What is "steep" to you?

[alaski]

I taught a friend to ski last year and I had forgotten that the local mountain is rather intimidating for beginners because of its steep terrain. Perhaps it's because I grew up on that hill, but I rarely find anything on a developed ski hill that I would call "steep".

I think 40 degrees is getting up there, and 45 is certainly a wee bit too steep for me to be assured of a non-terrifying time, but I've never even seen a run that steep on a developed North America ski hill. (Chamonix, maybe...)

So, when you're talking "steeps", what does that mean to you? I guess to me it means 40 degrees and probably closer to 45...I'm just wondering because I never really know what to say when someone asks about steep terrain. Do they mean steep for a ski hill or steep as in "you fall you die" terrain?

 

[Pequenita]

I'm just wondering because I never really know what to say when someone asks about steep terrain. Do they mean steep for a ski hill or steep as in "you fall you die" terrain?

I think a lot depends on ability; I'm not sure that a lot of beginning skiers have really processed that things other than ski hills can be skied.

A friend of mine's definition of steep is, if standing perpendicular to the earth and she reaches an arm perpendicular to her body (half of a T), will her arm touch the slope. If yes, then steep. Given that she only started backcountry skiing this year, it seems like she's found some of these steeps more or less inbounds.

 

[mollmeister]

My idea of steep has really changed over the last decade or so, along with my preferred skiing style and terrain. I used to be a groomer charger, and then I moved on, to find challenges in ungroomed terrain, where many more of the steeps seem to be.

Steeps, yes, but I am primarily a resort skier, and there are not too many runs in the 40-45 degree range in bounds, at least for more than a few turns. They're out there, especially at certain resorts, but there aren't as many of them as eavesdropping on the guys at the bar apres would lead you to believe, lol. I think we (many of us, especially those guys) tend to overestimate degree of pitch in steeps. I was reading a guide for guesstimating steeps based on stance on the hill (how high is your uphill leg in relation to your downhill leg, when you're stopped), and I doubt too many of us have stood on a inbounds run, in a situation where our uphill foot was even with our knee or higher.

But really, I think it's a matter of experience, familiarity with certain types of terrain (a steep, really narrow chute looks steeper to me than steep, wide-open bowls, because I ski more of the latter), and ability. My ability and experience are greater now than they were ten years ago, so I now look at things that I thought were steep 8-10 years ago and I think, "really?"

I used to think Red Square (outer edge of Siberia Bowl at Vail) was steep. Now I just think it's fun. I used to think stuff like the top, outer edges of Copper Bowl (at Copper) and Iron Mask/Lover's Leap at Vail were STEEP, in all caps. Now I think they're kinda steep, but not worth getting all hot and bothered over. I used to think, as a teenager, that I would never, ever ski Palli at ABasin, and I was looking at it from the chair the other day wondering why I thought it was way too steep, back in the day. (I was in a different group than the one who skied it, though, about which I am grumpy. :p Next time, no question!)

Steep is definitely a state of mind, too. There have been things I have bailed on one day, because I thought they looked like too much. And then gone back and skied well the next day, in a better frame of mind.

That didn't answer anything, did it? Just a big, 'ol stream of consciousness word-vomit!

 

[Bing]

Steep is anything that makes me go CACK and stop dead resulting in an inability to turn left (right I can do) and I side slip down the hill.

This happens on challenging Blues to me - so steep to me, well, I don't know the degree, but it doesn't need to be a Black Diamond to be too steep for me.

I am, however, working on this - my goal is to ski blacks ... maybe at the end of next season !!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Have some fun on this site:
https://www.3dskimaps.com/

 

[jaydog]

One of the base areas at my local ski area has some terrain so steep you can lean back and touch the ground with your shoulder. (So I've heard. I've never skiied it myself) The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread was two separate instances of male chest-thumping I've been subjected to regarding this particular area. I was talking to an older guy once who was boasting that he would tell out-of-state skiers about it and they didn't believe him that snow would stick to terrain that steep. (wet PNW snow sticks to anything) The other one was a volunteer patroller who said that if he moved to eastern WA, he wouldn't be able to patrol because there wasn't a ski area over there that had terrain steep enough for him.

Steep to me is currently somewhere near the line between single and double black. I've found that different areas have different definitions of "advanced." I'm usually comfortable on a non-moguled black. Huge moguls are another story.

 

[Gloria]

For me personally, I have a harder time skiing icy, bumped out cruddy runs than really steep powdery untracked chutes. Like Tower 3 for instance is around 40ish but gets really bumped out, I definately can't ski it with the finesse I can ski powder at that angle or more and leg burner, jeez louise, I just think it's harder. At least to me it is. I have to echo Mollmeister on relativity. What didn't seem steep to me on skis, was ungodly steep when starting to snowboard and then what was no longer steep to me on a snowboard was heinoius when I took up teleing. Things are definately steeper earlier on in the game, and we just get used to it as we go. I always keep those experiences in mind when skiing with less experienced skiers.

 

[num]

Steep is anything that makes me go CACK and stop dead resulting in an inability to turn left (right I can do) and I side slip down the hill.

