Region	Beginner		Intermediate	Advanced	Expert
Europe (Ex. AUS & SWI)	Green	Blue		Red	Black	–
Austria & Switzerland	Blue	Red			Black	–
North America	Green	Blue			Single Black Diamond*	Double Black Diamond*
Japan	Green	Red			Black	–
Australia/New Zealand	Green	Blue			Black	Double Black Diamond
South America	Green	Blue	Red		Black	–

Surface lifts:

As their name implies, these lifts take you uphill on the surface of the snow and aren’t too long. Magic carpets are usually found in beginner areas and are like the travelators found in long airport corridors, they are slow moving and easy to get on and off, making them easy for those just starting. Drag or Poma lifts and T-Bars can be found in most resorts and are a little tougher to use, especially for snowboarders, as they require you to balance and keep your edges from catching.

Chairlifts:

These are lifts that you sit on, without removing your skis or boards, and they travel above the ground at a faster speed than surface lifts. Older lifts can be a little tricky to get on and off as they don’t slow down at each end. More modern lifts either have a rolling carpet to help you get on or the chair detaches from the cable to slow down at the bottom. Some lifts even have heated seats, wifi and weather covers for added comfort. They range in size from old 1-seaters (common in Japan) to fast new 8-seaters.

Gondolas or Cable Cars:

These require you to remove your skis or board and can transport large numbers of skiers up the mountain quickly. Like chairlifts they range in size and efficiency, some resorts still have older 2-man yoghurt pots and others have double-decker trams capable of carrying over 200 people.

Funiculars:

Funiculars are mountain railways that are capable of climbing steep gradients, usually using two trams in counterweight to each other. Most can carry several hundred passengers up and down the mountain. Many travel from resort level up to the top of the mountain through tunnels to protect them from snow and ice.

Mountain restaurants: typically marked with a knife and fork symbol.

Picnic area: you can bring your own food to the spots marked with a picnic table, some are sheltered others are open to the elements, this is usually noted on the map.

Ski patrol: A cross (usually in yellow or red) shows where you can find piste patrollers for assistance. Their emergency contact number will also be listed on the map

Toilets: pretty self explanatory, but when you need to go it’s handy to know where to find one!

Area/valley links: some ski areas are split into different areas which your pass may or may not be valid for so make sure you know before skiing into other zones. It’s also handy to know where your valley boundary is in case of bad weather as the lifts over the top are usually the first to close. This might make getting back to your resort difficult and expensive.

Luge tracks: Or sledging areas, these look like pistes in most cases but you shouldn’t ski on them in case of collision, you can rent or buy sledges to use on these. Marked by a sledge symbol on the map.

Floodlit area: some resorts offer night skiing on certain evenings, the pistes with floodlighting are often marked on the map.

Fun parks: Sometimes these are given a snowboarder symbol sometimes they are marked by a coloured block – these are areas with jumps, rails pipes or boarder cross courses, most are fenced off from the main pistes and many require that you wear a helmet.

Heli pads or Altiports: Where the helicopters land and take off or small, intricate airports built into the side of the mountain. Mainly for emergencies or for the wealthy to fly directly to and from resort, they act as a useful point to orientate from.

Ski area boundary: More commonly found in the US, a red- or black-dashed line indicates the end of the patrolled ski area, or any restricted area in-bounds. Skiing in these areas or beyond the edge of the resort can result in the removal of your lift pass or even a fine. You may also find blocked-off “nature reserves”

Slow/Beginner zones: Entire runs may be designated as beginner zones, to allow beginners to learn to ski or stretch their legs in peace.  Some resorts will enforce “Slow Zones” at bottle necks to reduce the risk of accident, often enforced by ski patrollers.

Other: Some maps also have cross country ski tracks, hiking and touring trails marked on the map. Ticket offices, rental shops, information points and ski schools may also be marked.