Explanation of our Ratings System From Richard Katz's

Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email

If you didn't really want to read a rollerskating trails book: Back to Richard Katz's Homepage

If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC

chapter ratings

Explanation of our Ratings System:

Surroundings:

Skating on city streets in unrelieved city environment, complete with car exhaust, didn't make it into our book.

* = City environment; have to cross streets; noisy traffic.

** = Trail with no street crossings; surroundings may be pleasant, but you still have noisy traffic close by.

*** = Trail is in pleasant suburban surroundings with not too much traffic noise.

**** = Scenic surroundings with little traffic noise.

***** = Natural, beautiful and quiet

Level of Difficulty:

Each trail includes at least some part for beginners. We have mentioned places at most trails for experienced skaters, so they can have some fun on grades or can visit interesting areas that require some street skating.

Overall rating:

* = an OK skating trail, especially if it is close to home.

** = a trail that has at least one feature nice enough to be worth stopping for a skate, if you're in the neighborhood.

*** = a trail with a number of interesting and pleasant features, worth going a bit out of your way for.

**** = an outstanding trail, one you will want to return to many times.

***** = an exceptional skating experience, worth even a long trip, and not to be missed.

Path Surface:

* = Evaporated bumpy asphalt, or concrete with severe expansion joints; plants are growing up.

** = Mildly bumpy asphalt, e.g. asphalt with exposed aggregate (pebbles); concrete with thin expansion joints.

*** = Asphalt surface as good as a competently constructed roadway in good repair.

**** = A new or fairly new asphalt path laid down by workers who knew they were constructing a path, and not a road.

***** = A perfectly smooth surface, such as found at a roller rink, or a freshly asphalted parking lot, or the interior floors of a concrete warehouse. Need not be in perfect condition.

Public Transit Access:

NONE = It's in the middle of nowhere and you can only get there with a car;

* = It's pretty far from a bus stop or BART station, and the traffic is pretty intense.

** = It's pretty far from a bus stop or BART station but the traffic is light.

*** = It's not too far from a bus stop or BART station.

**** = It's next to a bus stop.

***** = It's next to a BART station.

Note from the Author: Haven't put in links to the other chapters yet.

From Richard Katz's Skating Unrinked book, published in paperback by HarperCollinsWest in 1994. Or was it '95? If you are not reading this on a screen, stop reading and head to www.Amazon.com. Thanx. Richard Katz = katz@frogojt.com. email

Back to Richard Katz's Homepage

If you want to go back to the Table of Contents of Skating Unrinked, Back to TOC