google is your friend and maybe find a ski instructor for your first time!
Great tips! 👍🏼
this is some of the worst advice I've ever seen. NEVER EVER go into avy terrain unless you are trained and have a beacon and rescue gear and know how to use them and you are with a partner. if you get caught in an avalanche and burried without an avy beacon your chances of survival are near 0. Additionally you shouldnt be going into avy terrain if you cant read terrain and know the avy forecast.
Bro went off😛
"powder stache"
Favorite neologism of the year for me.
Also remember that the green/blue/black designations vary from hill to hill and are relative to that hill only. A black diamond in the east will likely be very different than a black at the western slopes.
Very different between small local slopes and actual resorts too. Even within the same state.
Yeah a double black at Breck is way different than a double black at Crested Butte. Waiting to drop into a Crested Butte double black is the only time I've ever been afraid to drop into a run. Shit was a fucking wall. My brother almost died cause he almost fell off an unmarked cliff. Crested Butte is a different fucking breed
yeah - that is one of the things that creates a great deal of danger in skiing. They could come up with a universal marking that uses some type of average slope % so you know what to expect when you get on a trail regardless of where you are. But this would make too much sense.
@@jvwMUSICyeah. The one I would go to was smaller, and the black diamonds are close to a double black at a larger place I frequent. Conditions play a big part too. Powder makes it way easier and funner.
@@hudson5610double black is double black…you better be ready for anything and everything….and if you aren’t sure, go with someone who’s done it…ski responsibly…and don’t fall on double blacks
2:57 I was thinking “that tree looks familiar 🤔” then I realized it was the same one i almost hit learning how to snowboard at Tahoe 😂
I remember once my novice friends decided to try a black diamond trail that was like 6 feet wide and was almost straight down. We tried it on our snowboards and we ended up sliding on our butts the whole way down and that was when I decided the mellow runs are actually way more fun and chill, plus less chance for hurting yourself.
I’m looking 4 super chill blue runs. Or long greens. Can u recommend any resorts in VT or cali or Utah that fit bill? I ski & Board.
You were very lucky and sensible about the mistake.
One kid on a ski trip I took decided on a dare to take a wooded trail. Double black diamond by himself on his last run of the day, barely could ski a diamond, that’s what my dad (a chaperone who’s an expert skier) told me.
He ended up with a cracked collarbone, a furious counselor, and a three hour hold up for everyone on the trip.
I still say he was lucky he was that safe. Considering what he did.
I grew up skiing in the Alps and after moving to the USA and skiing there a bit, I've found that I still prefer the European designation of trails. The green slopes there are your bunny hills/easier greens, the blues there are trails that are steeper than greens but are still groomed and don't have bumps. Reds are trails that are steeper than blues but still groomed with the introductions of some bumps; this is what I find blues to be like at least on the east coast. Then blacks are ungroomed, steeper terrain which is equivalent to black diamonds here and then there are expert blacks which are your double blacks and above.
In addition, I've found that resorts in the Alps at least all have trail markers along the way with the color or grade of the run and number markers every so often. This helps a lot not get lost when conditions are bad and I think I've only seen something similar once at Hunter mountain (which you featured earlier in the video =) ). I wish more resorts did that.
black runs in europe are nearly always groomed and ungroomed ones are usually specifically marked as mogul/ungroomed, at least everywhere i've skied so far
The majority of resorts i've skied in the Alps have groomed black runs.
In Austria every slope is groomed. What's not groomed are the routes that are marked with a red diamond. In Switzerland It would be a yellow
Rather than "beginner, intermediate, advanced," the colored symbols are often described as denoting "easier", "more difficult", "most difficult". This helps make clear that they are explanatory of RELATIVE difficulty among various runs for that particular resort and do not provide information related to other resorts. My daughter, raised skiing and riding Washington State, with some experience at resorts in Canadian and Oregon, found herself at a small resort in upstate New York during grad school and came away with the observation that a black run there was the same steepness as a steep green in the Pacific NW.
aye. very true. tbf, a lot of resorts in southern VT/MA/NY are very liberal about labeling things Diamond and even Double Diamond that places like Killington, Stowe, etc. might label Square. Personally, I think DD needs more objective criteria relating to pitch, trail width, and technical skill as gauged by something more than comparing it to other runs on the same resort. but that's simply not how it is.
This is why they should post grade info of slopes!
