So, your family has planned a ski trip, now what? Well, it might be a good idea to learn what those colors and symbols mean on the ski slopes. Have you heard your cousin bragging about being able to “handle the black diamonds?” They’re referring to the most difficult trails! Keep reading for a breakdown of the trail marking system:
Green Circle:
This is the easiest trail difficulty. Keep in mind, though, that each ski resort ranks the difficulty based on that particular mountain. So, even though the trail may be demarcated as “easy,” if the mountain you’re on is generally steep, you may still find the trail difficult as a new skier.
Some resorts use their own ranking system and may have trails marked with a single green circle or double green circles. In that case, a single circle means “easiest,” and double circles means “easy.”
Blue Square:
This is more difficult than the green trail. Double blue squares mean “even more difficult.” Think of this as the slope for intermediate skiers. If you have experience skiing and actually find the green trails easy, then you can probably move up to the blues.
Black Diamond:
These are the hardest trails to conquer. And, double black diamonds mean “expert level.” You won’t want to tackle the black slopes until you’re extremely comfortable on the blues and find even those trails easy. It’s safe to say if you’re on your very first ski trip and have never strapped on skis before, you won’t want to join the family on the black slopes your first day or your entire trip even.
Orange Oval:
This is a newer symbol that indicates half-pipes or freestyle parks of varying difficulty levels.
You’ve learned the ski slope symbols and meanings, congratulations! Now, get to practicing. It’s a good idea to take any lessons offered at the resort you visit before you hit the mountain. Usually, the lessons are a few hours and will be super helpful in teaching you the basic ski stance and posture for moving up and down the slopes safely and easily. If you’re a fast learner or a dare-devil, you might be able to tackle those black diamonds quicker than you think.