Key:piste:type
 piste:type
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| Description |
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Used to define a ski run, including downhill, nordic and others. 
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| Group: sports |
| Used on these elements |
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| Documented values: 9 |
| Useful combination |
Status: de facto
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| Tools for this tag |
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The piste:type=* tag indicates the type of a piste, i.e. for what winter sports it is. It may be added to existing ways, like for example a highway=track or highway=path if they can be used in winter for skiing, sledding, or winter hiking. Or it may be used on its own if the piste only exists in winter (i.e. does not follow the route of an existing road or trail).
Especially for nordic skiing, sledding, winter hiking and skitouring, it is common that a way is used for multiple winter sports. Such dual use pistes are either tagged as several route=piste relations that all use the same way as a member, or sometimes also with a semicolon like piste:type=downhill;sled.
How to map
as a Way
In the simplest case, draw the piste with a new way 
and add piste:type=* and potentially further tags (see below).
If (and only if) the piste follows an existing road or trail, you can add the appropriate highway=* value to the way (or add the piste:type=* tag to the existing highway if it has already been mapped). Note that OpenStreetMap Carto does not render piste ways. Do not add highway=path to pistes just to get them to display on openstreetmap.org; doing so is tagging for the renderer and is considered bad practice.
as an Area
If you want to draw the piste as a area 
, draw the shape as area and add the following:
area=yespiste:type=*- potentially further tags (see below)
Example at opensnowmap.org
as a Relation
If the piste is composed of several existing segments/parts, e.g. that are in the summer ways or paths, a relation shall be used. The same applies if different values apply for different uses of the way, e.g. the piste and the underlaying forestry track have different names. Create a Relation:route with the property route=piste where you find more detailed information. Add the segments as members.
Values
| Key | Value | Element | Comment | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
piste:type |
downhill |
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An alpine/downhill ski route. Ways should be used for trails connecting the routes. This automatically implies oneway=yes. The direction of the way should be the downhill direction. piste:difficulty=* tells the difficulty of the ski run.
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piste:type |
nordic |
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A nordic/cross country ski trail. The direction of the way should be the compulsory or common skiing direction. Nordic pistes are circular ways if the first and the last point are the same and cannot be rendered as areas. piste:grooming=* tells whether classic, skating or both is possible. |
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piste:type |
skitour |
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A recommended ski tour way or area that is generally used by many skiers during a season for the purpose of a nordic ascent and a downhill descent in the backcountry. Generally the descent is recommended near the ascent route for safety and terrain judgement and the descent is not mapped. To map an alternate descent, use piste:type=downhill with piste:grooming=backcountry. Implies piste:grooming=backcountry. Also defined in the Wikipedia Ski touring. Rendered as area if first and last point are the same. If a circular way is needed, do not close the way (first and last point is not exactly the same). | 
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piste:type |
sled |
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Use this tag exclusvely for a sledding piste or add this tag to a way or tack that is prepared for or commonly used by sleds to go downhill. Sleds are smaller vehicles that are pulled by a human or propelled only by gravity. Use piste:oneway=yes if the piste has a do not walk uphill sign. If the way is used also for ascending to the top (e.g. by foot) use piste:oneway=no. The combination with piste:lit=yes indicates sledding tracks with lighting that is only turned on in winter. Implied grooming is piste:grooming=classic for natural luge track grooming, but alternatively one can use piste:grooming=backcountry for ungroomed or badly groomed trails.
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piste:type |
hike |
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A piste for nordic walking or hiking in winter that is usually announced by a tourism authority. A piste with piste:grooming=classic can be hiked with simple boots or can be used for running (default if grooming is absent). A piste:grooming=backcountry groomed piste requires snow shoes.
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piste:type |
sleigh |
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A piste exclusively for not self propelled sleighs. This might be horse/husky drawn sleighs (Santa Claus style) or motor sleights. Definition: A sleigh is typically a partially enclosed vehicle with seats for passengers that is drawn by animals and slides on runners. | |
piste:type |
ice_skate |
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A piste exclusively for ice skating. | 
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piste:type |
snow_park |
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A funpark with rails, quarter pipes, etc | |
piste:type |
playground |
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A ski playground is a designated location which has been developed or set up to assist children to learn to ski naturally, and which provides a variety of skiing discoveries. | 
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piste:type |
ski_jump |
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A  Ski jumping hill |
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piste:type |
connection |
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Ways that connect ski lifts with each other, to be used for any type of ski lift users. Use oneway=* if the connection is not explicitly twoways (due to inclination for example).
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piste:type |
fatbike |
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A piste for riding with a Fatbike in winter that is usually announced by a tourism authority. Fatbiking is on the rise as a winter sport and very often in mountain biking areas. A classic groomed piste (piste:grooming=classic) is made of compacted snow and maintained with a machine such a Snowmobile or a snowdog. A piste:grooming=backcountry groomed piste is not maintained and will rely on hikers or snowshoers for compaction.
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Frequently, ski pistes are used for several practices. For instance groomed Nordic tracks used as hiking tracks and sledding tracks for skitouring and hiking. There is two way to map several use of a piste when they are official: either use semi-colon separated values on the way (piste:type=downhill;sled), or create several route=piste relations, one for each use.
Rendering / Maps
- Winter sports#Maps - a list of maps showing pistes etc.
Common tagging mistakes
See also
piste:difficulty=*- Used to define the difficulty of a ski run, including downhill, nordic and others.piste:grooming=*- Used to define how a piste is prepared.surface=artificial- Used withpiste:type=*to define an artificial piste.man_made=piste:halfpipe- for a
halfpipe. Can only be used on . Automatically implies oneway=yesaerialway=*- Used for various forms of transport for passengers and goods that use wires, including cable-cars, chair-lifts and drag-lifts.- Piste Maps - describes in detail the way winter sports are mapped in OSM.
