Piste Grading Inconsistency.

Snapzzz wrote:

bandit wrote: It's just that the pistes are not going to change their gradient much.

BUT my point is that a few runs in La Plagne DO!!!! Mira, as i said changes dramatically.

AFAIK grading percentages are averaged, so if a run has a flat bottom section, and a short portion of steeper terrain, then it will be graded Blue not Green.

Snapzzz, for me it's a difficult one. I 100% think they don't grade them wrong on purpose. I also think the Weather, time of day, even time of year have a bearing on how difficult a run can be. For example in Meribel last year we flew done a black run, I actually commented at the time how it was the easiest black I had ever done, however we did this run again late afternoon & it was full of Moguls & Ice. Its a tough one, especially with children. Maybe Blues that get tougher should be classed as Beds :)

Would she not be better off in ski school - a weeks half day lessons would cost you quite a bit less that the 3 hour private, and she'd experience more of the resort. You could then go over some of the ground she covered in the lesson.

Taking skis off and sliding down on yer bum is one of the worst and most dangerous ways down of a ski who inadvertently has got a little out of their depth.

Far better (and safer) to traverse, sit down, swing the skis around, stand up, traverse and repeat.

That all said, their is a certain amount of politics in piste grading, but equally no resort will want people getting out of their depth. Snow conditions can also play a major part.

Overall, tis a tough one!

I'm sure resorts look at their market, and bias their grading a little to that market.

As to your daughter's skiing, there are some differences in approaches to teaching skiing these days. Schools that use some form of direct to parallel method, will not teach the wedge at all for speed control. Speed control is achieved through turn shape, and stopping by turning sharply uphill (until able to hockey stop).
This means it is better to spend time skiing easier slopes, with good technique, rather than surviving steeper runs by using a braking wedge, and creating bad habits. Bad habits that mean you will then have to pay for more ski lessons to undo.

Hi Snapzzz,

Having just returned from Saalbach/Hinterglemm I totally agree with you about grading inconsistency.
I also suspect that resorts grade some important interconnecting runs as Blue incorrectly on purpose to attract more visitors.
My wife struggled on many Blue runs there and had to revert to snow plough because of too steep a gradient.
I have skied All runs there and many Red runs were no more difficult/steep as say long 2A/2B Blue run back to resort level at Saalbach.

Hence I will be looking/asking fellow skiers for their recommendations for a resort with long easy blue runs for our future trips.

Regards,

There's nothing wrong with the snowplough - it still has a use for even very experienced skiers.

Those who saw this weekends downhill will have notice more than one of the racers briefly put in a plough to check their speed.
Side slipping is another option for an inexperienced skiier to get down a steep section without getting off their skis.
If you or someone you are with feels they have to walk (could be equipment failure) make sure they walk down the edge of the piste.

There is no doubt an element of interpretation of what's a green/blue/red/black. Steepness can be mitigated by a wide piste, a piste may be harder because of moguls & narrow sections.

I think the key here is confidence. If your daughter practices her technique on easy slopes, she will then be more confident when things get a bit more tricky. I like the idea of private lessons as they can be catered just for her, whereas group lessons are not. I know a lot of confidence is between the ears. The best skiing I ever did was when the weather was so bad I couldn't see just how steep the slope was and just had to concentrate on the next turn. Normally I think I won't complete the turn and will fall over. I can't and I do!

I wouldn't worry too much on the colour of the piste- it is afterall someone else's opinion.

Thanks for starting this post Snapzz, it's very interesting.

Couple of personal viewpoints...

Bandit you mention that the runs are graded by way of an average. Personally (for what it's worth) I'm not convinced that this is the best method. Bearing in mind that the gradings are supposed to be used by individuals to assess a route which is within their own abilities, any short steep sections could be outside of that ability causing unecessary difficulty and safety concerns. Personally (again) I think perhaps that the steepest section could be considered as the indicator. Or even (and I know it gets complicated now), some indicator of how much of the run is above a certain threshold, so I suppose a sub-grading system. Maybe a run being classed as blue overall with 10% above XX gradient.

For those who support extra lessons to improve skill levels I completely agree from a wider perspective. However, for me the point here is that at any given time someone should be able to make reasonably accurate decisions on their route based on their current skill level, whatever that may be.

Snow conditions - absolutely play a part in difficulty of a run. Although it would be incredibly difficult to take this into account when grading as it's such a big variable. For me it needs to be the responsibility of the individual to assess the temperatures etc that day and the likelihood of pistes changing condition during the day. When in doubt select an easier one unless earlier indications are that you'd feel confident and capable of skiing it under more difficult circumstances. FWIW I believe that the run should be graded as though conditions are good and the piste is in good condition, and only take into account fixed issues e.g. width, gradient etc.

EDIT - I knew there was something else that caught my attention. I can see that some have suggested traversing, side slipping etc for getting past the tough bits. I think these methods definitely have their place however, they are really difficult on the legs to keep going for any length of time. Fatigued muscles lead to a greater risk of falling. Plus there's the mental issues i.e. the loss of confidence associated with someone standing at the top of a slope which freaks them out. In my own experience and from witnessing others, I reckon that this factor reduces a persons skill levels (sometimes considerably) when they are needed the most. Thankfully I've not experienced this for some time, but I do recall that the simplest 'must do's' can be forgotten when feeling overwhelmed. This can lead to a slip, which exacerbates the vicious cycle.