Japan’s Ski Run Rating System: An Overview
When skiing or snowboarding in Japan, you might notice that ski run difficulty ratings differ from those in other countries. Unlike North America or Europe, Japan uses a simplified system to classify slopes. According to Wikipedia, most Japanese ski resorts categorize their runs into three primary levels: beginner, intermediate, and expert. However, there’s no standardized definition for each level across all resorts. This means the difficulty of a “beginner” run at one resort might not exactly match a “beginner” run at another. Skiers and snowboarders should always proceed with caution and pay attention to individual resort maps.
Where Does Freshsnow.jp Get Ski Run Difficult Ratings From?
While many Japanese resorts stick to the traditional three-tier rating system, some resorts, use a more detailed approach. The data contained in openstreetmaps.org, of which freshsnow.jp relies on heavily, is no different. Some resorts use a simple 3-category system of beginner, intermediate, and expert runs, while other resorts break down their data into 6 categories as follows:;
Novice
Easy
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert
Freeride
Additionally, some pistes are unrated due to insufficient data.
Freshsnow.jp’s Streamlined Ski Run Difficulty Ratings
Since Japanese ski run ratings can vary significantly between resorts, Freshsnow.jp has simplified its approach to make it easier for skiers and snowboarders to understand. They’ve grouped all difficulty levels into three categories, using a color-coded system:
- Green: Beginner (includes Novice and Easy)
- Red: Intermediate
- Black: Expert (includes advanced, expert, and freeride runs)
You may also encounter Pink runs on Freshsnow.jp, which represent unrated slopes due to unavailable data.
Accessing Japan Ski Run Ratings on Freshsnow.jp
To view ski run difficulty ratings on Freshsnow.jp, simply click the “L” button at the bottom right corner of the map. A transparent legend will appear, showing the difficulty levels for each slope. This user-friendly feature allows you to easily navigate and understand the run ratings at a glance.
