# Here is how I go down steep hills.



## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

The most important thing when dealing with steeps is to always maintain control of your speed. You do this by really digging your edge into the snow, which will drastically slow you down. A common mistake is speed checking by skidding the board, which really does nothing but put yourself in a position to catch an edge. When it comes to snow mounds, it is important to be quick on your feet and to pick a line and constantly readjusting your line as you proceed. Either you can carve between the mounds or just bounce across the tops of them.


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## Robocop (Jan 3, 2011)

I was riding at Blue Friday and Saturday. All of the runs, and the top of the lift on the silver bullet were SOOOOOO icey. The wind was crazy and just blew all the snow off the peaks. It was nuts, but it was empty so that made it ok.


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## ChiGGz (Jan 30, 2011)

Technine Icon said:


> The most important thing when dealing with steeps is to always maintain control of your speed. You do this by really digging your edge into the snow, which will drastically slow you down.


Does doing this properly still cause that skidding sound on icey conditions?



Robocop said:


> I was riding at Blue Friday and Saturday. All of the runs, and the top of the lift on the silver dart were SOOOOOO icey. The wind was crazy and just blew all the snow off the peaks. It was nuts, but it was empty so that made it ok.


Haha, ya I was riding there Friday as well. It was hella windy. I had particular issue with the ice and didn't feel as comfortable going down.


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## Robocop (Jan 3, 2011)

From about 915pm to close I had trouble just putting my bindings on while standing. and getting of the silver bullet was crap. Did you see the sweet set up on Smart Alec for the ski cross? 



ChiGGz said:


> Does doing this properly still cause that skidding sound on icey conditions?
> 
> 
> 
> Haha, ya I was riding there Friday as well. It was hella windy. I had particular issue with the ice and didn't feel as comfortable going down.


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## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

ChiGGz said:


> Does doing this properly still cause that skidding sound on icey conditions?



Yea, there is really not much that you can do to control your speed in icey conditions and that sound is normal if it is especially icey. All you can really do is hang on for the ride.


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## Yukon172 (Feb 5, 2011)

boarding on ice when its a steep downhill is tough for anyone. Because your board has nothing to dig into and change direction or slow urself down. This happens in high wind condition especially if it has been warm anytime lately. You get this layer of ice under the powder and once the wind takes it off its nasty. Anytime I hit the stuff I just let my board go down the fall line and wait til i see a pile of snow to hit a hard turn into


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## gjsnowboarder (Sep 1, 2009)

ChiGGz said:


> I live in Ontario, Canada and ride at Blue Mountain often. There's this one steep black run that is very hard packed snow with occasional icy patches. The black runs are probably tamer compared to other mountains, but this is my 1st full season boarding so I'm still getting the hang of things.
> 
> I always stop at the drop off and prep myself mentally- building up a burst of adrenaline. I point my nose straight down the fall line, get low and pick up speed which = momentum. The MTX on my Rider's Choice really seems to grip the ice. However, I could never get over that nasty ass grinding noise that sounds like skidding, which makes me think my tail could pop forward, catch an edge and eat steep shit.
> 
> ...


First of "just hanging on" or you "waiting for a pile of snow to turn" really isn't a good idea. It means that you are riding out of control. An at most resorts this violates the code because you are a danger to others.

1. How do you guys prep yourself before taking the plunge? *Relax, take deep breathes and make sure you have taken a warm up run or loosen up your body.*
2. How do you start the traverse? 
3. The sound is really unnerving like my tail is going to kick forward and cause me to eat hard packed shit. Is it possible I'm skidding? *Good chance you are skidding. It is not necessarily a bad think to get sound input. If it bothers you a lot listening to music can help. If it is really icy causing a skid on purpose through the middle of your turn can aid in speed control.*
4. How do you deal with high speeds over snow mounds you have to blindly absorb? *Loose and realxed ankles and knees followed by actively pushing my legs back down to keep pressure on the snow.*
5. And finally how do you speed check going fast down a steep hill? *If it is really icy the trick is completed turns. Meaning your turn shape should look like two half circles. You can even ride back-up the slope a little against gravity to control your speed as well. If your turns are eliptical or longer in the fallline you will build up speed which can be unnerving on bullet proof snow. The suggestion to look for softer snow or places can be useful in your line selection. however getting into the habbit of relying on those spots can backfire when they aren't close by.*


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## ChiGGz (Jan 30, 2011)

When you guys say turn back up the hill, how far up are we talking about here? Need help visualizing the pattern I'm creating.


