Is there any agreed terminology for trail features? People seem to mean very different things sometimes. As an example, the word “drop-off” seems to be used to describe a wide range of different things, anything from a mildly steep slope to something approaching a gap jump!

To me a drop off has a vertical section to it – ie a ledge that you ride off, irrespective of whether it is simply a large step that you can ride over and allow the suspension to suck up or a bigger drop that needs to be launched off so as to avoid fouling the chain ring. What then though is used to describe the very steep slopes that people ride around Leith Hill etc?

Good point. Need need to standardise everything. Green/Blue/Red/Black/Double Black/Suicide and don’t forget magenta 😉

Surely ‘very steep slopes’ seems pretty accurate.

drops- vertical flight in volved
wallrides – are vertical the clue is in the name
drop offs are roll ins/downs

🙂

i find retaining the packaging for future reference always helps

One mans “Dropoff” might be another mans “Step”…

To my mind a “Dropoff” or “Drop” specifically is not a rollable step and has no kick to it you litterally have to ride off of it both wheels no longer in contact with the ground, gravity and your inertia will do the rest…
A fair few people seem to consider steps which can be rolled over or popped off of to be a “Drop”, it’s not as there is no requirement for the rider to litterally Drop off of it no “Do or Die” factor… See?

Most of the rest is pretty self explanitary I reckon:
Doubles, Triples, tabletops, Berms, Kickers, wall rides, Rollers, Rhythm sections, Gaps, Rock gardens, etc are pretty much what they sound like….

I don’t think it matters. The sort of thing kids argue over.

Plus everyone rides obstacles different, one mans “roll over” might be another mans 25ft booter.

Well in the grand scheme of things it DOESN’T matter. But it could be useful to have some relatively standard terms that people could relate to – so as to describe a trail ahead of time to your mates etc, or to discuss them on the net.

For what its worth I tend to use similar terms to Cookea above – a “step” is a vertical drop that can be simply ridden over at low speed allowing the front wheel to drop over the edge and the suspension to take the sting – well within most people’s capability. A “drop-off” is a bigger version of a step – simply rolling over it at low speed is not possible, you would go over the front or catch the chainrings.
I tend to call rideable, steep slopes “roll-ins” but that is a clumsy and inelegant word!

TBH everyone is right, it doesn’t matter, if someone describes a trail feature by a different name to me, normally I know what they’re on about.

Standarised terminology Wouldn’t really change anything, if anything I think it’s a bad idea; any sport where the perception is that you HAVE to know the accepted terminology and jargon before you can take part only ever serves to put new comers off… So I’ll ride my berms and you ride your banked turns and at the end of it I’m sure we’ll all get along fine…

It might be useful but it isn’t going to happen 🙂

*Shrug* I’m not talking about a rigorous set of guidelines or any secret jargon/funny handshake stuff. I was just wondering if there was any convention established. I agree different people view technical features very differently but there is world of difference between a “four foot drop” that is in fact a vertical drop to flat which is well beyond me – or a “four foot drop” that is simply a steep, rollable slope!

The closest thing I’ve read to a definitive set of trail grading criteria, including definitions relating to features:

http://www.mbta.ca/assets/pdfs/trail_standards_first_edition.pdf

Love the phrase “mandatory air”, and it would seem to describe the drop/roll distinction quite elegantly.

I have a 29er all the above is irrelevant.