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Ski Slope Security – A new method to help define the level of difficulty

ressano

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Jan 4, 2018
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Each ski slope has a color associated with it. These colors are used to inform the skiers about thedifficulty level of the ski slope. The aim of this paper is to help improving the ski slope security by proposing a new method to define the color of a ski slope. Defining and informing the ski slopedifficulty, is very important to advice skiers to do not go where they are not prepared to go, avoidinginjuries and life lost. By proposing this new method we intent to reduce the subjectivity inherent to theclassification of the ski slope. This way it is possible to achieve a bigger normalization on theclassification and increase the security of the ski slopes.

https://www.academia.edu/35572561/S...thod_to_help_defining_the_level_of_difficulty
 

Eleeski

Making fresh tracks
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Nov 13, 2015
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San Diego / skis at Squaw Valley
A fuzzy and indistinct definition of a slope's difficulty is proper. The exact pitch and length that might classify as an intermediate slope can be deceptively easy or terrifyingly difficult depending on the conditions. The snow is a far greater factor than the pitch in determining the suitability for a certain level of skier.

Red Dog at Squaw varies from a sweet easy groomer to an advanced bump run to a terrifying sheet of ice. Same pitch but wild variations in the skills needed to negotiate it.

GNAR point ratings probably don't enhance safety.

The report properly noted where the accidents happens. But it failed to convince me that skiers unknowingly skiing over their skill level factored in the accidents.

Eric
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
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Nov 12, 2015
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The Bull City
It might be useful to insurance companies.. We're still speculating on why, after 50 plus years, Aspen Highlands changed ALL of their green signs to blue this season. Probably because the last section of all of them gets a little steeper. But, as mentioned above. People have proposed various metrics to standardize trail ratings nationally or globally however non have been well received or adopted as of yet..
 
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Doby Man

Out on the slopes
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Aug 22, 2017
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406
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Mostly New England
The problem isn’t with the trail ratings. It is with self rating skill. What we should do is to tattoo green circles, blue squares and black diamonds onto the foreheads of all skiers who plateau at their respective ability levels. For those who are still advancing in ability, they should shave their head to stamp their rating on their scalp. When they improve to the net level, they would then let their hair grow over the old stamp and shave the other side of their head for their next rating. Problem solved.
 
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Thread Starter
TS
ressano

ressano

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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16
Most of them probably have never skied but do know how to work a key board. :nono:
Hi king, in my case I pruposed this method because I know how to work whith a key board but also because I have been skiing for 40 years. I believe this method is not perfect, I also beleive that it can be improved. That´s why I mention it´s existence on this site, so that people can criticise it and help to improve the method. Best regards Ressano
 
Thread Starter
TS
ressano

ressano

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
Skier
Joined
Jan 4, 2018
Posts
16
A fuzzy and indistinct definition of a slope's difficulty is proper. The exact pitch and length that might classify as an intermediate slope can be deceptively easy or terrifyingly difficult depending on the conditions. The snow is a far greater factor than the pitch in determining the suitability for a certain level of skier.

Red Dog at Squaw varies from a sweet easy groomer to an advanced bump run to a terrifying sheet of ice. Same pitch but wild variations in the skills needed to negotiate it.

GNAR point ratings probably don't enhance safety.

The report properly noted where the accidents happens. But it failed to convince me that skiers unknowingly skiing over their skill level factored in the accidents.

Eric

Hi Eric, I agree whith you, but it would be very dificult to change the classification of the ski slopes every day acording to snow conditions.
 

James

Out There
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Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,446
It might be useful to insurance companies.. We're still speculating on why, after 50 plus years, Aspen Highlands changed ALL of their green signs to blue this season. Probably because the last section of all of them gets a little steeper. But, as mentioned above. People have proposed various metrics to standardize trail ratings nationally or globally however non have been well received or adopted as of yet..
Did they??
Well, i can't think of an actual green trail at Highlands, but I wasn't looking. Still, you usually have to go near one or over one etc.
2 thoughts.
1) The original ratings were simply wrong. They just lived with it. In the last ten years it would have seemed more out of place.

I remember someone telling me about the trail over at Ajax that you ski down to the gondola. He said they used to teach beginners on that! Like 50 years ago. It's steep! Solid blue, some mts even black.

2) While 1 could be true, I'm not sure, they want to increase traffic to Buttermilk. A great beginner, intermediate area and land for powder poaching. Plus the X games.

