Hi, we (as authors of the MTB guide to Sardinia http://cordee.co.uk/Mountain-Bike-Sardinia-det-5-39-151-9355.html) are discussing with the publisher Versante Sud and other MTB authors how to modify the scale of difficulty used for future Versante Sud guides. In the Sardinia book we currently divide rides by type (Easy rides for all, XC, Freeride, All Mountain) and inside each category rate Physical and Technical difficulty low/med/high. We also say what % is rideable uphill & downhill, sometimes with a descriptive phrase “1 km / 30 mins carry”, or similar. The legend is

We are wondering whether to add to this description by including a specific “technical grade” for the technical difficult riding downhill. I personally use the German-language Single Trail Skala http://www.singletrail-skala.de/ (the Google translation is OK), finding the description of what is S2, S3 etc very easy to use. The majority of our technical biking guests are from Switzerland, Austria and Germany and they use this scale all the time. There is also a French VTT scale, with grades for downhill technical riding (T1-T5+) and also uphil (M1-M5), though I personally have never come across it, and also Italian Alpine Club grading, again I have never met anyone who uses it.

It would be great to get feedback from the Singletrackword Forum on the following questions:-
1. Do you agree that the classification of rides as XC, AM, FR and perhaps also DH is useful?
2. What approach to grading technical descents do you find most helping for riding in Spain, France, Italy, the Alps….
3. What do you think to the approach we currently use in the Sardinia guide?
4. Do you think the addition of a STS or VTT grade would be useful (I climb, and think of this like the technical 6a after the E5 in E5 6a, if any of you climb).
5. Finally, I have never ridden in the UK and so need help with this one: UK guests say things like “If you like the Black Run at XYZ trail centre, you would like this ride, but you can’t apply Red/Black grades to the technical trails you have in Sardinia” and often seem to find upper S2/lower S3 like this

more technical than they’re used to. Is not even trying to use Red/Black etc for trails like these a problem for a UK audience?
thanks a lot Peter