black diamond trail
- noun
- /blæk ˈdaɪəmənd treɪl/
- Jargon
:
pista negra
Examples
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I mean, you are skiing in Aspen; it is beautiful, you can afford it, you are healthy enough to ski, you have the free time to enjoy skiing, and you have the experience to ski double black diamond trails...
Blog text (24) -
After years of practice, I finally felt ready to tackle my first black diamond trail at the ski resort.
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The instructors warned us that the black diamond trails would be challenging due to the steep slopes and sharp turns.
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Many seasoned skiers prefer the thrill of black diamond trails for their advanced difficulty and exciting descents.
How Difficult
- Jargon
- UK
5
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal meanings of 'black', 'diamond', and 'trail' (a dark color, a gem/shape, and a path) do not by themselves convey the conventional ski-resort rating 'very difficult'; that sense depends on a sport-specific signage convention (the black diamond symbol). A B1 learner who knows the constituent words but lacks exposure to skiing terminology would likely interpret the phrase literally rather than as 'difficult slope', so prior cultural/terminological knowledge is required.
Etymology
Black diamond trail comes from ski resorts that mark their toughest trails with a black diamond symbol. The image of a dark, sharp diamond on signs and maps warned skiers the slope was steep and risky, so today it means a 'very difficult' ski run.