Jackson has double blues. Steeper than most blacks at other places.
 
Thread Starter
TS
ressano

ressano

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Joined
Jan 4, 2018
Posts
16
It might be useful to insurance companies.. We're still speculating on why, after 50 plus years, Aspen Highlands changed ALL of their green signs to blue this season. Probably because the last section of all of them gets a little steeper. But, as mentioned above. People have proposed various metrics to standardize trail ratings nationally or globally however non have been well received or adopted as of yet..
Hi crgildart! could you help me and show me some links to other metrics to standadize trail ratings? Thank you.
 
Thread Starter
TS
ressano

ressano

In the parking lot (formerly "At the base lodge")
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Jan 4, 2018
Posts
16
The problem isn’t with the trail ratings. It is with self rating skill. What we should do is to tattoo green circles, blue squares and black diamonds onto the foreheads of all skiers who plateau at their respective ability levels. For those who are still advancing in ability, they should shave their head to stamp their rating on their scalp. When they improve to the net level, they would then let their hair grow over the old stamp and shave the other side of their head for their next rating. Problem solved.
Hi Doby! That is a new method. I don´t know if your method is better than the one I proposed, but it sure is more funny.
 

KevinF

Gathermeister-New England
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Nov 12, 2015
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3,345
Location
New England
Sadly, "standardized trail ratings" is apparently the new helmet thread.

As others have stated, snow conditions have far more to do with trail difficulty then virtually any other factor. Here in the Northeast USA we get our share of icy conditions. Seemingly every year there's a tragic incident where somebody takes a long side in extremely icy conditions and fatally impacts a tree. Usually this is on an intermediate groomed run as well.

Second place is probably line choice. I can think of trails where one side is a kind of quirky double fall line and the other side -- 100 feet away -- is a straightforward single fall line. And that's on an intermediate groomer!

Steepness, narrowness, obstacles (moguls, lift towers, rocks, trees, etc), light conditions, skier traffic... You'd need a rating system so complex that Einstein himself would give up.

Getting better is not just about acquiring skiing skills but learning to read and respect the mountain environment as well. Mother Nature has been removing careless and / or overconfident humans ever since humans started wandering the Earth. Changing the trail rating system isn't going to modify that.
 

Pete in Idaho

Out on the slopes
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St. Maries - Northern Idaho
I think.

A 6 foot high cyclone fence on top of every run or a mountain. An arm/gate in the middle and a robotic voice that queries the skier on their Age, years skiing (to be instantly computed to correspond with their age/sex/place of origin, medical records to address their mathematical proclivity for injury) and questions on where they have skied to determine their experience, racing history, classes taken, clinics taken and overall reading ability to include comprehension so the computer can determine their likelihood to understand the system being used to rate this run's difficulty factor. Name, DOB, sex, height, weight, color of hair, color of eyes would be necessary so the computer can query Ski Patrol files locally and nationally for past violations or any type.

When the computer has authorized 1 2 skiers through the gate (boarders are automatically eliminated) daylight will end and therefore all the remainder skiers will be curtailed from skiing a run that may harm their psych's, knees, ego's, physical or mental well being.

CASE CLOSED.

Happy folks - Zero Maddest folks - lawyers
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Nov 17, 2015
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Great White North (Eastern side currently)
As I've said before, I'm fine with the ski hill rating their runs green blue and black relative to the other runs on their ski hill/mountain. I think this could be augmented by numbering each green, blue and black in order from 1 to however many runs they have in that colour, by order of difficulty. Green 1 would be the easiest green run, Blue 2 would be the 2nd easiest blue, and so on. That way all you have to do is ski an easy run and work your way up.
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
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Nov 12, 2015
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NYC
Could you elaborate on the proedure?

40t-crawler-grabber-excavator-097.jpg
 

at_nyc

Getting off the lift
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Mar 8, 2016
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646
Hi Eric, I agree whith you, but it would be very dificult to change the classification of the ski slopes every day acording to snow conditions.
No, it isn't!

I saw it done in Lake Louise (or was it Sunshine?). The trail name remains the same, the color changes daily. Is it really that "difficult" for ski patrol to slap a different color label on the trail sign? I bet not!

That's a lot more useful than yet another static systems of grading without regard to actual difficulty due to different condition.
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
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Oct 26, 2016
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Whitefish, MT
Do they give you a paper map with double ratings so you at least have a clue when you get on a lift what you might be facing? I remember, years ago, LL having a changing trail but not many.
 

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