 Poster: A snowHead
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I've been thinking about going to Bormio but a little concerned that there aren't any blue runs, except for one shown on one piste map but not on others. Are the grades pretty standard across Europe and that a Blue or Red in France will be a Blue or Red in Italy for example ? What about the French Pyrenees, I assume they are graded the same as the French Alps.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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shelmerdine, France is the only country with Greens so some Italian Blues would be French Greens some Blues. I guess that there's a knock on effect for Reds too. I don't know Bormio but grading differs from resort to resort anyway.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Also, to complicate things, the coding is (or should be, AFAIK) somewhat relative to the resort and are definitely "average for the run". So what is looked upon as a "steep red" in a challenging resort may well be a "black" in another resort, and a blue may well contain relatively steep (but short) sections.
When I go to a new resort I usually ask the ski school for some indication of what's easy and difficult. They are usually quite helpful (even more so if you book a lesson at the same time  )
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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shelmerdine, if you get an area pass you can also ski in Livigno which opens up a further approx 30km of blue runs and Santa Caterina (small) which is mainly red runs buts not of the pant wetting variety  !
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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shelmerdine, bit of a generalisation, but yep the French gradings tend to be a tad stiffer than the Italian ones. I skiied Bormio on my 3rd ski trip, and although many moons ago recall it having a lot of pistes of a similar gradient - Italian reds/tougher French blues type - but mostly manageable. Santa Caterina (as mentioned) is about a 20 min bus ride up the valley and a v nice place for a day.
If you are a first timer then I'd suggest going elsewhere, but otherwise go for it. Bormio is a really nice, atmospheric town and (in a good way) unlike any other ski resort I've been to since.
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Thank you very much, all of you. Think I'll go. 
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Grades are relative to a particular mountain (resort) and you may well find that what in one resort is red can be blue in another one and one resort blacks can be easier than some other resort reds. But red slopes will be relatively harder than blue slopes in the same resort, though not necessarily hard in absolute terms. Snow conditions can be also a factor. Don't worry about grading too much, you will see when you arrive and ski it and you can always get a lesson if you feel you need some technique improvement to ski with more comfort in a particular resort.
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