# Tell me about your black diamond runs



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

Where you ride, what's a typical black diamond run like? I ask because I get the feeling that black runs here are a bit on the tame side (never been boarding outside of Japan), and I don't really have the right to go around saying, "Yeah, I can ride blacks no problem."

A typical Japanese black diamond run is...
Average gradient between 22 and 30 degrees
Max gradient anywhere from 30 to 40 degrees
More often than not, nasty moguls as far as the eye can see (of course, these aren't the "no problem" blacks)


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## Catman (Mar 16, 2008)

I think ours is pretty tame too.We have two black runs the first one is 1000 ft. and has a tame drop-in then drops off pretty quick the degee changes from week to week because they don't groom the blacks much so when they blow we get some big rollers some of them can be as much as 60 degrees on the back side.The second one is 900 ft. and has a good drop-in but thats it the rest is just moguls.Both are short IMO.


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## bakesale (Nov 28, 2008)

There are a lot of variables that make a black diamond what it is on the west coast here They are usually steeper, anywhere between 40-60degrees steep. They are never groomed and the snow conditions can be anywhere between champagne powder to hardpack with ice patches. There are often unmarked features such as trees, tree stumps, and small cliffs 5-8 ft tall. Sometimes the runs are through glades.

They can be anywhere from tame to gnarly. The only surefire bet for a good challenge is doubleblacks


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2009)

Tame, vertical is only 240ft at the two resorts close to home.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Here's a "beginner" black diamond run in the US.










That is what I consider to be pretty tame...


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## legallyillegal (Oct 6, 2008)

that's not even a black

stick a tow rope on that bitch and call it a green


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## Zee (Feb 21, 2008)

I find Black Diamond runs in Alberta to be tamer than the ones in BC.

Standish Face at Sunshine qualifies as a black diamond for them, it is maybe 30 degrees, my 9 year old does it no problem. Blue runs at Kicking Horse are between 30 and 35 degrees, blacks are closer to 40. I wouldnt be putting my boy on one of the BC blacks.


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## bakesale (Nov 28, 2008)

Zee said:


> I find Black Diamond runs in Alberta to be tamer than the ones in BC.
> 
> Standish Face at Sunshine qualifies as a black diamond for them, it is maybe 30 degrees, my 9 year old does it no problem. Blue runs at Kicking Horse are between 30 and 35 degrees, blacks are closer to 40. I wouldnt be putting my boy on one of the BC blacks.


Yeah but KH is pretty hardcore by any measure. But you are right, the only challenge I find at Sunshine is Delirium Dive, and even thats kinda tame for a DB.


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## Rocan (Dec 3, 2008)

killclimbz said:


> Here's a "beginner" black diamond run in the US.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


mmmm powder...

here on the east coast the blacks range greatly.

at easier, family mountains, the blacks are like somewhat challenging blues.

go the the adirondacks, the blacks are average being fairly steep, twisty, and narrow.

the double blacks ive seen are about 50-60 degree gradient in the beginning for 600 or so feet, maybe moguls, and then they shallow out to a beautiful black or blue run.


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## Guest (Feb 3, 2009)

I was riding black diamonds all day Sunday as well as a double black diamond at Dodge Ridge in Sonora. I don't know if others would consider a double black diamond though. It was pretty steep, but short and not too bad. I did go on some moguls and that was hell considering how icy it was.


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2009)

killclimbz said:


> Here's a "beginner" black diamond run in the US.


Meh. I'd only go there to teach friends how to ride or practice switch. I prefer a challenge.


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## LordGrizzly (Feb 17, 2017)

I remember my first "real double black", meaning ive been on double blacks before but was super challenged with this one run. I picked up snowboarding insanely fast and 4 days in I did my first double black on a rental board called the chute at Mt Baker. Well, the double black Im talking about is called Gabl's and its also at Mt Baker. On a good powder day it would be great, but on the day I went it was the worst conditions possible. The story goes that I was 6 days in too snowboarding, and I know 6 days in sounds insane going down double blacks but a disclaimer is no, I didnt plow the entire way down. So anyways, I am strapping up next to the line that says like danger and experts only and I see this guy come by and I ask him too take me down gabls because I didnt really know a good line and It was my first time so I needed a guide to teach me what I will be going up against. Like I said before, it was insanely icy and it was the type of ice you get when its slush the day before and then freezes the next day so its like that bumpy and awful ice. So he tells me everything and just to follow him and also he asked why the hell am I doing a double black I have never done before on the worst conditions possible and I just said "I dont know, just feel like doing it". We drop in and at first you have to plow a little bit due to it being so steep at the beginning but once it got a little less steep we hit moguls and he told me "Use the moguls to control your speed, you cant rely on your edge because its so icy" so we are just carefully going over moguls all the way down a extremely icy run and super steep while Im scared shitless because gabls is right next to a sheer cliff maybe 200 ft at most and pretty narrow with drop offs and rocks coming out of the ground in the middle of the run combined with moguls and over awful snowboarding conditions made it one of the scariest moments of my life, but we got down it and at the end It felt soo good knowing I did another double black. Im pretty sure we all know the feeling after doing a double black, just that feeling of adrenaline and acomplishment is awesome. Anyways thats my story.


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)




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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

killclimbz said:


> Here's a "beginner" black diamond run in the US.
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Yep, might as well run a snow carpet to this one.....of course that first turn is kind of a bitch.


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

killclimbz said:


> Here's a "beginner" black diamond run in the US.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It's the audience that'd really make it special for me.


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## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

Holy necrophilia. What a random thread to bring back from the dead...


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## Pointy Deity (Dec 12, 2014)

LOL wow, thread necromancy. I'm the OP (lost access to my old account). In the near-decade that's passed since then, I left Japan and spent a few miserable years in Florida before relocating to Colorado. Our blacks are morer betterer... I'd even go as far as saying there's nothing challenging in-bounds in Japan, at least not that I ever encountered.


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## phillyphan (Sep 22, 2016)

Pointy Deity said:


> LOL wow, thread necromancy. I'm the OP (lost access to my old account). In the near-decade that's passed since then, I left Japan and spent a few miserable years in Florida before relocating to Colorado. Our blacks are morer betterer... I'd even go as far as saying there's nothing challenging in-bounds in Japan, at least not that I ever encountered.


You ride at Winter Park a lot? That's the Cirque, right?


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## Pointy Deity (Dec 12, 2014)

Good eye! Yes and yes. Not so much this season (no pass) but I'll be back in action next season.


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## phillyphan (Sep 22, 2016)

Been out there quite a few days this year, so I recognized it. lol. I love it up there. A lot of terrain and a lot of different types of riding. I'll actually be up there March 2-6 if you get an itch to come out.


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## Pointy Deity (Dec 12, 2014)

I might be able to make it out that weekend. Sending you a PM in a moment (now that I've got 15 posts)...


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