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## Mooz (Aug 14, 2007)

ChiGGz said:


> When you guys say turn back up the hill, how far up are we talking about here? Need help visualizing the pattern I'm creating.


It's not really about height so much as it is bleeding off momentum. When you feel your speed dying off and nearing a stop, that's the time to change your edge. Once you get comfortable with the speed (given the conditions) you can reduce how long you carry that turn uphill.


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## ChiGGz (Jan 30, 2011)

Mooz said:


> It's not really about height so much as it is bleeding off momentum. When you feel your speed dying off and nearing a stop, that's the time to change your edge. Once you get comfortable with the speed (given the conditions) you can reduce how long you carry that turn uphill.


Do you mean nearing a stop due to being out of real estate or speed wise?


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## Mooz (Aug 14, 2007)

ChiGGz said:


> Do you mean nearing a stop due to being out of real estate or speed wise?


Speed. As your line moves back uphill, your speed will bleed off considerably. This is a little harder to do if you're using skidded turns. On the ice coast you don't have a lot of options though. Try not to use your backfoot to kick out the turn as you move up the fall line. This will help prevent you from washing out.


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## gjsnowboarder (Sep 1, 2009)

ChiGGz said:


> When you guys say turn back up the hill, how far up are we talking about here? Need help visualizing the pattern I'm creating.


Think of the board in the fallline as your base line 0 degrees. Straight across the fallline is 90 degrees. For turning back up the hill even 95 degrees will bleed of your speed. even getting to the straight up 90 degrees will bleed speed because you have all your effective edge across the hill.(the trick is the board should be traveling across the fallline when this happens not slipping down it. Going back up the hill is easier when carving but can be done when skidding with proper edge control. a trick I have been using with students for turning down the hill is a count.
1 is straight across to a little up the hill.
2 is a 45 degree angle
3 is 0 degrees or in the fallling
4 is back across the hill or a -45 degrees
and then back to 1

if you want to practice turns that are back up the hill go to 5 and be at about 95 to 100 degrees. With shorter turns either count faster or lower the count and change where on the hill you are oriented. Try this on easier terrain first to get it down before taking it back to the steeps. When you first get back to the steeps take it SLOW. To many people try to jump right in at full speed. Practice slowly and each time next time try to get a little bit faster with your movements or your speed. The above task works on your turn shape. 
Do make sure to take a look back up at your turn shape, and ask yourself the following questions.

Are my turns both heel and toe similar? (should be mirror images unless terrain dictates otherwise > i.e. bumps, dips)

IF I am skidding is the shape like a crecent moon with the widest part in the center and a noticeable skid starting at the top? (if the crecent moon is bottom heavey concetrate on starting the skid earlier)

IF I am carving or skidding does my turn get across the fallling at least or even turn back up? (If not too much speed is probably being generated by staying in the fallline.)

IF I am carving or skidding are my turn elongated/eliptical or do they look like half circles?( the later means speed control)

If I am carving or skidding does my change of edges happen within a short area or is there a long time spent riding in a straight line?( edge change in the snow usually will happen within 1-2 lengths of the board. If the distance is longer work on decreasing the amount of time it takes to change edges.)

Now I know on ice this could be difficult to see so if you have a friend that can video tape use them. Also think of doing only 4-8 turns, stopping checking out your progress and then go again. I suggest making the choice of practicing every other run, Have a practice run, and then a fun run.


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## ChiGGz (Jan 30, 2011)

So sounds like I should be doing C shaped carves but riding up the mountain at the end and transitioning to another side. 

Does this picture illustrate it properly?



