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Calgary Outdoor Club - Difficulty Ratings
It is challenging to quantify the difficulty rating for various events, but in keeping with our mandate
of being a variety club, and not a hard-core single-activity club, our rating system/guidelines are
described in detail below.
Notes:
- All difficulty ratings and examples are provided as a guideline for difficulty with an AVERAGE pace in AVERAGE conditions.
Club volunteers will adjust their difficulty rating up for specific events if/when pace and/or conditions require.
- All difficult and advanced trips will only be open to those who meet the event coordinator's criteria:
if this is your first event with that coordinator, you may be contacted before being allowed to participate.
* Participants can make it as easy or difficult as they wish without impacting other participants.
Cycle - MTB
Mountain biking is rated according to terrain and technical difficulty
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 3 |
Moderate
|
Easy terrain. Easy hills, hard packed trail, beginners are often welcome.
Often equivalent to Eastcott's Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies "easy/novice" rating. |
For example, Riverview Trail
|
| 4 |
Moderate to Difficult
|
Some steep hills, tree roots, muddy sections, loose surface, narrow trail.
Often equivalent to Eastcott's Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies "moderate/novice" or "moderate/intermediate" rating. |
For example, Goat Creek
|
| 5 |
Difficult
|
Technically challenging. Steep hills, mud, roots, rocks/scree, loose surface, narrow trail.
Often equivalent to Eastcott's Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies "difficult/intermediate" or "moderate/advanced" rating. |
For example, Prairie View/Jewel Pass
|
| 6 |
Difficult to Advanced
|
Very technically challenging. Steep hills, mud, roots, rocks/scree, loose surface, narrow trail.
Often equivalent to Eastcott's Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies "difficult/advanced" or "extreme/advanced" rating. |
For example, Powderface Creek/Prairie Creek
|
| 7 |
Advanced
|
Extremely technically challenging. Steep hills, mud, roots, rocks/scree, loose surface, narrow trail.
Often equivalent to Eastcott's Backcountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies "extreme/expert," rating. |
For example, Jumpingpound Ridge/Cox Hill
|
Cycle - Road
Road biking is rated according to distance, pace, hills and hazards (ie. traffic)
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 2 |
Easy to Moderate |
An urban bike ride on city trails. Less than 30k. |
For example, bike around the Glenmore Reservoir |
| 3 |
Moderate |
Urban or highway ride. 30k-50k |
For example, road ride on Highway 66 |
| 4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
Highway ride, often in the mountains. 50k-100k |
For example, Bow Valley Parkway between Banff and Lake Louise |
| 5 |
Difficult |
Highway ride, often in the mountains. 100+ km |
For example, Icefields Parkway |
Hike
Hikes are rated on a grid according to distance and elevation gain. Although terrain is not considered in our grid, coordinators will adjust their difficulty to reflect special terrain considerations.
Note: Hover your mouse over the D links in the chart to see examples of which hikes fall into this category. For the examples given, elevation gains were based on actual measurements, rather than on net elevation gains provided by many guide books. They are also rated according to our "actual" end point on typical events rather than just to the end of an official trail (which is frequently all that is provided in the guide books).
| Hike Distance |
Elev.
Gain |
|
0-6km |
6-12km |
12-18km |
18-24km |
24+km |
| 0 - 350m |
D2 |
D2 |
D3 |
D4 |
D5 |
| 351 - 700m |
D3/D4 |
D3
|
D4 |
D5 |
D6 |
| 701 - 1050m |
D5 |
D4 |
D5 |
D6 |
D7 |
| 1051m+ |
|
D5 |
D6 |
D7 |
|
|
|
| Rating Codes |
| D2: Easy to Moderate |
| D3: Moderate |
| D4: Moderate to Difficult |
| D5: Difficult |
| D6: Difficult to Advanced |
| D7: Advanced |
|
Hike - Backpack
Because backpacking can incorporate hiking, snow shoeing, backcountry skiing and/or cross-country skiing, we do not keep separate difficulty ratings for backpack events. Please see the difficulty rating for the event's locomotive activity (ie. hiking) for difficulty rating and note that backpack events will be rated higher for difficulty depending on:
- distance covered per day
- elevation gain
- packing every day vs pack-in-and-stay events
Hike - Urban
Urban hikes (walks) are rated easier than mountain hikes because of the extra considerations introduced by any activity in the mountains.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 1 |
Easy |
Less than 8km distance and negligible elevation gain |
For example, Inglewood Sanctuary |
| 2 |
Easy to Moderate |
Approx 8-12km with gentle elevation gain (100m-150m gain to 1km distance), or less than 8km with more cumulative elevation gain and steeper slopes (150m-250m gain to 1km) up to 500m total gain. |
For example, Weaselhead |
| 3 |
Moderate |
More than 12km, more than 500m of
cumulative gain, or hill-training
events with constant steep elevation gain, regardless of total amount |
For example, Glenmore Reservoir or Douglas Fir Trail |
Scramble
Scrambles are rated according to technical difficulty, degree of exposure, and length of the route. For all scrambles, there will be significant elevation gain (usually at least 1000m, but more commonly around 1500m, and occasionally upwards of 2000m). Routes that are not in optimal condition (dry and free of snow) will be rated more difficult than the same route under ideal conditions. Specs below are from Alan Kane's "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies".
