SA's trail difficulty rating system

[Philip Varen]

I'm putting together a blog article on this topic (see title) -  on what to expect from each trail rating and the level of skill each rating demands. 

There are 2 systems that I think are in use in SA- based on the strong suspicion that our trails are rated green, blue, red, black and double black.

The IMBA system uses (white), green, blue, black, double black. 

The Forestry and Land Scotland system (UK system) uses green, blue, red, black, orange.

So it seems likely that we would typically use the IMBA system, with the red from the Forestry and Land Scotland system, sometimes, if not rarely, thrown in. I've been riding for almost 30 years; I've seen red trails but I've never seen an orange trail. 

Any thoughts on this?

Philip

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Philip Varen

[ChrisF]

Two pitfalls we experience :

 

1. The rating does not account for wet or dry.  Mostly not an issue.  But some trails are on clay types that becomes super slippery when wet ....  When a new rider relies on "blue" and encounters "black" unexpectedly, it questions the systems.

 

MAYBE - a notice board at the trail entrance .... "Due to current weather, and trail wear, the rating is elevated from Blue to Red.

 

OR - Normally Blue trail, expect Red/Black in adverse weather conditions.

 

The tricky bit being that a good many trails are built to deal better with rain, and the rating does not change significantly, thus you just know until you have tried the trail in different conditions ... and is this not the exact purpose of a trail rating system ?

 

 

2. Maintenance .... or the lack thereof ..... some straight corridors where where highways never mind green has become so eroded that pedal strikes become common place.  Once spot that used be a corridor with "the odd tree route", is now washes away to the point that most tree routes are above ground level ... what ever rating they had is no longer applicable.   (Protea corridor, Tygerberg club, just as one example).  SURE, I actually enjoy this routed section, but also mindful of all the new riders that might find this intimidating.

 

 

 

A different issue, and one for which I dont seem to understand the ratings, if it exists.  Sometimes to you see three red arrows, noting a dangerous section ahead, typically just a particular feature in an otherwise blue or red trail.  Saw this sign at an event, and treated it as such, except it was nothing more than a section of farm road, slightly loose surface at worst.  Around the bend one more of these tripple red arrows, but clearly just the same farm road.  After the third bend it became apparent what was happening ... we climbed to the top using single tracks, and was now simple speeding down a road .... and overheating the brakes !!  My brakes eventually glazed over, bike speeding up, and I ended in the medics tent for a few hours ... for what was no more than one enormously long very steep downhill.  And here I thought the tripple red arrow was just "for an obstacle".  In a case like that a printed board stating "steep drop next 3km" might have been more appropriate.

[Headshot]

Jonketshoek uses what you refer to as the forestry system. A red is a blue in IMBA speak. Maps may differ and for instance on Trailforks a double black is shown as a red trail on the map but described as a double black. This is to differentiate it from a single black diamond on the map. It can cause confusion.

[MORNE]

Meh. Who decides? Is it then a subjective assessment?

perfect example:

cobra at hoogekraal… vs Red Phoenix, armageddon at jonkers. ‘Red trails’ vs a ‘black trail’ 😅🤣

Plumber is underated…should be tripple black diamond: :”hi chances of certain injury or possibly death”, “not here to be enjoyed, but to be survived”. the sign at the start says it all: “if at first you dont succeed, this trail is not for you” 😁

Edited 46 minutes ago by MORNE