An under-rated trail sign in Canada is "easiest way down", which can frequently use green or perhaps skip green when snow or grooming is poor (especially in spring melt) to denote where snow conditions (and not only angle) are in fact the safest way to the base
I remember seeing that in Whistler, they do that for both their ski resort and for their bike park in summer.
Those signs are all over snowbird regardless of the conditions lol
Yes! Most resorts I’ve been to have this. Although my last time out on my first run I followed the “easiest way down” sign and there were
Definitely easier runs down than that so I guess use at your discretion haha
Ya the only problem with this tho is they often rate blue runs green so they can say it is the easiest way down however u have been to a few hills where they had it blue and it still had the easiest way down sign but it is rarer and usually only on harder chairs. Most of the hills I’ve been to tho don’t change they usually stay where they are but I could see bigger hills like kicking horse maybe doing that I didn’t really pay attention when I was there.
You can also call the Ski Patrol or the attendant at the top of the chairlift. My brother got trapped at the top of the mountain his first month (he took a wrong chairlift), and the ski patrol helped him down.
The signs are an amazing idea anyway because of people who do get lost and need help down.
Wow, that Disney connection to the trail ratings is really interesting... Ive skied my whole life and never once asked myself where the system came from. Thanks for including that!
Brings a whole new meaning to the way of descibing ski resorts in America as "Disneyland on snow"
This makes way more sence than what I initiallythought. Thought it was base one the slopes degree of pitch. thinking about the other slopes ive been to thiough, makes way more sence. They kinda rate the trails how ever they want ive been on some black 45° slopes and ive been on some blue 45° slopes
Content is evolving and I’m all for it, keep it guys I absolutely love the videos!
^
In Austria, Germany and Switzerland, we have a blue, red and a black circle. For trails there is a red diamond or for the hard ones a red diamond with black edges.
Same in sweden
Yes. In France it is green for beginner/easy, blue for slightly difficult, red for hard and black for extremely hard. Some blacks can be easier than others
Vive la France@@Royal_tanker
What abt colour blind people……..
@@talkingweevil3172 not sure. I think they have shaped
This is a super detailed guide, and I wish more resorts used a more detailed rating system like what you’ve described instead of just a simple 3 symbol system. That’s why I love Telluride in Colorado because they use
- single green
- double green
- single blue
- double blue
- single black
- double black
- extreme double black
so you have a very clear and gradual progression
This is so interesting! It seems that American resorts are very different from European resorts in several ways. For one, basically all marked runs are groomed and cleared of obstacles in Europe. There are some ungroomed free terrain runs, but they are a rarity. Many of these double and triple black diamond runs seem like they would involve quite a bit of avalanche risk? I wonder if they are closed a lot of the time? Especially with the american approach to liabilty, it would seem many of these are a lawsuit waiting to happen (not saying that's right). In Europe, anything in a forest or dropping off a cliff or something like that would be considered off-piste, which is something many skiers consider something of a diviving line that many are hesistant to cross.
It's mitigated by Ski Patrol. So if there's a high avalanche danger or not enough snow they'll close it off.
they set off bombs to set off any potential avalanches after it snows
Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming (and probably other major ski industry states) actually have laws specifically making ski areas not liable for injury or death resulting from "the inherent risks of skiing." If the avalanche risk is too high, they will close the terrain and possibly shell the slope with artillery to trigger avalanches or they'll just wait to open it. The ski areas in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada get so much snow that they kinda just have to be able to evaluate and mitigate avalanche risk. 🙂
Also, if you are injured or require search and rescue because you entered closed terrain, you (or your family) will be required to pay for all costs associated with that and you may be prosecuted. If you are injured within a ski area on terrain that was open, you will not have to pay for ski patrol services (but you will have to pay for your medical bills because America 😂).
@@mack.attack Different states treat SAR differently. Colorado law specifically prevents you from being charged for SAR services if you're outside a resort, though closed in bounds terrain may be different. Wyoming may bill you for SAR services outside a resort. Utah has mandatory minimum $10,000 rescue fee if you have to be SARd outside a resort.
I have 2 hours until my engineering midterm, and here I am watching a video about ski resort terrain levels.
I have no regrets.
How did it go?
@@Sky-060 Got an 87! Am in my 3rd year now.
@@pollall2793 that’s great!! I hope u keep doing so well ;D
@@Sky-060 Thanks! Am looking forward to starting up my career when this is done.
@@pollall2793 good luck!