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## AAA (Feb 2, 2008)

SnowWolf has a good depiction, but carving a turn back uphill on a steep, icy run is difficult enough, let alone skidding a turn back uphill on the same. (Good snow, good pitch, no problem.) In either case, though, to advance past a Lazy-Z straightline skid or bomb through the steeps (and please don't bomb...you become a bowling ball, while everyone else becomes pins), you'll need to use more articulation between your upper and lower body and DO come ACROSS THE FALL LINE. To iniate the turn, set your downhill edge as quickly and at as high of an edge angle as you can from the transition from toe-heel or vice-versa. At the same time, bend at your ankles, knees, hips, to keep your body centered fairly vertically over the board, with some offset needed to counter momentum. DON'T lean your upper body into the hill, especially as you continue the turn, or your edge will wash out. (This goes triple for steep, icy runs.) Continue to skid or carve ACROSS the fall line until you are either comfortable with the decreased speed or run out of real estate, and then switch edges again. IF you are on a narrow run where real estate is a at a premium, note the centerline of the hill. Initiate your edge change at the centerline. The last thing you want (next to rocketing downhill) is to be locked into a carve and screaming towards the trees, without enough to room to bail out. If you hit the centerline and haven't made the edge change, lock up the brakes, stop, and start over. You don't want to pass the point of no return that leads you into the trees. 

Again, the critical part comes at the top of the turn. You need to set a hard edge at the top of the turn, to have it carry you through the rest. If you wait until you're coming around to the fall line to set the edge, you'll have built up too much speed for it to grab, and by the end of the turn it will chatter out. Carve and skid alike. Now, if you've actually found an icy, steep, narrow run that hasn't already been cut into frozen moguls and doesn't require an additional skill set, then God bless.


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## AAA (Feb 2, 2008)

And on the fear factor of steep pitches...focus on the bottom and think of it as just a very short distance to overcome. "100 feet? I can take that! I'm the Monster going but an inch." That works for me. Or buddy up and psych each other up.

On the sound of the ice...it is what it is. Use those cues to your advantage. Yeah, it's a grating, aweful sound. But use those cues to let you know where your are respective of the board's limit. Ditch the iPdod. That sound is your friend. I used to mask it with songs on my Walkman (dating myself here), but learned it was better to hear it as my ally, especially when carving (vs. skidding).


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## Mooz (Aug 14, 2007)

What's a walkman? :cheeky4:


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## Norst (Jan 10, 2010)

The way I tackle steeps is to have early edge and bleed speed throughout the turn. I'm not going to draw a picture so I'll use snowolf's instead.. In the beginner turn, you bleed speed during B-C, you're pushing snow down the hill similar to a side-slip. You accelerate from A-B because gravity is pulling you down. If you get on edge earlier (before C) and use pressure control, you can bleed speed all the way through the turn from A-C and C-E(and beyond). An easy way to visualize this is to think of where the snow is going. Think of spraying snow into the trees beside you instead of down the hill. It's quite difficult to do this though and you'll need alot of work on early body position shift over the new working edge and aggressive steering with your knees and your feet generating almost torsional strain on the board. But if you do this properly, you can maintain equal speed throughout your turn instead of the gain speed during the top of the turn and bleed it off after you finish.

Oh and I don't stop right at the pitch.. I tend to stop before. I find that having a good rhythm going into the steeps helps alot. It actually really improved my performance when I started the steep section before the actual pitch.


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## Mooz (Aug 14, 2007)

Snowolf said:


> It`s what us old guys use to play our cassette tapes in. We needed something smaller, our 8 Track players are just too bulky.....


8 track?


seriously?! with the 10char bullshit?! Stop it!


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## kysnowboarder (Oct 28, 2009)

Snowolf said:


> Yeah that is close...
> 
> Here is one I have used:
> 
> ...


The above is pretty much how I handle steeps now. It works but I am wanting to improve and be able to ride the steeps faster and in control of course. What is the next step? Is it to make faster edge changes and keep the tip of the board pointed down the slope instead of allowing it to traverse? Is moving legs more independent from upper body part of moving faster on steeps? I feel like I am stuck making c on the steeps I am ready to try and move beyond this.


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