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Determining your skiing ability level can be challenging. Different people use various criteria to assess their skills—some equate speed with expertise, while others prioritize park techniques. This guide outlines skier levels from an all-mountain technical perspective, helping you navigate SkisNTrees' website and determine your level for gear rentals or ski shop services.
Being a beginner skier can be daunting, but it's also an adventure. If you've never skied before, you’re a beginner. However, beginners also include those who:
Ski green runs comfortably
Start to ski blues with parallel skis between turns or toward the end of a turn
Transitioning to intermediate skiing means greens feel easy, and you're looking for a challenge on blues.
Intermediate skiers make up the largest skill group, ranging from novice to advanced intermediates. Here’s how they break down:
Novice Intermediate: Comfortable on greens and beginning to tackle blues.
Intermediate: Controls speed on blues and skis mostly parallel.
Advanced Intermediate: Confidently carves on blues and starts skiing blacks with control.
Note: Skiing a black diamond does not automatically make someone an advanced skier. Control and technique define your level, not just surviving the run.
Expert skiers confidently ski black and double black diamond runs in control. They aggressively ski on all terrain and maintain advanced skiing techniques, skiing parallel except in extremely challenging conditions.
If you earn money through skiing—congratulations, you’re a professional (as per the standards set out on this site)!
Ski resort difficulty ratings are relative to their location. A black diamond in Ontario differs significantly from a black diamond in British Columbia. For this article, we use British Columbia’s big mountains as the standard.
Understanding your skier level helps improve your skills and ensures you get the right equipment and instruction. Here are a few quick beginner ski tips: