STANDARDS

CCSS: 8.EE.B.5, MP1, MP4, MP6

TEKS: 8.4B, 8.4C

Hit the Slopes

Do you have the skills to shred super-steep trails?

Image of a person skiing

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This winter, millions of people will head to the mountains to go skiing and snowboarding. Will you be one of them? Depending on your experience, you might hop off the ski lift and make a beeline for a beginner’s bunny slope. Or, if you’re practically a pro, you could challenge yourself with the hardest trail on the map.

Each mountain has a unique shape, and resorts use different methods to classify their trails. Many factors are used to determine a trail’s rating, including its width, the presence of obstacles like trees or bumps called moguls, and, of course, the trail’s steepness.

Trail ratings aren’t standardized. But most resorts use the same general classifications: green circles for beginners, blue squares for intermediate riders, and black diamonds for experienced skiers and snowboarders. Some resorts even use double-black-diamond ratings for their hardest trails!

Each resort uses its own criteria to categorize its trails, but ratings aren’t set in stone. “Trail ratings are not an exact science, and the true difficulty of a trail is not just based on how steep it is—it can even change based on conditions that day!” says Kristel Killary, the communications manager at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont. “We do our best to provide a guide for skiers and riders with the green, blue, and black designations and are confident that all ability levels will find something to love this winter.”

Find the slope as a percent and the ratings of select trails at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont and Keystone Resort in Colorado. Round answers to the nearest tenth. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

A. The Solitude trail at Killington is for beginners. What slope should it have?

B. Solitude’s rise is 2,100 feet, and its run is 37,266 feet. What’s its slope as a percent?

The rise of Snowshed Slope trail at Killington is 350 feet, and its run is 4,125 feet. What is its slope as a percent and its trail rating?

A. The Schoolmarm trail at Keystone has a run of 15,662 feet. It starts at an elevation of 11,640 feet and ends at an elevation of 9,309 feet. What is its slope as a percent and its trail rating? (Hint: Find the rise by subtracting the elevations.)

B. The Wild Irishman trail starts at the same elevation as Schoolmarm but ends at an elevation of 10,414 feet. Its run is 4,979 feet. What is the trail’s slope and its rating?

Cascade trail at Killington is a black-diamond trail with a slope of 46.6% and a rise of 1,500 feet. What is its run?

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