As a preface, it is worth noting that you rarely encounter the same snow conditions two days in a row. Snow constantly transforms under the effects of temperature, wind, sun and humidity. As a result, a slope that feels manageable one day may become significantly more serious the next. A route’s rating may therefore need to be reconsidered if, for example, a slope has not undergone its usual spring transformation and remains hard, icy or unstable.
Over the decades, several ski touring grading systems have emerged in France. Some have replaced others, while many continue to coexist today.
Developed by G. Blachère in the 1940s, this was one of the earliest French ski touring grading systems. It focused primarily on the skier’s technical ability. Remember skiing was on wood skis and leather boots in the immediate post war years.
The categories are:
An additional letter A (for Alpinisme) may be added.
For example:
This designation implies a route involving glaciated terrain, crevasses, steep slopes and mountaineering skills in addition to skiing ability.
Philippe Traynard, a university professor in Grenoble, and his wife Claude authored the well-known ski touring guidebooks: 101, 102, 103 Summits on Skis. Traynard was a driving force behind the development of the French national parks which were inspired by the American model. He was still skiing into his mid-80s when he was hit by an out-of-control skier at Chamrousse, ending his ski "career". While Traynard used the Blachère scale to describe the skier’s level, he introduced an additional grading system in 1969 (published in La Montagne) to specify slope steepness and key technical passages.
This scale ranges from S1 to S6, later extended to S7.
As described in the 1989 Guide des Écrins et Haut Dauphiné (prefaced by Traynard):
In 1983, François Labande, in *Ski Sauvage*, added a seventh level:
He famously described it by referencing the cliff jumps performed by Jean-Marc Boivin on the east face of the Matterhorn.
In 1998, guidebook authors E. Cabau and H. Galley clarified correspondences with alpine grades:
However, they emphasized that sustained steepness increases seriousness: for example, 600 m of continuous S4 may be graded D, just as 200 m of S5 would be.
Borrowed from mountaineering and climbing, the Alpine grading scale includes seven levels:
In the 1970s, steep skiing surged in popularity, and grades such as TD and ED became increasingly common.
But how should one rate descents such as Davo Karničar’s ski descent of Everest, or Marco Siffredi’s attempt in the Hornbein Couloir? At such altitudes, physiological strain and extreme exposure complicate any grading system. As Volodia Shahshahani once wrote in 1984 in Ski Alpinisme, perhaps an eighth grade would one day emerge, one that could only be called “Divinely Difficult.”
Volodia Shahshahani proposed a five-level scale specifically tailored to ski mountaineering. Each level includes three subdivisions: 1 (lower), 2 (middle), 3 (upper).
His descriptions are as follows:
Level 1
Introductory alpine ski touring (not Nordic skiing).
Slopes under 30°, No very narrow passages, Elevation gain under 800 m, Limited exposure, Generally low avalanche risk
Level 2
Few technical difficulties.
Slopes up to 35°, Elevation gain or exposure may be significant, Objective hazards possible
Level 3
True ski mountaineering begins.
Long 35° slopes, Short sections of 40–45° * Dense forests or steep forest tracks
Level 4
Couloir or steep skiing.
Long sections at 40°, Short passages up to 50°, Rugged mid-mountain terrain
Level 5
Very steep slopes.
Sustained 45–50°, Or significant sections over 50°
For example, the south slopes of the Monts Jovet near les Contamines are rated 1.3 with a pitch of 30 degrees, the sort of slopes you'll find on hard red runs on piste. The mythic east face of the Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey; first skied by Stefano De Benedetti on the 18th April 1984 (it had to wait nearly 30 years for a second descent) is 5.4 - a 50 degree slope over 700 meters in a no-fall-zone.
In his guidebooks, Shahshahani also includes exposure ratings in the technical descriptions (E1-E4), giving readers a clearer understanding of the seriousness of the descent.
This system has seen widespread adoption both in France and elsewhere.
These grading systems reflect both the evolution of ski mountaineering and the ambition of those who practice it. Beyond bragging rights they also provide a common language for ski tourers to position themselves when selecting both routes and ski partners. The various systems share one fundamental truth: ratings provide guidance, not guarantees. Snow conditions, exposure, altitude, avalanche risk and personal experience can radically alter the seriousness of a descent from one day to the next.
Ultimately, ski touring grades describe potential difficulty but judgment in the mountains remains the skier’s responsibility.