Whenever i visit a new mountain i always start with the green and work my way up the levels so there are no surprises.
compared to European runs:
green circle = groomed blue runs (and green runs France)
blue square = groomed harder blue or easy red run
double blue square = groomed red run
black diamond = ungroomed or groomed black runs or yellow mogul runs
double black diamond = ungroomed black runs, yellow mogul runs or unmarked routes (usually only trails found on fatmap, other apps or by guides)
triple black diamond = ungroomed unmarked routes in harsh steep terrain with rocks/cliffs (usually only trails found on fatmap, other apps or by guides)
been snowboarding since like 9 but still thoroughly enjoyed this. I would add on to the end: terrain park features are usually individually marked with a size from S to XXL, some resorts also have XS. The sign at the entrance to a park will say "this park has S-L features", for example.
Best channel on yt, hands down.
I'm going snowboarding on my first snow-trip this coming January in Colorado. I'm super stoked, and hope to accomplish a blue square or two by the end of the trip. We'll see if I'm being overly ambitious LOL
The system works well enough that it has been extended over to the mountain biking world to rate MTB trails. The orange freeride circle has also extended over to MTB to designate a trail with jumps, drops, etc.
I tried Blue once, and my life flashed before my eyes! I'll stick with Green, thank you very much.
noob
@@bartholemew4362Bro don't be rude, I was terrified when I went on my first blue but I just got over it. My friend gave a tip if you're really stuck... shimmy your way down. If that sucks then roll your way down
@@charlotte-carmen you noob too
@@bartholemew4362I’m a proud newbie
Ya blue sometimes feels like a big jump from green, at my home hill the main face is all blue and I sometimes see people struggling to get down don’t worry there is nothing wrong with not doing blues. I know lots of people who can do black diamonds but just don’t want to.
Interesting video! I didn't realize Colorado mandated the EX terrain. Would be interested to hear how that came about in another video.
And if possible, would you be able to throw a small label in the corner denoting which mountain each video clip is from? I find myself enviously wanting to visit the amazing places shown in your videos, but don't always know which mountain they are from. Thanks!
Thank you!
We'll try in future videos but may be awhile, since the editing for that is pretty time consuming.
If there are any trails you specifically want to know about, I'll dig them up!
Thanks for considering it! I like your channel for both the info you provide and also to get inspiration for future trips.
In particular I'm interested in the locations starting at 0:00, 0:53, 4:39, 5:21 and 9:06. Thanks again!
@@garrettlanger4048 here you go:
0:00: Jackson Hole Rendezvous Bowl
0:53: A-Basin North Pole Hike
4:39: A-Basin Dercum's Gulch
5:21: Jackson Hole Laramie Bowl
9:06: A-Basin 2nd Notch
I think we can tell what two mountains you need to visit!
Thanks! I had no idea those were the same two resorts in those clips. I'm certainly going to check them out!
Be aware that the green circle, blue square and black diamond system is mostly unique to the USA.
For example in most of europe the slopes are classified with blue for easy, red for medium, black for hard, yellow/orange for off-piste and in some countries green for very easy.
(Heck, even to describe slopes Americans need their own measuring system xD)
During my first time skiing 3 years ago, in two days of skiing with family i started from learning how to properly stand or walk with skies, to going down the really steep slope. I was scared as hell when i saw how high it really is close up, but after i did it my confidence sky rocket, ive been on that resort 2 times (now it will be my third) and no matter what i still love that, small, long, high slopes, after one year of pause everything feels like i learn it again but with a little more confidence, its great
Same I also scared sometimes on First time in Skiing in 5 days ago, I’m not a fan of skiing cause I’m terrible at it. So you figure out already
I recently went to Copper Mountain and found the rating system quite… off. 2 of the hardest runs for me were single blacks, the Extreme Terrains felt somewhat underwhelming, and I found an ungroomed blue run harder than a couple double blacks! Maybe a part of that was my expectations, but it was the first time I’ve not understood multiple trail ratings at one resort
Conditions can change the character of a run. This past season was a huge snow year in California and some runs that are normally quite difficult narrow chutes were wide open runs.
