Question: How do people get over the fear of going fast?

[SkiBam]

I've been doing quite a bit of fast skiing the past couple of days - thanks largely to very hard-packed conditions. Being on the Temptation 88s gives me so so much confidence to let it rip. (Ski Tracks today clocked my fastest speed at 70 kmh.)

Some people have said it's important to be able to stop and I don't disagree. However, there are times when it's just not possible to stop - on steep ice for example. We hit this yesterday on a double black at Tremblant (Zig Zag) which didn't look bad from the top - nice and smooth. What quickly became apparent was that it was VERY smooth - as in very icy. Once you started down the pitch, you Could Not Stop. One of our group (all advanced skiers) had a small collision with an instructor who was standing in the middle of the run (nobody hurt at all), and one went at warp speed straight down feeling 100 percent secure on her Black Pearls. I was somewhat more cautious but at some point you just had to throw all ideas about being able to stop out the window and go. Sometimes you just have to have confidence in your skis and tell yourself to stay upright no matter what.

Or stay home and take up knitting....

 

[contesstant]

So in cases like that, you'd better have some darn sharp edges, right?! So you can at least turn! Eek!

 

[SkiBam]

Other than race-tuned skis, I'm not sure much would have held an edge on that. I don't actually think the run should have been open. Admittedly, my skis needed a sharpening - that's happening now, so we'll see how things feel next time.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Some people have said it's important to be able to stop and I don't disagree. However, there are times when it's just not possible to stop - on steep ice for example. We hit this yesterday on a double black at Tremblant (Zig Zag) which didn't look bad from the top - nice and smooth. What quickly became apparent was that it was VERY smooth - as in very icy. Once you started down the pitch, you Could Not Stop. One of our group (all advanced skiers) had a small collision with an instructor who was standing in the middle of the run (nobody hurt at all), and one went at warp speed straight down feeling 100 percent secure on her Black Pearls. I was somewhat more cautious but at some point you just had to throw all ideas about being able to stop out the window and go. Sometimes you just have to have confidence in your skis and tell yourself to stay upright no matter what.

Or stay home and take up knitting....

I think knitting sounds better (and safer). In situations where I cannot stop, I think it's my responsibility to do my best to go slowly, and certainly to control my direction. No? And to find a better/safer run, rather than continuing to ski on it once I've found out how bad it is. I had trouble with runs at Eldora early this season - hard snow and no edges to speak of - I wasn't able to ski nicely, but I was able to flatten my skis so that I was creating the most friction possible, traversing the hill, and then flip around so I'd be traversing on my bases the other direction. What I've been told is that if you can't edge, you should go for a flat ski. It's the stages in between that will mess you up.

But I'll admit that I ski in Colorado, so what I call ice is not what you call ice.

I had this experience in my car last week. A car stopped ahead of me unexpectedly, on ice. I tried to brake, but it was clear I couldn't stop in time. But I was able to turn so that my car nosed up next to the other car.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I wasn't able to ski nicely, but I was able to flatten my skis so that I was creating the most friction possible, traversing the hill, and then flip around so I'd be traversing on my bases the other direction.

I think technically what I was doing is called "slarving":

https://www.epicski.com/t/105964/what-the-hell-is-a-slarvy-turn/30#post_1373925

 

[SkiBam]

I think knitting sounds better (and safer). In situations where I cannot stop, I think it's my responsibility to do my best to go slowly, and certainly to control my direction. No? And to find a better/safer run, rather than continuing to ski on it once I've found out how bad it is.
.

Yes, you're absolutely right. Unfortunately there was no exit from this run, so we had to get down it. Of course, we shouldn't have gone on it at all, but it was open and looked ok from the top. (It's a good thing the grandchildren can't see me sometimes!)

 

[bounceswoosh]

I understand completely. Have you tried the flattening instead of edging thing? Does it help ?

 

[Serafina]

Other than race-tuned skis, I'm not sure much would have held an edge on that. I don't actually think the run should have been open. Admittedly, my skis needed a sharpening - that's happening now, so we'll see how things feel next time.