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 5 |
Difficult
|
Difficult hiking on scree, loose rock and/or slabs with minimal exposure and a lot of elevation gain
|
A scramble that is rated "Easy" in Kane's book. For example, the south peak of Mount Indefatigable |
| 6 |
Difficult to Advanced |
Frequent use of handholds required, possible exposure but not usuallyenough to be a fatal. Some route finding involved
|
A scramble that is rated "Moderate" in Kane's book. For example Eiffel Peak or Mt. Temple |
| 7 |
Advanced
|
Much use of handholds required, sections may be steep, loose and exposed, or rock could be smooth and downsloping. Fall distance may be significant enough to be fatal. Route finding skills are generally necessary to determine the most practical and feasible way for specific sections. Anyone with vertigo or a fear of heights should avoid these scrambles |
A scramble that is rated "Difficult" in Kane's book. For example Mount Whtye or Mt. Stephen |
Skate - Ice
The degree of difficulty in ice skating generally is affected by conditions only - each participant can, of course decide how fast/hard they want to skate. Beginners are always welcome on ice skating events.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 1 |
Easy |
Groomed ice |
For example, Olympic Oval |
| 2 |
Easy to Moderate |
Outdoor ice |
For example, Bowness Lagoon |
Skate - Inline/Roller
Inline Skating is rated according to trail conditions, hills, traffic exposure, intended distance covered and intended pace.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 1 |
Easy |
Intended for beginners. Small distance, smooth flat trail with little/no hills/traffic. |
For example, Carburn Park |
| 2 |
Easy to Moderate
|
Not intended for beginners. Greater distance, some experience required for dodging debris, children,
traffic. Some hills. Also includes indoor roller skating. |
For example, Glenmore Inn to Chestermere Trail
|
| 3 |
Moderate |
Experienced skaters only. Greater distance, faster pace. Debris, children, traffic and some hills. |
For example, Edworthy Park |
| 4 |
Moderate to
Difficult |
Experienced skaters only. Greater distance, fast pace. Debris, children, traffic and significant hills.
|
For example, Glenmore Reservoir
Circuit |
Ski - Backcountry
Backcountry Skiing is rated according to distance and elevation gain.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 5 |
Difficult |
Shorter (ie. under 10km) distances and moderate elevation gain (under 1000m). |
For example, Highwood, Gypsum Mine, Bow Summit |
6
|
Difficult to Advanced
|
Longer (ie. 10 - 20km) distances and greater elevation gain (1000m - 1500m).
Easier overnight trips. |
For example, Black Prince(steeper
and treed terrain) |
7
|
Advanced
|
Very challenging (ie. 20+km and/or 1500m+ elevation) and/or more challenging
overnight trips. |
For example, Burstall Pass, Commonwealth Creek
|
Ski - Cross-Country
Cross-Country Skiing is rated according to terrain, trail conditions, distance, amount and type of hills, and expected pace.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
| 2 |
Easy to Moderate |
Intended for beginners. Groomed trails, green (easy) trails only. |
For example, green trails at Kananaskis Village |
3
|
Moderate
|
Not intended for beginners. Generally on groomed trails, green and blue trails, expectation for pace and distance posted. |
For example, blue and green trails around Peter Lougheed Info Center
|
| 4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
Experienced skiiers only. Often trails are ungroomed, significant distance and hills. |
For example, Brewster Creek |
| 5 |
Difficult |
Experienced skiiers only. Often trails are ungroomed, significant distance and hills. Greater distance and elevation gain. |
For example, Chester Lake |
Ski - Downhill
When downhill skiing, it is generally up to the individual how difficult the day will be. They choose which runs
to take and how many of them.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
| 3 |
Moderate |
Beginner to blue runs, or all levels welcome |
| 4 |
Moderate to Difficult |
Mostly blue runs |
| 5 |
Difficult |
Mostly black to double-black diamond runs |
| Note that any events planning to ski out-of-bounds should be classified as a backcountry ski event (not downhill) and all COC safety and avalanche policies apply accordingly. |
Snow Shoe
Snow Shoe events are rated on a grid according to distance and elevation gain. Although terrain is not considered in our grid, coordinators will adjust their difficulty to reflect special terrain considerations.
Note: Hover your mouse over the D links in the chart to see examples of which trails fall into this category. For the examples given, elevation gains were based on actual measurements, rather than on net elevation gains provided by many guide books. They are also rated according to our "actual" end point on typical events rather than just to the end of an official trail (which is frequently all that is provided in the guide books).
| Distance |
Elev.