I can't believe you just said cack It's like the word of the year, after a friend read what is actually "fix my car" written on my brother's dry erase to do list as "fix my cack", the jokes about it among our friends haven't stopped.

 

[num]

As far as what steep is to me, I know that what feels steep to me is flat to most others. I don't know about how many degrees, as for some reason 3dskimaps doesn't have my home hill on there :p , but one thing I noticed is that my perception of steepness is influenced by conditions. A blue with icy rollers often feels steeper to me than a soft snow black.

 

[skigrl27]

Steep is when you HAVE to make a jump turn. Steep is when, after that jump turn, your shoulder & face are close to the slope.

Steep is 45 degrees plus. Steep is scary. Steep is fun.

Actually, one of the best ski movies of the year....is called Steep. Go see it. Ingrid Backstrom is in it & that chick is my idol. Love her! Someone should tell her about SkiDiva. She's on facebook!

 

[Gloria]

Steep is when you HAVE to make a jump turn. Steep is when, after that jump turn, your shoulder & face are close to the slope.

Steep is 45 degrees plus. Steep is scary. Steep is fun.

Actually, one of the best ski movies of the year....is called Steep. Go see it. Ingrid Backstrom is in it & that chick is my idol. Love her! Someone should tell her about SkiDiva. She's on facebook!

I love this, it's like adrenaline charged poetry.

 

[oragejuice]

One of the base areas at my local ski area has some terrain so steep you can lean back and touch the ground with your shoulder. (So I've heard. I've never skiied it myself) The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread was two separate instances of male chest-thumping I've been subjected to regarding this particular area. I was talking to an older guy once who was boasting that he would tell out-of-state skiers about it and they didn't believe him that snow would stick to terrain that steep. (wet PNW snow sticks to anything) The other one was a volunteer patroller who said that if he moved to eastern WA, he wouldn't be able to patrol because there wasn't a ski area over there that had terrain steep enough for him.

Steep to me is currently somewhere near the line between single and double black. I've found that different areas have different definitions of "advanced." I'm usually comfortable on a non-moguled black. Huge moguls are another story.

Mmm. PNW steeps. I have to agree with you on steepness, mostly. If a black is groomed, I'm inclined to fly down it as fast as I can. But they don't usually groom any blacks at Stevens, so I have to make do. For me, its usually not a question of steepness, it actually matters more to me, how WIDE the slope is. If I have enough room to make a turn, I'm usually peachy. There isn't much double black at Stevens that I won't touch either. =)

 

[mollmeister]

Steep is when you HAVE to make a jump turn.

That's a pretty good definition of steep, truly steep, for me these days. I don't tend to call it steep unless it requires some hopping.

Less than that and it might have some pitchy spots, but not something I would call steep, if you kwim.

Sounds like I'd like to aspire to be you, out having *fun.*

And speaking of Steep, I'd like to see it!

 

[Severine]

Steep is all relative. What I considered steep in my first season isn't so much anymore. What I consider steep now isn't to my hubby (who has many more years skiing under his belt than I do). I'm sure after another season, I'll have a whole new definition. But to a newbie, it doesn't take much to be considered "steep".

 

[alaski]

jaydog, I definitely take chest-thumping with a grain of salt! There are really not a lot of people who can ski 50+ degree slopes. Terrain so steep you can touch it with your shoulder while standing is at least in the upper 60 degrees, and people who say they are skiing that are, well, mistaken. Usually people lean close to the slope and don't realize they're doing it. Or they just exaggerate

I just saw "Steep" and actually thought the movie was pretty lame. I turned it off before the end because it bored me a bit.

 

[CMCM]

My definition of steep is changing bit by bit over time....as I improve, what used to seem steep is now less so. I guess at this point, steep is what makes my heart pound and which grips me with fear. (I wouldn't be going down those slopes!!!

 

[Gina23]

Yeah, what's steep to me last year is flat to me this year. Next year, I'm sure what's steep to me now will be not so treacherous. Then again, I'm only in my second season.

There was a run that I did at Beaver Creek, it was a black called Ripsaw that was steep, but it wasn't too intimidating, but while I was skiing it I remember seeing snow that I kicked up with my tails following me down the mountain. I think anytime you are racing your own snow pebbles down the mountain, that's steep!

 

[jaydog]

jaydog, I definitely take chest-thumping with a grain of salt!

Absolutely...this is, after all, guys we're talking about.

 

[Sheena]

My definition of steep is constantly changing... it changes with each ski season. When I first came out here, I thought slopes that were 30-35 degrees were steep. Now those don't seem steep to me at all.

Now the stuff that scares me is in the 40+degree range.

Maybe next year, I will look at the slopes that are 40-45 and be like, meh, its nothing. (I have a LOOONG way to go before that though)

 

[alaski]

Absolutely...this is, after all, guys we're talking about.

:ROTF: It is pretty funny to hear the bragging about dropping in to a steep chute - when the first 30 feet is the steepest part and they've pretty much just sideslipped down the whole thing! I guess that technically that's "skiing" the slope....lol!