Ski/Snowboard talk/pics/whatever thread

[SBR]

Coulier extreme is probably the most famous expert run at whistler and will def make you **** yourself if you've only been in Ontario/Quebec. It isn't anywhere close to 60 though, I think its around 48.

Personally I think its overrated, I find the stuff off spanky's ladder to be much more fun.

I'm not really sure what to say about getting into shape. I don't think a balance board is going to do a huge amount for you but its better than nothing.

[baumer]

Ya, I've never really exercised and always gotten by on natural athleticism but snowboarding for 5 days is something that scares my body. I just want endurance more than anything.

Are you a skier or a boarder? I'm definitely not into super steep stuff and my friend says I just have to do it to say I did it. I'm much more of a cruiser that likes to make huge sweeping turns.

[stinkypete]

Originally Posted by baumer

I'm definitely not into super steep stuff and my friend says I just have to do it to say I did it.

nobody is going to care. don't waste a run on it if you're not gonna enjoy it.

[tankleton]

Originally Posted by baumer

Dare I peruse the H&F forum for advice?

Just read the FAQs.

[DcifrThs]

Originally Posted by SBR

Coulier extreme is probably the most famous expert run at whistler and will def make you **** yourself if you've only been in Ontario/Quebec. It isn't anywhere close to 60 though, I think its around 48.

Personally I think its overrated, I find the stuff off spanky's ladder to be much more fun.

I'm not really sure what to say about getting into shape. I don't think a balance board is going to do a huge amount for you but its better than nothing.

just to confirm (this was always hazy in my mind for some reason), pitch refers to the following:



i.e. 60degrees is way less steep than 45degrees and anything less than 45degrees = you slide right down?? and 90degrees = perfectly flat?

i thought that some stuff in heli-skiing territory was steeper than 45degrees but if 45=100% then that kinda implies <45degrees = impossible to ski?

is that the case? if not, am i just missing that the 100% thing is confined to "non-extreme" skiing?

this all seems crazy to me b/c i did goat last year and it HAD to be steeper than 45degrees implies. like i'd bet lots on that. so wtf is going on here lol?

EDIT: ok i searched for "goat stowe pitch" and got this:

With an average pitch of 36 degrees, 3241-foot-long Goat is arguably the most challenging trail at Stowe, if not in all of New England.

so obv pitch is correct in my mspaint diagram above. i'm still totally lost as how 45degrees = 100% and it seems steep trails are closer to 100% than flat trails unless 36degrees could then be >100%.

EDIT2: Further thought: i remember dropping into stuff in utah that HAD to be like 15-20% pitch at the very beginning before flattening out and definitely the stuff i dream about doing at chugach has parts that are that steep at the top. further, if you watch any extreme skiing vids, they're doing stuff that looks like 5-10% pitch based on my diagram. so wtf is going on here w/ this whole pitch thing?

what is a "standard" east coast black? black? like 60 degrees (wildfire at killington?)? does that make stuff like devils fiddle at killington like 50 or 55 degrees?

i dunno this whole pitch concept never got drilled into my head obviously and now i'm curious...

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Goat is challenging b/c of it's double fall lines - it's not only steep but it's steep in 2 different directions. and in some parts its narrow. and I don't think they make snow there so you often have exposed (insert hard object here). I bent a pole around a tree there once.

that's like the quintessential challenging terrain in the east. tight, double fall lines, rocks, uneven snow cover, etc. you have to be pretty technically proficient to ski it very well. to some degree trails like that are why so many Olympic skiers come out of the northeast (despite the comparative lack of snow and breadth of terrain) , that is a much tougher physical and technical grind than you get on a typical powder day at Vail or w/e, or it's very different than the pure steeps you get out west

[stinkypete]

dcfrths you have it backwards. 45 degrees is what you have drawn. 36 degrees is less steep.

the stuff that "HAD to be like 15-20% pitch" was not, unless you're referring to some cliff drop at the beginning and not something skiable. things look way steeper from above than they are.

