# riding on icy conditions



## brujito

Hi peoples, im pretty new at snowboarding but im loving it.. i seem to have caught the snow bug and have even taken a few days off work to get to the fields... 
im struggling to ride on icy conditions i even managed to take my mate out on skis out and bend his pole :dunno: what tips do you guys have for riding on icy stuff?


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## KIRKWOOD-$LUT

sharp edges!
like at least a 2 degree


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## Snowjoe

Good stance and posture on the board. Ideally you're looking to keep your weight above the edge and put the board on edge using ankles knees and hips. If you lean forward or backwards during a turn to put the board on edge your just going to blow the edge out.


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## Guest

what are everybodys thoughts on,
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"
MAGNE-TRACTION:
Replaces “two contact point” ski theory. Conventional skis and snowboards have two contact points. Our Magne-Traction boards have seven! Seven is more than two. With Magne-Traction, when your two outside contact points lose grip, you’ve still got five more to take over. You won’t fall as much. Rides like a skateboard. Control and turn initiation come from under your feet, not a foot and a half to either side of your feet. Better edge hold. Climbs icy pipes! Turns ice into powder! Skate Bananas, Cygnus X1, Dark Series, Travis, Phoenix, TRS MTX, TRS BTX, MC Kink, Box Scratcher, Snowskate, Skunk Apes, Mullets."


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## Snowjoe

Man nothing sucks more than courdrouy ice taken to the kneecaps!

I remember one day when lessons were quiet we had to shift a load of shit for the racecourse. So first job was take a load of race gates up the lift and ride down with them in the arms, which sucks. Then we got to the hut and had to take this 8ft by 5ft impact cushion thing to the bottom. So I grab one side and my buddy on skis grabs the other side and we bomb for the bottom. We took the closed back route like we're meant to so we don't run into the public and next thing we know we've strightlined right into a roller with steep as shit face on it. So in midair my buddy lets go and I land with this damn mattress thing spinning me in circles from it's momentum. I hit a pure ice sheet thats left from a pipe from a snow cannon bursting which happened to also get groomed. Edge blows out and my knees and forearms get shredded on the beautiful stuff!

My random ice story for the day.


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## KIRKWOOD-$LUT

MAGNE-TRACTION:


good sheet!!


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## PaoloSmythe

i saw the title of this thread and all i came in here to say was

BUY MAGNE TRACTION

yes! it really is that good!


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## Suburban Blend

:thumbsdown: if you have a size 12 boot on a regular width board and you fall....
You may not be able to arrest yourself. 

You will slide to you death on the 20 degree slope of most certain doom!


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## lisevolution

I remember my first trip out west... now us Ice Coasters we're used to loud sound of snowboarding here due to the hard pack and icy conditions... It was really weird to not hear myself snowboarding due to actually riding on snow! Also it's nice to actually be able to turn and be confident you can hold the edge rather than always keeping it in the back of your mind that you could potentially eat it super hard if you catch a patch in mid turn


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## X1n54n3x

ive slipped on the backside of the mountain right when it opened in the spring and needless to say it was icy as fuck. i slid for a good couple hundred yards on my hands and knees and melted the palms of my gloves- got some pretty gnarly burns on my palms too. im pretty lucky i didnt hit anything, although i had a helmet i dont know how much it wouldve helped. a tip- try not to fall head first on an icy hill, cause you CAN NOT get up!


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## legallyillegal

When sliding headfirst on your back down the hill, dig your elbows into the snow. It's a good workout for your triceps and whatnot. Also, don't forget to plow over that skischooler who cut you off in the lift line.


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## laz167

I cant wait to go ride out west..They say if you cant ride here in the "Ice Coast" you can ride anywhere..Something like what Frankie Blue eyes said.


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## laz167

I remember riding Camelback last year end of season, with the worst Icy conditions I've ever seen. It was 60 degrees the day before with rain, so at night everything froze over. Me being the early bird that I am deciding to head to the mountain early. When we got there I remember hearing the loudest sound I've ever heard from boards scratching against the ice. My GF looked at me like this was not gonna be good. Any ways we board the lift and away we go We get to the top and all you see is this shinny glaze of ice, as we try to get up off of the chair.."SLAM" my girl goes one way I go the other "facedown" down the ramp. Needless to say that was it for my girl, she decided to not to ride that day and chill at the lodge. As for me hell no..I'm gonna conquer this hill after riding for about an hour I had the hang of it. Moral of the story kids ,"PRACTICE" just because the conditions are bad dont quit. Oh yeah my girl sat in the lodge for like 3 hours while I rode my ass off, gotta love that women


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## Guest

laz167 said:


> I cant wait to go ride out west..They say if you cant ride here in the "Ice Coast" you can ride anywhere..Something like what Frankie Blue eyes said.