I am pretty sure this is the same stuff I ran into at Stowe last week. Divas tell me it is white ice - looks just like snow, is hard as a rock.

I took my skis into the shop to get the edges checked after skiing that nasty stuff, and the guy there used my edges to shave the hair off his arm. They are sharp, sharp, sharp, and these were my Volkl ice skis. If they couldn't hold an edge on that stuff, I doubt that even race-tuned skis would have had any luck with it.

 

[altagirl]

My approach when we get sections of ice (which is rare, but it occasionally happens - usually due to snowmaking issues or thaw/freeze cycles) is to just go straight across it and aim for spots where you can see areas with better grip and turn/slow down there. Or just avoid the area altogether - though like others said - sometimes you just have to get through it because you're already committed.

 

[Pequenita]

On ice: light touch, quick feet, and hope for the best (especially if it's crowded).

 

[Skisailor]

I manage this kind of ice by NOT edging - essentially doing a series of pivot slips to control my speed and attempting a little light edging here and there for direction control. For me that works better than trying to edge hard and failing - having my skis slide away from me - which is the worst. At least on my flats I am balanced and have some decent speed control.

 

[BitchHound]

I manage this kind of ice by NOT edging - essentially doing a series of pivot slips to control my speed and attempting a little light edging here and there for direction control. For me that works better than trying to edge hard and failing - having my skis slide away from me - which is the worst. At least on my flats I am balanced and have some decent speed control.

That is basically my approach as well. I start hopping and skidding back and forth until I can find a little grip somewhere (I would like to say I had a light touch as mentioned by Pequenita, but there is nothing and I mean nothing light about anything I do ). I get flat on the actual hard stuff for short stretches, but I am constantly looking for something more forgiving. I have never encountered anything real icy on the steeps. I would probably go Tango Uniform there. I don't usually ski blacks much since I am not a mogul maniac (Taos doesn't designate much of anything black unless it has moguls or is a tree lined rocky chute coming off the ridge - too old for those as well) so I only encounter the icy stuff on blues or blue/blacks.

 

[contesstant]

So how do you manage it when it's rather large ice patches hidden amongst piles of softer stuff and fluff, and it's hard to see it?
After skiing that for the first 8 days of my season and feeling like I was a HORRIBLE skier, I am grateful for the hero snow that PowMow gave us for the last two days I skied. I am beginning to think that when it's the ice patches, I'd just rather not ski!

 

[gardenmary]

Yes, working on turn shape in ALL terrain, even the easy stuff. I will say things went much better for me at PowMow when the snow was soft as a baby's butt and there were no ice patches to be found! I will also say that despite them being 98 vs. 88 under foot, I wish I had skied the Sambas at Basin because their extra length really was better for me. That, and getting the toe lifts put on my boots made a huge difference!

Dying to get back out on skis again!!!

The snow over the weekend was sweet soft (and continuing to fall). See what I mean about that longer length on the bigger hill? I may yet get a slightly longer ski for GS skiing, but it'll have to be lighter weight than those Tough Luvs. Skiing Monday morning was heavenly - packed light powder with a dusting on top. Skied the Tierras, which handle even 6" of powder with no trouble at all given that wide shovel.

BTW I have that case of beer for you when you get your skis. More incentive for your DH to get it in gear so you guys can move!

 

[contesstant]

Interestingly with the longer skis, I had no trouble at ALL making tight turns on them on that soft snow. I have a feeling I could handle them on most anything now. My boot angle adjustments gave me a whole new sense of control. And beer+Matt=Happy Guy.

 

[bounceswoosh]

So how do you manage it when it's rather large ice patches hidden amongst piles of softer stuff and fluff, and it's hard to see it?
After skiing that for the first 8 days of my season and feeling like I was a HORRIBLE skier, I am grateful for the hero snow that PowMow gave us for the last two days I skied. I am beginning to think that when it's the ice patches, I'd just rather not ski!

Depends, but again this is where I think a smeary turn can be more useful than edging. If you edge, you're trying to get a grip on that ice. If you're smearing, you're using the softer stuff to speed check, and your bases might not even touch the ice.

