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theabortionator
May, 2025

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Ski run colours and shapes.

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powpatrol
Posts: 1752 - Karma: 11,427
Hello my fellow table smashers and fluro wax scientists,

Why is that here in Europe, ski runs and their difficulty are ordered logically from green through to blue, red and then black. Whereas North America goes from green, blue, skips red and then to black diamonds?
Is there any reason for the diamond? And if there is need for ‘double’ black diamonds why not negate the problem and use red as the single black and black as the double?

enlighten me pls
4 years ago
21 2
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a_burger
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 21,143
red = danger, having it not be the most difficult is dumb
4 years ago
23 0
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powpatrol
Posts: 1752 - Karma: 11,427
a_burgerred = danger, having it not be the most difficult is dumb

Yea i had the same thought but black more often than not signifies death. Obviously this doesn’t mean you go down a black run and die just like that but it would make you question the run more than the red run that is seen as ‘dangerous’.
4 years ago
11 0
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cydwhit
Posts: 5079 - Karma: 43,074
a_burgerred = danger, having it not be the most difficult is dumb


This. I don't think having red in the middle is necessarily more "logical".

So, the history of the shapes is actual the Disney corporation's fault, they came up with the circle, square, diamond system in the 60's after doing a bunch of research with skiers to figure out what shapes they associated with which level of difficulty.

I agree that having "double blacks" is kind of silly, but it also seems more easy for someone with no context to understand. If anything, I would argue that it should go "green circle - blue square - black diamond - red triangle" in terms of difficulty, but it seems like we've been just fine with both of the current systems.
4 years ago
13 0
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WoFlowz
Posts: 8094 - Karma: 64,476
We rly should have red triangles as double blacks like bike parks do for prolines or for triple blacks if that’s a thing
4 years ago
8 2
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piss.boy
Posts: 1491 - Karma: 10,621
I only ride ovals you freaking babys😎
4 years ago
22 0
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sullivano*b
Posts: 1234 - Karma: 8,139
red is usually lifts so i think it should be yellow
4 years ago
4 0
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GayWolf420
Posts: 38072 - Karma: 129,473
Insurance or something idk
4 years ago
5 0
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hoodratz47
Posts: 12028 - Karma: 9,579
Ovals? You Jerry. I only ride the most challenging rhombuses
Piss_BoyI only ride ovals you freaking babys😎
4 years ago
10 0
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piss.boy
Posts: 1491 - Karma: 10,621
hoodratz47Ovals? You Jerry. I only ride the most challenging rhombuses

You fuck with fractals?
4 years ago
19 0
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MichiganCatFart
Posts: 1556 - Karma: 24,202
Piss_BoyYou fuck with fractals?


more of a trapezoid guy myself.
4 years ago
7 0
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Canis_lupus
Posts: 611 - Karma: 6,240
Europe cringe
4 years ago
9 2
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powpatrol
Posts: 1752 - Karma: 11,427
Canis_lupusEurope cringe

good argument
4 years ago
6 2
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CatdickBojangles
Posts: 6480 - Karma: 66,433
I would also venture out and say the shapes might be a colorblind thing. Sounds like @cydwhit has the answer too.
4 years ago
6 0
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Monsieur_Patate
Posts: 1393 - Karma: 4,308
a_burgerred = danger, having it not be the most difficult is dumb


cydwhitThis. I don't think having red in the middle is necessarily more "logical".


Not that it's right, but black seems to be the most "extreme" color in the mountaineering world in general, and not red (avalanche risk is a good example, also applies to Europe where a black flag is the most extreme danger) so at least it's consistent in that regard.
4 years ago
6 0
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pissnu_skis
Posts: 435 - Karma: 6,927
MichiganCatFartmore of a trapezoid guy myself.


Those dodecahedrons really get my adrenaline flowing
4 years ago
1 0
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Dnolly
Posts: 81 - Karma: 449
pissnu_skisThose dodecahedrons really get my adrenaline flowing


Big decagon guy my self
4 years ago
2 0
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BrandoComando
Posts: 1486 - Karma: 18,798
DnollyBig decagon guy my self


I only go on runs with this symbol
4 years ago
8 0
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tutipups
Posts: 1691 - Karma: 10,625
BrandoComandoI only go on runs with this symbol


big dick energy
4 years ago
0 0
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9244 - Karma: 5,684
You show up to a trail and it's labeled as this



What does it mean?
4 years ago
5 0
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Pakanaka
Posts: 319 - Karma: 1,968
powpatrolHello my fellow table smashers and fluro wax scientists,

Why is that here in Europe, ski runs and their difficulty are ordered logically from green through to blue, red and then black. Whereas North America goes from green, blue, skips red and then to black diamonds?
Is there any reason for the diamond? And if there is need for ‘double’ black diamonds why not negate the problem and use red as the single black and black as the double?

enlighten me pls


I laugh at people who I teach ski instructing when I ask them how good they are and they say they can ski double blacks then they proceed to die when I take them on a blue.
4 years ago
2 0
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ASAPCarter
Posts: 936 - Karma: 10,599
You guys actually pay attention to that shit?
4 years ago
2 0
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Dnolly
Posts: 81 - Karma: 449
BrandoComandoI only go on runs with this symbol


Ahhh so nostalgic
4 years ago
0 0
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10062 - Karma: 76,214
a_pla5tic_bagYou show up to a trail and it's labeled as this



What does it mean?


Means there's a secret unmarked hazard and they aren't telling you where. Good luck. Usually it's because the lifties covered a massive hole with a rug and then covered that rug with snow and that hole also has spikes at the bottom.
4 years ago
3 0
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10062 - Karma: 76,214
What's annoying is that the difficulty system doesn't translate at all from resort to resort. There's no consistency. I've seen "blacks" and gasp "double blacks" that wouldn't even qualify as an easy green at actual mountains. Kinda funny tbh especially when people brag about it.

I do wonder if the irregular rating system gets tourists into trouble when they don't understand this crucial concept. First time I went to VT when I was younger I was like oooohhhh shit these blues are real hahahaha. Then first time out west was like dayyyyyyyummmmmmm nevermind this is the real shit right here.

They really should standardize ratings but that would ruin marketing for a lot of ski areas.

I also personally have run into this dilemma of guaging how difficult trails are, especially if there's no way to know without just going for it. I'm a pretty cautious skier so I'm not saying I blindly do stuff but rather it's a problem I encounter because I travel a lot. For example, just because I can ski the "expert" labeled terrain at Copper or Wolf Creek doesn't mean I should/could do it at somewhere more difficult like Jackson Hole or Big Sky.

I usually end up googling shit and talking to people on the lift to help assess difficulty but it would be cool if the rating system was more standardized and also included thresholds for technicality and slope angle.
4 years ago
3 0
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-eREKTion-
Posts: 1632 - Karma: 10,987
Green, Blue, Red, Black = Green, Blue, Black, Double Black

It's the same thing. Mammoth actually has in between grades if you check out a trail map. We have Blue Squares with a Green Circle inside and Black Diamonds with a Blue Square inside, I haven't seen that too many places.
4 years ago
3 0
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lil.Boye
Posts: 2784 - Karma: 12,649
a_pla5tic_bagYou show up to a trail and it's labeled as this



What does it mean?


it means that you are probably not core enough to know, and there will be benches
4 years ago
1 0
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