People Who grew up riding Ice Definatley rip out here on our cascade conrete... I have seen this over and over working up at meadows on Mt Hood for the last seven years.

Ice requires excellent technigue.. Bad form on ice and you are down..ouch Soft snow is more forgiving of questionable technique..

I always tell folks to try and learn, or take lessons on soft days because it is just more forgivng for noobies.


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## X1n54n3x

mpdsnowman said:


> Actually there is a way out of a fall on ice. It takes practice, they teach it over here commonly. Regardless of how you fall if you can get on your backside simply "spin" out of it ...It works, just spin until you are facing properly downhill, dig the edges of the board and as you slow down pop up to a stance. It works...on ice because u are sliding.



uhm this is given in the first second of falling you are able to rotate yourself, if you dont do it right away you will not be able to at all. theres no leverage to do so cause youre basically in an almost completely frictionless slide


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## X1n54n3x

legallyillegal said:


> When sliding headfirst on your back down the hill, dig your elbows into the snow. It's a good workout for your triceps and whatnot. Also, don't forget to plow over that skischooler who cut you off in the lift line.


this doesnt help much on ice


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## legallyillegal

X1n54n3x said:


> this doesnt help much on ice


Well obviously not, but plowing over skischoolers is always fun.


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## lisevolution

With regards to being easier to ride out west vs. riding in the east there are different issues to accomodate to... here on the east it's the ice in the west it's the powder. Don't for one second think it's any easier to ride in powder up to your knees than it is to ride on a sheet of ice. Totally different problem but difficult to acclimate to. That was my biggest issue. Of course I think I've ridden like 5 groomers on my west coast trips because I can ride those here... if I'm going out there I want the bowls and natural terrain runs. That's where the amount of snow makes it challenging. I was out in Vail last winter and it dumped like 2 feet overnight and then was dumping all day... riding the back bowls there in that type of condition was not only one of the most awesome experiences i've ever had, but it was also one of the most challenging. Adapting to riding on the tail more and keeping your weight back is difficult when your not used to having to do it. All in all I'd rather deal with that than riding the ice luge at any of our mountains here!


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## Guest

legallyillegal said:


> Well obviously not, but plowing over skischoolers is always fun.


Hey now... be nice to the ski/snowboard schoolers!!! Its a tough job but somebody has to love it.;..and do it.


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## Guest

ive alway told the ppl that im teaching is to have faith in your edges 
unless they are super detuned then your goin for a ride haha


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## Guest

laz167 said:


> I remember riding Camelback last year end of season, with the worst Icy conditions I've ever seen. It was 60 degrees the day before with rain, so at night everything froze over. Me being the early bird that I am deciding to head to the mountain early. When we got there I remember hearing the loudest sound I've ever heard from boards scratching against the ice. My GF looked at me like this was not gonna be good. Any ways we board the lift and away we go We get to the top and all you see is this shinny glaze of ice, as we try to get up off of the chair.."SLAM" my girl goes one way I go the other "facedown" down the ramp. Needless to say that was it for my girl, she decided to not to ride that day and chill at the lodge. As for me hell no..I'm gonna conquer this hill after riding for about an hour I had the hang of it. Moral of the story kids ,"PRACTICE" just because the conditions are bad dont quit. Oh yeah my girl sat in the lodge for like 3 hours while I rode my ass off, gotta love that women



I was at Blue that day. I ate it so hard on this one black and the funny thing is I caught the weirdest toeside edge. It was up by the nose and I did a full 180 before eating it.


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## Guest

You have a couple options for riding on Ice. First, you definitly want sharp edges, but I wouldn't suggest going to anymore than a 1 degree bevel. Remember, you can not replace your edges, and every time you file them, you are taking more off. Yes, if you have the cash, buy a magna traction. But us real snowboarders from the east don't need a fancy board to ride on ice  

1. DECREASE your edge angle, using your ankle to adjust as opposed to leaning over an edge. 
2. If it is not solid ice all the way across, go straight over the ice, and turn on the edges. 
3. DO NOT TENSE UP. I know it is hard to do especially when you hear and feel the ice under you, but tensing up makes you stiff, which generally puts you in a wrong body position and on a higher edge. 
4. Look where you want to go. Sounds simple, where ever you look, you will go... look at your feet, or the ice beneth you, and guess where you will end up?? 

There is your free riding in the east lesson.


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