Ski piste difficulty levels: green, blue, red and black

In France, pistes are graded in four colours: green (very easy), blue (easy), red (difficult) and black (very difficult). The colour is assigned by the ski area operator, relative to its own terrain — there is no legal gradient threshold that defines a colour.

29 July 2026

What does each piste colour mean?

The four colours describe increasing difficulty. They tell you how much the run will ask of you, not just how steep it is: width, technical sections, and exposure to wind and ice matter as much as gradient.

The four piste colours in France
Colour	Difficulty	Who it suits	What to expect
Green	Very easy	First turns, children	Gentle even gradient, wide piste, few obstacles to avoid
Blue	Easy	Skiers linking turns	Moderate gradient, some flat sections, long cruising runs
Red	Difficult	Skiers comfortable throughout	Steep sections, variable width, often firmer snow
Black	Very difficult	Experienced skiers	Sustained steep gradient, moguls, sometimes partial grooming

What gradient makes a piste green, blue, red or black?

There is no official figure, and that is the source of most of the confusion. The AFNOR standard covers piste marking and signage — the boards, the poles, the information — but it does not set a binding gradient threshold per colour.

The figures usually quoted sit around under 15% for a green, up to 25% for a blue, up to roughly 40% for a red and beyond that for a black. They are rules of thumb, not a rule: published sources overlap and contradict one another.

Why does the same colour feel different from resort to resort?

Because every operator grades against its own terrain. An area with gentle high ground will have no true black; a very steep area will grade as red a slope that would be black elsewhere. The colour is a local reference point, not a unit of measurement.

Maximum gradient, but also average gradient over the length of the run
The width of the piste and whether it narrows
Aspect: a north face holds snow, a south face ices up then goes bare
How busy it is, and whether it carries traffic between sectors

Is the colour enough to judge how hard a run will be today?

No. The colour is fixed; conditions are not. An icy blue first thing in the morning demands more control than a red in soft afternoon snow. Visibility changes it too: in fog the relief disappears and an easy slope becomes disorienting.

What about colours in other countries?

Green does not exist everywhere. Austria, Switzerland and Italy start at blue, which then covers what France splits between green and blue. North America uses a different system with no red at all.

Approximate mapping between systems
France	Austria / Switzerland / Italy	North America
Green	Blue	Green circle
Blue	Blue	Green circle / Blue square
Red	Red	Blue square / Black diamond
Black	Black	Black diamond / Double black diamond

How do you pick the right colour as a beginner?

Stay on greens until the snowplough has become a controlled parallel turn. Move to blues when you can stop where you decide to, rather than where the slope lets you. Reds ask you to hold the gradient for its full length, without traversing sideways to survive it.

You brake and stop whenever you want → blues are for you
You link steady parallel turns → try a short red
You ski a red without stopping to recover → blacks become plausible
When in doubt, drop a colour: a run that is too hard rarely ends well

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a red and a black piste?

A red has steep sections but stays manageable for a comfortable skier; a black sustains a steep gradient over a long stretch and may have moguls or only partial grooming. The distinction is as much about how long the effort lasts as about the maximum gradient.

Is there an official gradient standard for grading a piste?

No. The AFNOR standard covers piste marking and signage, not a gradient threshold per colour. The ski area operator grades its own pistes under the responsibility of the local council, according to its own terrain.

Is a blue piste easy everywhere?

No. Grading is relative to the ski area: a blue in a large high-altitude area can be harder than a red in a small resort. Real difficulty also depends on the snow, the time of day and visibility.

Why are there no green pistes in Austria or Switzerland?

Those countries start their grading at blue, which then covers what France splits between green and blue. An Austrian blue may correspond to either a French green or a French blue.

What is an itinerary, as opposed to a piste?

Some ski areas mark itineraries alongside graded pistes. They are signposted but are neither groomed nor patrolled to the same standard as a piste. They are for self-sufficient skiers and should not be mistaken for a black run.

How does Skiway use piste difficulty?

You set your level and Skiway only routes you over pistes that match it. A beginner is never sent down a black to reach a point on the mountain: the app looks for a path in your colour, even if that makes it longer.