@@tedthurgate it was early January, so before a ton had really filled in. But the two single black runs were definitely a lot steeper than most of the other runs there
I went to copper for the first time in late January and as I was heading back toward the car with my friend we decided to hit a run called Indian Ridge because it was only marked single black, how hard could it be? Well the whole thing was >30° pitch with a ton of deep moguls and hidden obstacles. Learned my lesson that day
@@wesleychaffin4029 Indian’s Ridge was one of the runs I had in mind lol. And from the pitch other runs there have been measured as, I believe Indian’s Ridge is much closer to 40° than 30
I had that experience as well. Additionally at winter park I experienced the opposite. Many of the runs labeled as black smelled to me like blues, but what was interesting was that the slope conditions showed that everyone else was treating these runs as extremely difficult. The resulting mogul pattern made the runs more difficult even though it was a shallow grade.
Europe has blue runs for advanced beginners and low intermediates, and red for intermediate runs.
Depends on the conditions also. Rode a bkue black run. But that day the trail was more of a black diamond. Came back 3 weeks later same trail with more snow the trail was significnatly easier to ride.
I love how you showed my home mountain Stowe so much
How do you keep making these videos so entertaining. Keep up the amazing work and are you going to visit eroupe any time
May visit Europe this season - TBD!
Always thought double black and EX marked trails were the same difficulty and have definitely treated them indiscriminately. Good to keep in mind for the future!
Vail tends to underestimate their trails. Greens at Vail, I’ve found, we’re more like blues everywhere else and some blues are more blacks.
Why am I watching this from Australia
Australia uses the same rating system
No he means cause there is no snow
Come here😠and ski
i’m in a region of texas with no mountains and no snow, i guess it’s like the joy of learning
Another great video, well done!
All your content is fantastic, love this channel! I’d be interested in a video going over the ski gear you use Sam, how you maintain it, and how often.
Thank you! Great suggestion
@ 1:50 these ratings are not used worldwide. In Europe (at least the Alps GER/CH/AT,) they are different as we use blue (easy), red (intermidiary) and black (expert). Also there are no shapes attached to them.
Thanks. We have pinned a comment outlining a correction here.
as a former AASI level 3 instructor, I think this video should be the new compulsory orientation video for all newcomers.
Thanks for sharing with me! I'm going to ski during December so this is a big help.
I'd love for a video comparing Europe's to North America's levels, what corresponds to what etc.
Im a mug skier but ended up on the double black birds of prey at Beaver creek. I didnt realise it was meant to be expert till afterwards. Nice and steep but wide enough to make turns and snow was soft enough that you could hold an edge.
OTOH some of the gladed blue runs there were well beyond my comfort level and the black tree runs would have killed me!
Yeah ratings are relative to the Resort and are not Standardized at all
Interestingly enough that run is used for racing whenever beaver creek hosts international competitions. It’s one of the only groomed double blacks I’ve ever seen on a resort, definitely a unique one, it can get pretty icy at times but otherwise it’s a fun one to bomb down
@campbell9825 It was fun watching the world cup with some non skiing friends and casually telling them I've skied the same run that the race was on! Not sure they really believed me!
@@misham6547 That's sort of the opposite of the point I was trying to make! Within the one resort some blacks were easy for me as they were wide and or groomed and or good conditions but other blacks icy, bumped, tight trees etc were way out of my comfort range.
Europe, Japan, and Australia all have a red trail before black and after blue.
There are no red trails at Falls Creek. I did n't see any Perisher. The Blue runs at both places are steep enough to make learners' snow plough technique unsuitable for the terrain IMHO.
I was genuinely enlightened by the content in the video.
one thing to keep in mind is that the ratings are more often than not based around sking not snowboarding, trails that are rated to be hard are usually more easy on snow boards. im not sure how true this is but ive been told this alot
They're easier to do poorly on a snowboard, but much harder to do well. Most snowboarders will slip through an entire double black and scrape all the snow off. Sure they could get down easily and safely, but it's not polite. I've skied and boarded a few of the double blacks in this video, and proper boarding is more difficult than proper skiing at those levels
I have a fun story for you guys. So we’re at beech mtn. NC and it’s our second day skiing, we also never took any lessons so we just kinda taught each other we are also with 2 other families so we ski and do blues and greens and we all really like it, but then my dad said, “hey we should do the black diamond”, and I was scared at first but eventually was like “ok” so we ride the chairlifts up there and we’re really high up and the slope was very steep but we started going down it anyways, and I’m skiing with my friend that came with us and helping him go left and right and I’m looking at him and all of the sudden my other friend comes down n the slope at 200 MILES AN HOUR and he’s bending down and he hits the one I was helping in the feet and crashes down the hill, but the first friend had fell backwards reallly quick and been knocked out. (Just so you know there both about 8 and 9) so the parents come over and there all freaked out and then he just gets up, completely fine doesn’t remember what happened and anyways we just finish skiing down the hill like nothing happened. So yeah that’s one of my fav. Stories to tell people
Thanks for reading👍
In Chile 🇨🇱 we use green for beginner. blue for intermediate. Red for intermediate/expert. Black for expert
That's like worldwide standard. No idea what the guy in the Video is talking about. Americans being Americans🙄
The system is only like that in the US and maybe Canada. Europe utilizes the colors differently and the specific countries have small variations.