 

[SkiBam]

Like some have said, when it's hero snow, it's sure easier to ski well. Had some lovely no-ice runs yesterday and it's such a lovely feeling to feel your skis grip when you want them too - and have the confidence in knowing they'll do what you want.

That said, I might argue that (and maybe this is only to make myself feel better in that we often have to ski this stuff) the icy patches and tough conditions can make us better skiers. You've got to stay centred and balanced; you've got to use just the right amount of edge and flat ski and apply just the right amount of pressure to make your turn and not skid out; you've got to ski with a delicate light touch; you've got to be ready to adjust and adapt.

I totally agree with not trying to edge on really icy bits and that flat ski turns can work best. And it's so important to look ahead for a turnable section of snow (and hope there are some - not like I encountered the other day!), then glide (I like to think of it as going as quietly as possible) over the icy bit, then turning on the snowy bit.

 

[Serafina]

So how do you manage it when it's rather large ice patches hidden amongst piles of softer stuff and fluff, and it's hard to see it?
After skiing that for the first 8 days of my season and feeling like I was a HORRIBLE skier, I am grateful for the hero snow that PowMow gave us for the last two days I skied. I am beginning to think that when it's the ice patches, I'd just rather not ski!

We get this a lot. In fact, this is the surface I've been skiing on since Thanksgiving, because it's what happens when a New England ski area has to recover from a thaw/melt/refreeze cycle, of which we have had six or seven so far. Wind up grooming the ice and then blowing snow on top of it, which means skiing on ice patches interspersed with piles of soft, fluffy, slow snow.

The best tool I have for handling these condition is a big caffeine buzz. The big thing is to be incredibly mentally alert. You aren't going to get a nice mellow ski in these conditions, you have to be watching the run and planning constantly. Having good bright light makes a vast amount of difference because you can see where the loose stuff is, and just plan your line on that. And if the loose stuff doesn't permit a good line down the run, you can see the ice and plan for it. "Plan" means different things, depending on what ski you're riding. If the runs are more loose stuff and only patches of ice, I take my S3s out and when I see ice, I just run them flat across it. If I have to turn on the ice with those skis, I smear the turn. If it's more ice with patches of loose stuff, I take my Volkls, and just ride the ice on my edges like usual, unless it's bulletproof, in which case I smear that too (and get off the run as soon as possible and don't go back on it)...and in this case, what I'm actually "watching out for" is the loose stuff - and when I see that coming, I just firm up my core, make sure my knees and ankles are flexed, and ride through it. I try pretty hard not to wind up in a situation where I'm having to rapidly change between turning on piles of loose stuff and sheets of ice. Maybe when I was 25 I had the reflexes, but at my age, I just find it mentally exhausting to stay on top of it.

Now, if the light is flat and these are your conditions, whatever rating your run is, increase that by one. IMO, flat light with variable conditions involving piles of fluff and sheets of ice, turns a green into a blue, and a blue into a black. NOT my favorite, and I often just make a short day of skiing when it's like this.

 

[gardenmary]

That said, I might argue that (and maybe this is only to make myself feel better in that we often have to ski this stuff) the icy patches and tough conditions can make us better skiers. You've got to stay centred and balanced; you've got to use just the right amount of edge and flat ski and apply just the right amount of pressure to make your turn and not skid out; you've got to ski with a delicate light touch; you've got to be ready to adjust and adapt.

Couldn't agree more. Adverse conditions may not make for the "merriest" ski day, but there's lessons to be learned from them. I've found on flat-light days that I have to ski more by feel because I obviously can't see what's under my feet. I learn best on such days by sticking to runs I know so I can concentrate on technique instead of "now where's that little drop-off again?"

As my coach says, "ski the easy stuff hard and the hard stuff will get easy."

 

[contesstant]

Well, that's pretty much how I ski it :D I was told by the East Coast ladies that we WERE skiing east coast snow the first 3 days at Snowbasin! So, I felt better that we DO in fact get "real" ice out west, and also that I COULD ski it OK, but just got sick of it!

Snowhot says there's good snow, then snow that's good for you. I find my skills benefit equally from good snow vs. bad. Good snow builds my confidence which does transfer over to those bad days.