It’s one of those things that seems like it’s standardized: green runs are easy, blue runs are intermediate and black runs are hard. One might expect that would mean an easy run would feel pretty similar from one ski area to another. Those with a bit more experience likely have discovered the truth: There is no universal method for designating a run as beginner, intermediate or advanced. It’s essentially up to each individual ski area.
While ski areas use similar signage and terms to rate the difficulty of their runs — easiest/easier, more difficult, most difficult, extreme and freestyle terrain — Adrienne Isaac, director of marketing and communications for the National Ski Areas Association, said the designations are set by each ski area and don’t adhere to any sort of shared standards.
“These difficulty ratings are subjective and relative to the terrain at that particular ski area only,” Isaac wrote in an email. “Difficulty ratings are intended as a guide to assist skiers in choosing the terrain they wish to ski.”
A family-friendly focused resort might be more cautious in designating a slightly steeper slope as a beginner run while a ski area that focuses on more extreme terrain could rate a steep but groomed slope as intermediate. Isaac said lessons can be helpful for those who want to explore new terrain within their capabilities.
With no national standards for ski run ratings, the ski areas don’t have a clear-cut way for how they determine their runs. According to Breckenridge Ski Resort spokesperson Sara Lococo, several factors are evaluated when determining the difficulty of a run at the resort.
“Our resort’s trail ratings are not based on any one specific factor but rather a variety of things come into play,” Lococo wrote in an email. “Some of those factors include slope angle/pitch, trail width, terrain characteristics, whether or not the trail has snowmaking and if it will be groomed versus ungroomed, as well as the location on the mountain and how you get to and from the trail.
“So for example with the latter, if you have an easier trail leading to a more difficult trail, it is likely that both would be given the more difficult rating.”
https://www.summitdaily.com/sports/winter-sports/green-blue-and-black-how-ski-areas-rate-their-terrain/