I'm like 400miles from the nearest resort, and i still watch this with genuine interest lol
good video! well done
It’s interesting how different it is in Europe and America
Snow sports are so fun, but I live pretty far away from any good places to do it regularly. I do try to go at least once a year and always have blast even though I'm pretty nooby.
In Austria there are circles for prepared slopes and diamonds for unprepared ski routes. In Austria there are no green slopes as far as I know, only blue, red and black. I have seen green slopes in France and also lots of unprepared black slopes that simply had a black circle. The only thing you can really trust are the colors.
As someone who has never seen snow, I think this is cool
I've been skiing for 14 years and still found this video very helpful
I wish they had more specific ratings, I would love to see some dedicated high speed well groomed routes. 3 basic ratings is not enough.
I would rate myself a blue square 🟦 snowboarder but it’s still so much fun! I love it
I wonder if there will ever be a quad black diamond
In Poland we grade difficulty only in colour. Bunny slopes are green. Easy slopes are blue. Medium are red and hard are black
This was quite informative and accurate to my knowledge. I ski the intermediates or easy blues starting with the greens at the start of the season. I go to different resorts in East Coast, west coast and also in Europe. The ratings of terrains are definitely relative across resorts, so much that I can ski 'black' in a small ski area. However varies the blues and blacks are, the easy ones are always good for beginners in the USA.
But to my surprise, I found the Stubai Glacier in Austria to be rated quite differently. I literally got stuck at one easy run as it was steep like a blue in the USA and very long. I hit it by mistake and it was my first day skiing in the season. I couldn't do it. I had to be helped down by another very kind and expert skiier and I fell a lot, which I never do even during the blues. (My legs were not in the best shape strength wise tbh but I never fall regardless). I did write to the resort to share my experience and ask if the trail was rated accurately and they said that it was an easy trail and marked as such. I cannot agree with that but I don't know enough about their rating system.
How are the ratings different across the European resorts compared to the ones in USA?A video comparing ratings internationally would be great because I plan to skiing in different countries.
Some amazing slopes in this video!
Here in Europe we use a slightly different system of green for the bunny slopes, blue for beginner slopes (your green), red for intermediate, black for advanced but generally groomed and black diamond for very advanced /ungroomed. But the type of slopes you show under double and triple diamond basically don't exist here as marked slopes. In general these would be considered "off piste" and would be undertaken at your own risk / just following what other skiiers have done. Personally I've never come across a marked trail with tightly packed trees or anything like that (although while I have skiied about 1-2 dozen resorts across the alps fully, I have by no means skiied anything like all of them).
I’ve only seen snow twice in my life but this video was very entertaining
I can’t wait to ski
In Canada, specifically Ontario. Double black diamond runs can be very easy. They just use the title's reputation to get attention and attract customers.
I've never been skiing, nor do I know if I will ever ski in the future, and still got this in my recommended for some reason. And you bet your bottom I'm going to watch the entire thing.
I’m just here to see the crazy expert terrain these guys shred.
Notably missing is BC skiing. Probably worth it's own video but highlight that you should be skiing nearly all inbounds terrain comfortably, and have taken your AIARE, and WFR course in addition to rope handling skills if you're entering crevasse terrain plus ice climbing skills using screws and crampons. It is not a linear progression.
Here in Norway we also have a red marcker. It is in betwean blue and black
Besides the incredibly informative video, the quality is amazing. Some of these shots, especially at the triple black diamond trails, were so crisp.
OMG I LOVE BEAVER CREEK SO MUCH I KNEW THAT’S WHERE YOU WERE!!
In the 90s copper mountain had a blue called Bouncer that was my entire childhood. Crazy jumps in and out of the woods off the main run. Man I miss those days with my family.
