Slope categories

While I don't envision the US moving from the Green/Blue/Black/Double Black categories anytime soon, another post got me thinking that maybe there is some room for improvement to help visitors new to the area get around.    Maybe not by marking up or re-coloring all their trail maps, but with the advent of smart phones and the apps which help you get around using GPS, adding two new categories to their web page or local mountain app.    Gore Management: You can tune out at this time, I already know you lost interest...this post is about that crazy interweb thingy and technology.  



Ranking trail difficulty.  Not in a numbering system, but rather a full out rank. 1) is the easiest slope and 29 is the hardest.    If there is a tie, list it at such.   Use locals to lend a hand.   When working as an instructor, nearly everyday I am asked....what is the easiest trail, next, next, next, etc.    Hardest?   Etc, downward.    

Just rank them, easiest and go up.  After that, the colors of the slope are meaningless, except to maybe point out a starting slope.    In areas that have large ski pods, they can either rank them within the pod, or include them within the resort, or do both---you are using the internet and people love information, give it to them, in spades.    Example:  Say I just skied the 3rd hardest, I would go to the map and try to locate the 4th hardest.      If I skied the 17th hardest and found I was over my head, I could drop down to 13th.   Obviously there would need to be comments warning readers that things like icing, snow coverage and grooming, or lack there of, may change the order.    Types of area can be ranked too:   Moguls; Glades as examples.  T-parks already do this.   I can see kids telling parents they got to x number......next week, they will try for y.    


Ski, Skiing and other magazines already do this to some degree when they visit a ski area...they attempt to tell you easy, interesting and hard slopes...sometimes they tell you routes for sunny, cold, or powder days.   To which I add:    



Suggested Routes:   I used to lead ski trips both in the US and Europe.    By that I mean I just planned, got the money, arranged hotels, etc.     I did not instruct or guide.   In doing so and working as an instructor and being a good listener on the lift, I often hear visitors asking where to go and how to get there.    Those that are brave enough to venture out, generally have a better time.  I know many folks who would rather ski the same slope 5 times than venture out for fear of getting lost.   The idea then would be to create "suggested paths" for different levels of skiers.     Tourist....Adventurist.....Green Day.......Diamond Hunter.    People love to follow routes.  There is the cattle mentality, one leads the rest will follow.  Good/engaged mountains would change their routes (live nightly updates) based on grooming and weather.      Resorts like Vail with the Epic Pass would use their radio ID tags to give points for each successful route followed.  If I recall Canyons has something similar to this where they give kids points for hitting certain lifts at certain times of the day.   A video game of sorts played on the snow.    


What are the benefits to the ski area?    Happier customers who get to know the mountain better.   Maybe they come back more often.    Better yet, these skiers run into like kind skiers on the same trails.   Want return visits?  Have skiers make new friends.    Many of us on this site like or don't mind skiing alone.   However many more would rather do it with someone else---it's comforting.    Families and friends can split apart with less guilt knowing their partners will be skiing with someone of like kind and quality.   Meeting spots can be arranged...."those wanting to take the Diamond Tour meet at the black flag on the odd hour" ....etc.     No guides, no instructors, just people meeting people.   GPS mapping helps them get around.  

Take a clue from runners.   Visit a marathon or 10k....people hold up signs stating how fast they run.  Once in a group, friends are made.   Runners use watches and GPS to track speeds and guide them on unmarked courses/roads etc.  Same for road bikers.    

     I think that they should keep the shapes/Colors (Circle/Square/Diamond/Double Diamond) but have numbers inside the shapes corresponding to the difficulty. For example, a number 1 would mean easiest level, 2 would mean intermediate, and 3 would mean hardest. So if there was a Green trail with a 2 in it, it would mean it was a medium difficulty level of a green trail. A green circle with a 3 in it would mean it was the hardest ranking of green trails. Each trail rating would all have One's and Two's and Three's. A Double Black Level 3 would be the hardest level Double Black. This would come in handy at mountains (especially Okemo) where some Double Diamonds are very easier then others. If there are any Okemo skiers here you will understand that some Double Diamonds would have a Level 1, and some would have a 2 or a 3. In a single trail rating, there would be multiple amounts of each level. There could be more then one Black Diamond level 3's or Blue Level 1's, so the numbers are like a difficulty category for each trail rating. So if an intermediate skier thought they were ready to try there first Black Diamond, they would chose a Black Diamond Level 1.It might be a little hard to understand but I think it might be a little easier for Mountains to do then replace rating with numbers. So Greens and Blues and Blacks will still be separate, but you can see what the easiest or hardest of each trail rating is.

How about an electronic sign at the entrance that changes based on the current conditions. I know ski areas where the beginner terrain can be a death trap if the wind had polished it and at the same time the most difficult trails are a joy.

This was just a joking suggestion, but meant to point out that fixed ratings have little to do with reality.

I thought of a rating system within the rating system and 1,2,3 or ABC works great, just as noted.    

Peetex is also right that conditions change hourly, daily and through the season.     However, generally speaking---the people that are using this system are on slopes and have experience that it really would not come into play---noting warning would be made in the fine print.    


I don't think resorts want to print new signage or even maps, until it is time.

I used the suggestions for on line fun and interest and the apps resorts use.    In the case of 1,2,3, that is simple but not very "fun", or not as fun as more info to be digested.    

Yeah, I have thought of the idea I had for a while mostly because people ask me what is the easiest or hardest trail, which in most cases is conditions permitting. Obviously I don't expect any resorts or mountains to use any of my ideas. The online apps could possibly use these numbers to rate difficulty according to conditions for the day.

Just put a  slope rating on each mountain like they do on golf courses.