Gain |
|
0-6km |
6-10km |
10-14km |
14-18km |
18+km |
| 0 - 200m |
D2 |
D2 |
D3 |
D4 |
D5 |
| 201 - 500m |
D2/D3 |
D3 |
D4 |
D5 |
D6
|
| 501 - 800m |
D3 |
D4 |
D5 |
D6 |
D7 |
| 801+ |
|
D5 |
D6 |
D7 |
|
|
|
| Rating Codes |
| D2: Easy to Moderate |
| D3: Moderate |
| D4: Moderate to Difficult |
| D5: Difficult |
| D6: Difficult to Advanced |
| D7: Advanced |
|
Water - Canoe
Canoe trips are rated according to distance, hazards and technical difficulty. Our ratings for canoe trips are Difficulty Descriptions are based on the International Scale of River Difficulty
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
2
|
Easy to Moderate |
Short/easy trips on stationary or slow-moving water
|
For example a few hours in calm or light winds on the Glenmore Reservoir |
3
|
Moderate
|
Rivers with at most Class I rapids: Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy |
For example, the Bow River in Calgary under NORMAL conditions |
4
|
Moderate to Difficult
|
Rivers with at most Class II rapids: Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed
|
For example the Kananaskis River between Canoe Meadows and Seebe under NORMAL conditions
|
Water - Kayak
Kayak trips are rated according to distance, hazards and technical difficulty. Our ratings for kayak trips are similar to the American Canoe Association or British Canoe Union systems of awards, but does not follow these exactly.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
2
|
Easy to Moderate |
Beginner classes only
|
|
3
|
Moderate
|
Paddling on calm, flat water in winds not exceeding 5 knots. Scenic estuaries, calm bays, flat water, rivers and other protected waterways. Paddlers should be comfortable paddling forward at a 2 knot pace, using forward and reverse sweeps to turn the boat, launching and landing on shallow grade beaches, and swimming next to a boat upon capsize. |
ACA Level 1
|
4
|
Moderate to Difficult
|
Paddling on water ranging from flat to waves 1 foot or less, and winds not exceeding 10 knots. Along shore paddling and small crossings (2.5nm or less). Paddlers should be comfortable paddling at a 2 knot pace in calm conditions, rotating their boats 360 degrees with sweep strokes, performing a wet exit, and re-entering their boat with assistance. Paddlers should also have the beginnings, but not mastery, of strokes such as the low recovery, controlled reverse paddling, and drawing. |
ACA Level 2
|
5
|
Difficult
|
Paddling in waves to 3 feet and winds to 15 knots. Paddling along semi-exposed coastline,in tidal areas, and crossings up to 5 nautical miles. Paddlers should be comfortable paddling at a 3 knot pace in moderate conditions, have solid boat handling skills on flat water, be able recover from capsize using a hip snap and brace, reverse paddling, drawing, performing a Eskimo rescue, T-rescue and self rescue on flat water. Paddlers should also have the beginnings of the following skills: using a tow rig, a roll, bow rudder turn, low brace turn, draw on the move, hanging draw, and the stern rudder as well as some experience paddling in small waves. |
ACA Level 3
|
6
|
Difficult to Advanced
|
Paddling in waves to 5 feet and winds to 20 knots. Paddling along exposed coastlines with crossings up to 8 nautical miles, tidal currents to 3 knots, navigating by chart and compass, and starting to learn good judgement and leadership while at sea. Paddlers should be comfortable paddling at a 3-4 knot pace in moderate conditions, have the beginnings of good boat handling skills in rough water, using a tow rig, be able to roll, prevent capsize with a brace/hip snap, perform paddle, bow and stern presentation Eskimo Rescues, and have good awareness of other boaters. |
ACA Level 4
|
Water - Raft
River rafting trips are rated according to distance, hazards and technical difficulty. Generally, a river rafting trip is rated one level easier than the canoeing rating. Trips rated higher than Moderate must be organized by a certified river rafting company.
| Difficulty (D) # |
Name |
Specs |
Notes |
2
|
Easy to Moderate
|
Rivers with at most Class I rapids: Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training. Risk to swimmers is slight; self-rescue is easy
|
For example, the Bow River in Calgary under NORMAL conditions
|
3
|
Moderate
|
Rivers with at most Class II rapids: Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily missed by trained paddlers. Swimmers are seldom injured and group assistance, while helpful, is seldom needed
|
For example the Kananaskis River between Canoe Meadows and Seebe under NORMAL conditions |
4
|
Moderate to Difficult
|
Rivers with at most Class III rapids: Rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid and which can swamp an open canoe. Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. Strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large-volume rivers. scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. Injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims
|
For example the Middle Canyon of the Kicking Horse River
|
5
|
Difficult
|
Rivers with at most Class IV rapids: Intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise boat handling in turbulent water. Depending on the character of the river, it may feature large, unavoidable waves and holes or constricted passages demanding fast maneuvers under pressure. A fast, reliable eddy turn may be needed to initiate maneuvers, scout rapids, or rest. Rapids may require "must" moves above dangerous hazards. Scouting may be necessary the first time down. Risk of injury to swimmers is moderate to high, and water conditions may make self-rescue difficult. Group assistance for rescue is often essential but requires practiced skills
|
For example the Lower Canyon of the Kicking Horse River
|
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