I’m a very careful skier. I started at ~19 years old and it took me longer than most to get the hang of it, but I almost never fall despite skiing almost once a week all winter.
At 19 I started skiing on a family friendly mountain. Back then I only did the greens. The same year I tried with my family (including my father who skied a lot in is youth and is expert) a mountain that is known for the powder it receives. I only did the green slopes, but man they were so hard.
Next week when we got back to the family moutain I did all of the slopes (green to single diamond) and they were easy.
Edit to clarify: the mountain is known for its powder, but more in the glades. The easy slopes were groomed.
it depends on what you're used to for sure. the mountain I usually go to has a double black that I can ski relatively easily (although definitely not in a way that looks good lol) but I never powder ski so whenever I have done it I'm pretty bad at it.
@@TheGumbyGuy oh yeah powder is something to get used to. But the easy slopes were groomed hahaha. The powder is more appreciated in the glades.
green and blue runs are generally harder when theres deep untouched powder on them. I rarely mess with powder unless its at least a single diamond slope, steepness is your friend when its deep
If you aren't falling you aren't trying
I agree resort to resort the ratings differ for sure. A green at an enthusiast mountain is a blue at a family mountain from my experience.
Hey I recognise some of those trails from Briançon! What an awesome mountain
The most insane thing is for me. I have learned to snowboard here in NC, and have never been anywhere else other than WV. I went to Solden last year in Austria. For one, it costs way cheaper. For 4days was $300!! Any ways. I was able to kick ass from learning on the ice coast.
I grew up skiing on ice in southeastern Michigan and it serves me very well at 60, years later. I do live in North Carolina, and I shutter to think of skiing at Cataloochee or beach, both due to the ice and the extremely unskilled skiers that are even more dangerous than the ice…
I’ve just been to Sölden this month 😅
🙌 we loved it! I truly hope you had great conditions
@@nathanratermann9204 Yes, we had best conditions ( except for one day maybe ) ! We also had a great time there 🙂 Greetings from Germany btw
5:59 that's paradise at MRG!!! That is the one part of it to avoid if you like your skis, the rock is always exposed. It would probably be labeled as double black to extreme most places. 7:37 is a mandatory cliff! I love that bit!
I have never been skiing in my life but I watched the whole video
One thing I think anyone whose not a true expert should note is that condition will make a big difference in how difficult a run is the most difficult run at a mountain on a powder day could be relatively tame compared to the same exact run when it’s wind blown and icy
In France terrain parks are designated with XS, S, M, L, XL (similar to clothes sizes), not sure if any other country uses this system.
As a person who’s completed a black diamond and is looking to do a double black diamond this is quite helpful👍
I’ve never ski’d in my life but I’m here button ------------>
have fun！
Great content! Keep up the good work!
One word to beginners. If you lose controll when skiing and are just going straight down just try fall to your side so you slide down and slow down :D
the highest ive done was double black, some were hard some were easy, glad to know that im actually not as good as i thought id be, would be down to try something harder, its a shame that quebec can only offer so much
respect the difficulties & stay safe
I've only gone skiing once but did it give me quite the story.
I was going with my troop of boy scouts at about 16, we went to pats peak. (north east america, granite states area) got plenty of experience with some green and blue trails. the lodge itself was very generous with it's rankings and most trails we tried were very simple and had little to no technical differences like glades or drops.
anyways about 4-6 hours in, it's getting dark and we decide to go one more hour before heading in. I ask the troop master if I could head up the lift to the top of the mountain since we didn't get the chance to go there. the troop master knew there some good blue trails up top and figured it was fine but didn't want me going alone so he sent me with a buddy.
we get to the top, and due to the darkness and much denser foliage I didn't see the, now obvious, path to the left leading to the blue trails. of course the troop master expected us to have some common sense and know our limits and reasoning ability so he didn't feel the need to mention the blue trails. so me and my buddy get to the top and all we see are a black diamond and two double blacks.
the black diamond was a near straight drop with a clear path straight back to the lodge. clearly a simple thrill trail, but a little too intense for me and my buddy. one double black trail we saw on the way up we knew to be filled with jumps and bumps so that was a no-go as well. the last double black we knew was a decently spacious trail with some sharper turns and generally steeper than the other double black.
but with our cold addled brains we figured that was our best shot to get back to the lodge. at the time we figured that we were running out of time to get back since the ski lift had to stop a couple of times on the way up. so we took the double black.
we barely stuck together and we both lost our skis and stumbled multiple times. pizza wedging did next to nothing and we didn't have the courage to keep pace. luckily we made it to the bottom and nobody got hurt but it was quite the experience. there were some helpful people who went down the trail that helped us on the way down so it was pretty fun overall.
