VAIL, Colo. (AP) — Some of Colorado's toughest ski runs now bear a new warning sign, twin black diamonds with an ''E'' and an ''X'' inside them to designate extreme terrain.
The signs denote a run with slopes of at least 50 degrees and cliffs at least 20 feet high. They were mandated by the Legislature last year when it revised the Colorado Skier Safety Act.
''We now have folks skiing terrain that they weren't skiing 10 or 14 years ago,'' said Melanie Mills, a lobbyist for Colorado Ski Country USA, an industry group that pushed for the new designation. ''We wanted to have signage to reflect the nature of that terrain.''
With its specific requirements, the EX designation will be uniform statewide.
The traditional designations of easy (green circles), intermediate (blue squares) or difficult (black diamonds) often vary from resort to resort. A black-diamond run at a predominantly easy area may be no harder than a blue run at a more challenging resort.
''That decision is generally made by the mountain manager and the ski patrol,'' said Jeff Hanle, spokesman for the Aspen ski resorts. ''It's all relative.''
The new signs are the first official change in Colorado ski-trail designation since the green, blue and black system was introduced in the 1960s.
