Easiest Black Diamonds

[mckay]

What are the easiest black diamonds you've ever skied at a non-rinky-dink ski resort? Skiing Exhibition at Okemo today gave me the idea to start this thread. Zealand at Bretton Woods is another incredibly tame black diamond.

 

[millerm277]

Mouse Trap - Killington. It's been rated as an intermediate before, it's so easy. Only rated as a diamond to keep too many people that can't stop from coming down it into a bad intersection.

 

[mondeo]

Mouse Trap - Killington. It's been rated as an intermediate before, it's so easy. Only rated as a diamond to keep too many people that can't stop from coming down it into a bad intersection.

Brings in an interesting aspect - trails that get ratings not for their difficulty. How about a ridiculously easy double black? O.L. Express, just a traverse leading to Outer Limits. But double black because it leads only to a double black.

Does that count?

 

[bosrocker51]

how about Moondance glade at Stratton? Rated expert, it's more like advanced intermediate, if that.

Maybe if the snow was hard & icy it would be a black diamond, but whne I skied it, it was easy

 

[RISkier]

Zealand is not even close to being a black diamond. Even by BW standards I'm not sure why it's rated black. Most of the blacks at BW are pretty tame. There's one headwall on Bode's run that is fairly steep, though it's not a long steep. The black under the lift at Crotched is pretty tame.

 

[mikestaple]

What are the easiest black diamonds you've ever skied at a non-rinky-dink ski resort? Skiing Exhibition at Okemo today gave me the idea to start this thread. Zealand at Bretton Woods is another incredibly tame black diamond.

Bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. These are one and two on my list. Exhibition has a steep 20 yards near a chair lift post. That's it.

My kids, when they had their 3rd ski lesson (at 7 and 4 years old) hit Zealand at BW. Also, Deception Bowl at BW isn't very true blackish either. A touch tight as the glades empty into it, but not too steep and it is groomed too.

 

[St. Bear]

Easiest double black has got to be Ripsaw at Loon. There's one steep headwall, but it's really short and other than that it's nothing remarkable.

 

[billski]

Any black trail, when mowed down flat is relatively navigable without tremendous skill. So I'd argue the blacks that get groomed are in the lower level of difficulty.

 

[hammer]

Upper Blastoff at Sunapee is an easy black IMO...no harder than many of the blues there after the first headwall (which scares some people off and that's a good thing).

 

[snowmonster]

^ Agree. You can straightline Upper Blastoff no problem. Last Saturday, there was a shelf they had on skier's right to add to the difficulty.

 

[2knees]

Brings in an interesting aspect - trails that get ratings not for their difficulty. How about a ridiculously easy double black? O.L. Express, just a traverse leading to Outer Limits. But double black because it leads only to a double black.

Does that count?

killington is loaded with these. escapade and launch pad come to mind also.

 

[billski]

^ Agree. You can straightline Upper Blastoff no problem. Last Saturday, there was a shelf they had on skier's right to add to the difficulty.

The biggest trail layout sin used to be greens that feed into blues or blues that feed into Blacks. Fortunately that's a thing of the past at most areas. Not so much at Killington?

 

[Greg]

I think overall as far as the terrain goes, Hellgate at Hunter is a pretty easy black. Ski the bumps at the turn and it's pretty challenging though. Weird fall line moguls.

 

[deadheadskier]

Temptor, Stinger, Gunbarrel

 

[catskillman]

Jimmy Huega at Hunter !

 

[Newpylong]

Anything at Stratton and Okemo. There are some runs at Stratton that blew my mind when I looked at a map after skiing them and saw they were diamonds. Polar Bear comes to mind. That run is a green at most places.

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Temptor, Stinger, Gunbarrel

lol dont diss the institution now

 

[Harvey]

Stratton.

Don't know the names of trails.

But I'd never been at a mountain where I could ski straight down the fall line on a double black.

Turning almost seemed optional.

 

[millerm277]

killington is loaded with these. escapade and launch pad come to mind also.

I don't think those count, they have a point. Would you really want to rate them green and let the beginners go to their doom? (Well, it could be entertaining, but....)

 

[2knees]

I don't think those count, they have a point. Would you really want to rate them green and let the beginners go to their doom? (Well, it could be entertaining, but....)

umm, go read the post i quoted. my point was killington has a number of trails rated harder simply because of where they lead. which was what mondeo was saying about ol express. hence why i quoted it in my response.