Posted 10 October 2024

What do the different slope colors mean?

Each color signifies a difficulty level of the slope, from green to black each step up will require additional experience.

Where do I find the colors?

They are visible on signposts and the 'Piste Markers' either side delimiting the piste. All ski maps are color coded in this fashion.

What are the colors?

In ascending order of difficulty

Green 🟢

France is one of the few places where you'll find runs specifically graded for beginners. These are the absolute easiest and gentle slopes on the mountain. Perfect for practicing turns and gaining confidence. The wide runs mean there is no need to worry about dodging out-of-control skiers!

For beginner skiers, once you're ready to move on from the practice area, green runs are usually the first step up. However snowboarders and skiers without poles may struggle on the long flat sections found on these runs. You can try to keep your momentum, but occasionally you might need to unstrap and walk—definitely not the most fun part!

During peak season, the snow is usually top notch, and the deeper you go into the mountain, the quieter those green runs get.

Blue 🔵

Blue runs are the next step up from green, and make up the majority of runs in resorts. Blues come in all shapes and sizes but most often are fairly wide and nearly always moderately steep with both ups and downs. So be prepared for flat and uphill sections where you'll need that extra wax.

These runs are great for beginners and intermediates alike. We would recommend going out mid morning just as the sun starts warming up the snow for the best experience.

The snow quality is often very good, but can vary an a bit more variable than greens. Blues tend to have very high traffic and busy, lower altitude runs soon get chopped up.

Red 🔴

Red runs are a step up from blue and make up the second largest portion of slopes in most resorts. They're typically moderately steep and can vary in width, though they tend to be narrower than blues.

Red runs are the sweet spot for intermediate and advanced skiers, offering just enough challenge without completely wearing you out. They tend to be either steep and fast or require moderate technical skill.

At higher altitudes, snow conditions are usually dependable, but watch out for those busy reds leading back into town. The constant traffic can scrape away the snow, leaving you with icy patches and big moguls to navigate!

Black ⚫

Black runs are the toughest slopes in France, known for being steep, ungroomed, and often on the icier shaded side of the mountain. They can take you all the way from the peak down to the base and are sometimes the quickest route back into town — if you’re up for the challenge!

These runs are perfect for advanced skiers and snowboarders, but if you're looking to level up, try mixing in a few black runs throughout your day. Having enough in the tank before going down is always a good idea as they’ll test your stamina.

Snow quality can be all over the place, and sometimes a run is labeled "black" more because of tricky conditions than just the gradient. We've even seen blacks with meter high moguls from the lack of grooming.

Don't always trust the colors!

Piste colors give you a rough idea of what kind of ride you're in for during an average day in peak season. But there in lies the problem, what if it's not average? A particularly freezing overnight chill could send your favorite blue run into a ice rink.

So when planning your day you should keep in mind the following factors in addition to the piste colors:

1. Last snowfall
2. Footfall
3. Overnight Temperature
4. Daytime Temperature
5. Sunlight / Shade

Are there orange pistes in france?

Generally no, although they can appear in resorts share borders with Austria and Switzerland, orange pistes are even more advanced than Black. They tend to be totally wild, ungroomed and left to the elements. If your insurance has restrictions around off-piste this is the closest you can get to a true outback experience!

Are their black diamond pistes in france?

Nope, these are for North American runs. Black is generally considered for expert and above, so you wont know just how advanced a black a run is until you do it. In fact a standard black in the US would be the equivalent to a european red.

What is the orange tape on piste markers?

The orange tape usually signifies the right hand side of the piste. If your in a white out you will need this piece of knowledge to help you stay on the correct side of the run. The markers without orange tape signify the left hand side of the piste.

Why are some runs wildly different in difficulty despite being the same color?

A common myth is that Ski resorts just take into account slope steepness and rubber stamp the color, if only it was that simple! There's a lot more interesting factors at play when grading runs, and not all of them are for the benefit of skiers.

Resorts are a business, one that needs to attract all levels of skiers, manage overcrowding and keep operational costs low. They have to take into account:

1. If a run is the main access route to a particular place
2. Their operational support (snow cannons, piste bashers)
3. How it will fit into the overall resort 'balance' to attract both beginners and experts.

Next time you see one run into a town, and its a toss up between a blue and red, they will nearly always lean towards blue. Now Beginners will now stay in that town! And will all have talk about 'the horrible run back'.