I've been skiing for most of my life. I like to ski down Red slopes once I've warmed up.
Wait in the US you just have one big resort associated with a skiing park? or are there multiple? I'm curious cause i ski on the alps and usually there are many types of accomodation near by the slopes, but the ski park is separate from the resorts or houses.
The fact that you only have 15k followers is criminal!
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In Big Sky MT our runs are rated 2 Levels lower, Our Blues are Double Blacks to other resorts. All The hardest runs require approved ski Patrol access, Gps Locator, and Shovel. People come all Season and never get off the bunny slopes.
I wish there were more rules to the system to keep it more consistent between parks. In Sweden the difference between greens are romme alpin and kungsberget are quite large (as a beginner) the greens at kungs are mellow and gently sloped throughout the runs, the green runs at romme have sections that are the same as blues at other places I've been too. It can really throw you into a negative headspace when you're eating snow on a green at romme but able to glide through the greens at kungs. I'd love a more nuanced rating system like the v system that exists in climbing.
Well this video sure helped me. I went on Eldora’s hardest blue my first day ever skiing. My second day I successfully went down a black diamond!
As a CO skier I was like "what's a triple black diamond?"
Then you mentioned that we call it extreme terrain. I was all excited thinking I could find a new challenge.
Love the content, You guys coming to Mt hood this season?
Absolutely! Gotta cover the new MHX
Great video! Would it be possible to get the locations shown in the Double and Triple black section? I recognize some of them, but the others make me say I need to ski them ASAP!
I noticed jackson hole and vail for runs shown in the video. if you want to try and ski the steepest inbound run in north america you can head over to bigsky montana and try little couloir
In the canadian rockies we also have designated freeride terrain that requires a shovel beacon and probe to go into
Isn’t that just backcountry?
@@jameson1239no. At Sunshine Village, the two free ride areas (Delirium Dive and Wild West) are considered inbounds and have avalanche control and patrollers, but due to the difficult access in the event of an avalanche some self-sufficiency in rescue is expected, hence the requirements. There are also traditional backcountry gates that lead out of bounds (such as on WaWa ridge) as you would expect have no patrol or avalanche control.
Expert advice,
The double blacks and above are generally only good to ski when you have fresh snow or powder. They are very fun and the best runs on the mountain with fresh snow. Otherwise they generally are not worth your time.
If youv'e only skied on one mountain its very important to note that bit about the ratings being subjective. If you learned on some place that is smaller and local, and then you go to a bigger resort, you may run into some blue squares that are both as difficult and longer than black diamond runs on your local ski slope.
If you're not super experienced, start out with a green circle to warm up, take in the views, and get a feel of the snow conditions. Then go do whatever you want.
I learned to ski when I was like 3 or 4 and had to go from a bunny hill to a blue square cause that's all they had on my slope. Ended up moving away and then back years later. If you just give yourself a warm-up to get accustomed again when you start a season, it'll all come back to you.
I've never skiied in the US and the difference is so interesting. In Europe they groom all the slopes daily even the blacks which is extremely nice. I consider myself a pretty advanced skiier so while moguls dont really present a challenge they really hinder how fast you can go which is a bummer. However the fact that the US has marked trails through woods like that is sick, every place I've skiied in Europe you gotta go off the marked trails for that which inevitably increases the risk of tree wells and crevasses and such.
I’ve never skied before and I might go skiiing in 2 weeks so thanks for this video😊🎉
Nice video. My wife is an absolute beginner and Im not much better myself. Our daughter however is advanced intermediate. We have a hard time finding mountains that suit us all. Wife needs really wide/slow slopes. The ones at 2:29, 2:37, and 3:35, 3:44 looked great. Would you know what resorts that footage was filmed at, respectively? Thank you.
Personally I prefer expert terrains in dense forest although I'm a bit more weary of forced air as I've gotten a commotion during one once but weirdly enough if it's in the forest i wont mind as much the forced air since i usually go pretty fast in these terrains which makes the landing smoother. I believe that here in quebec 3 diamonds might be less difficult then what you showcased but I haven't skied in the last 2 years
Palisades has gone back to listing runs as double blacks on their trail map.