[SBR]

Originally Posted by baumer

Are you a skier or a boarder? I'm definitely not into super steep stuff and my friend says I just have to do it to say I did it. I'm much more of a cruiser that likes to make huge sweeping turns.

I'm a boarder, honestly if you've only ever been in Ont/Quebec and already don't like the super steep stuff don't do CE, I came out west from exactly the same background as you. I'm not a huge fan of the super steep stuff either, I've done CE a couple of times but don't really enjoy it. I can't imagine doing it on my second or third day on a "real" mountain.

@dcfrths

higher number = more pitch

0 is perfectly flat, 90 is a straight drop, you measure the degree of slope from a perfectly flat run

people will always tend to overestimate how steep something is (hence someone claiming CE is 60).

A trick for measuring angle (if you're a skier) that I stole from another forum is:

"One quick way to see how steep a slope one thinks is really steep is to take one ski pole and stick it vertically in the snow. Take the other ski pole and make a right angle from the top of the first pole towards the steep slope. To be 100% grade or 45 degrees it would have to be touching the slope."

[baumer]

Thanks again. I've watched some videos of people going down CE and it just looks like a waste of time for me. Jumping every turn just doesn't appeal to me at all.

[rckyu]

Just did my yearly shopping spree on Dogfunk and looking forward to replacing my Burton Malavita (which I didn't like at all) with Burton C60 EST bindings.

Will be doing much more snowboarding this year as my father just finished his cabin at one of the top ski resorts in Norway and since I don't have any commitments outside of grinding poker I will stay there the majority of the time since I can just grind there with my laptop and 3G internet.

Mostly looking forward to the backcountry trips tho!

Here's some pictures from one of last season trips:






Bad quality on the pictures as it's screenshots from a Contour HD helmet cam.

Will try and take a ton of pictures from the trips and maybe make something out of the material we film this year.

[swede554]

rckyu, thats looks nice man hope you have a good season. post lots of pics.

here's a pretty sick trailer for All.I.Can, new movie by Sherpas Cinema. (Title sponsor is Arc'teryx obv). Sick cinematography.

http://www.arcteryx.com/?EN

[DcifrThs]

Originally Posted by stinkypete

dcfrths you have it backwards. 45 degrees is what you have drawn. 36 degrees is less steep.

the stuff that "HAD to be like 15-20% pitch" was not, unless you're referring to some cliff drop at the beginning and not something skiable. things look way steeper from above than they are.

yes. i was referring to where i dropped in at the beginning where it was almost like freefalling so it'd be hard to believe it'd be only 45degrees.

also, re: the 15-20degree thing, that would really be what then? 70-75degrees?

so i got the angle backwards but it does go from 0 (flat) to 90(drop)?

ok this is starting to congele in my head lol. thanks guys. i like the making a right angle with your pole and seeing if it touches the slope test.

[stinkypete]

Originally Posted by DcifrThs

so i got the angle backwards but it does go from 0 (flat) to 90(drop)?

this is correct

[SBR]

Originally Posted by DcifrThs

yes. i was referring to where i dropped in at the beginning where it was almost like freefalling so it'd be hard to believe it'd be only 45degrees.

also, re: the 15-20degree thing, that would really be what then? 70-75degrees?

Yep and I would guess thats completely unskiable for any amount of distance but I don't really know.

ok this is starting to congele in my head lol. thanks guys. i like the making a right angle with your pole and seeing if it touches the slope test.

Honestly if your even 1.5 ski poles from the slope you're on a steep hill.



In other news, whistler is opening up Friday. It looks like it will be extremely limited lift access but I'm still making a weekend out of it.

[Skleice]

Just ordered my new board set up (last board got stolen ). Ship the K2 slayblade 166cm wide board and cinch bindings. I'm 6'3 w/ a size 14 boot fwiw.



thanks Pokerstars bonus!!!