Is a Black Trail Really a Black Trail? Inside the Push for a Global Trail Rating System

A blue trail in one mountain bike destination can feel suspiciously like a black trail somewhere else.

For experienced riders, figuring out those differences may simply be part of visiting somewhere new. But inconsistent trail ratings create a larger challenge for riders, trail builders, land managers, and destinations trying to communicate what someone should expect before dropping into a trail.

What if there were a common language?

That is the problem Mischa Crumbach and Edoardo Melchiori are attempting to address through the International Trail Rating System, or ITRS.