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Wildcard

Black diamond Vail, CO

Steepest pitch27°
Vertical625 ft
Length1,893 ft
Average pitch19°
FacesNW
Top10,895 ft

Wildcard drops 625 vertical feet over 1,893 feet of skiing, with a steepest pitch of 27° about 1,210 feet below the top. That's steeper than 33% of the 4,740 black diamond runs we've measured in North America, and the 97th steepest of 194 named runs at Vail. It faces northwest.

How well Wildcard holds snow

Snow preservationExcellent

Facing northwest at an average 19°, Wildcard gets about 64% of the winter sun that flat ground at Vail does, December through March. That's shadier than 80% of the runs we've measured, and the 34th shadiest named run at Vail. Its top sits at 10,900 feet.

Shaded snow stays colder and drier, so it holds powder longer after a storm and is slower to crust over or turn to slush in spring. Shading from ridges and trees isn't counted yet.

Wildcard profile

under 25°25–35°35–45°45°+ Hover to follow the line on the map.

Where it is on the mountain

Runs like Wildcard elsewhere

Nearby at Vail

Measured by ZRankings from 1-meter USGS lidar. Steepest pitch is the steepest stretch of about 50 vertical feet along the skiable line. Run lines come from OpenStreetMap and can sit a little off the skied path.