Darryl, big ski race soon

[billhammond]

World Cup men's downhill from Kitzbuhel, 4 p.m. today (Central) on NBC.

I visited Innsbruck back in the day. Stunningly beautiful.

[paleo]

I've been to Europe many times, but I've never skied there.

Next week I'll be at Beaver Creek, home of the world famous, Birds of Prey, downhill course. I've skied it a couple time, very slow by downhill standards, but I skied it. It's interesting to be skiing along and imagining what it would be like skiing gates there at 70-80 mph.

[TKennedy]

I might have mentioned this here before but we skied the downhill course at Snowbasin a week after the Salt Lake City Olympics. The start house was on a little peak and they built a short gondola and a wooden catwalk to reach it. The first 600 yards looked almost straight down. Even my skiing partner who was an expert skier pretty much sideslipped down most of it. Those guys must have been hitting 60 within seconds. Petrifying!!!

[coachdoc]

Boy, do I miss skiing. Just not in good enuf shape with my NPH. Kills my balance.

[Village Idiot]

Jan 20, 2024 22:42:14 GMT -5 paleo said:

Next week I'll be at Beaver Creek, home of the world famous, Birds of Prey, downhill course. I've skied it a couple time, very slow by downhill standards, but I skied it. It's interesting to be skiing along and imagining what it would be like skiing gates there at 70-80 mph.

Bill, you realize that Paleo is nuts, don't you? He won't be going 70-80 mph, he'll only be going 60-69.

[coachdoc]

The fastest I’ve ever been clocked on skis was 55, and that felt darn quick.

[paleo]

Jan 21, 2024 21:20:57 GMT -5 Village Idiot said:

Jan 20, 2024 22:42:14 GMT -5 paleo said:

Next week I'll be at Beaver Creek, home of the world famous, Birds of Prey, downhill course. I've skied it a couple time, very slow by downhill standards, but I skied it. It's interesting to be skiing along and imagining what it would be like skiing gates there at 70-80 mph.

Bill, you realize that Paleo is nuts, don't you? He won't be going 70-80 mph, he'll only be going 60-69.

In my old age, I've slowed down considerably. My highest record speed was 72.3 mph. That was on perfect snow and with skies designed to be stable at speed.

I believe I went faster once, but I didn't have GPS tracking on. That was scary, i was in Montana, coming down a steep slope with a long flat runout below. I decided it was a good, safe place for a speed run. Then, while up to speed, the nice snow suddenly turned to ice, rough ice. I didn't dare try to turn to slow down, it as just, go straight and hang on. I rode it out, but it was terrifying.

[coachdoc]

That was my experience at 55 mph. Paleo is, as is widely believed, Nutz.

[TKennedy]

I have never gone that fast on skis but hit 60 a few times doing down mountain passes in France on my bike. It looks so smooth when the pros do it on TV but it was terrifying.

[Rob Hanesworth]

Jan 22, 2024 8:47:51 GMT -5 paleo said:

...with skies designed to be stable at speed.

Duh. Is there another kind? Skies designed to be unstable at speed? I've never been on snow skies.

[Dub]

Jan 22, 2024 11:31:05 GMT -5 Rob Hanesworth said:

Jan 22, 2024 8:47:51 GMT -5 paleo said:

...with skies designed to be stable at speed.

Duh. Is there another kind? Skies designed to be unstable at speed? I've never been on snow skies.

I wondered about that too so I looked up “high-speed snow skis” and found this.

All-mountain skis should, by their very definition, be able to handle the whole mountain—the groomers, the moguls, the glades, the back bowls, and the headwalls—no matter the snow conditions. We’re talking corduroy, crud, mank, mashed potatoes, spring corn, powder, and everything in between. Most all-mountain skis these days check all of those boxes. They’re designed from their cores out to be versatile enough to make any day on the mountain a good day.

Where all-mountain skis differ is not necessarily in their ability to handle various terrain or snow conditions, but in their ability to handle various skier abilities.
Some all-mountain skis are designed to work for a wide range of skiers, which is a wonderful trait in terms of approachability. The problem with some of these skis, however, is that they can’t do what strong, expert skiers expect them to do, i.e. charge.

Expert skiers who have the ability, tendency, and skill to arc large radius turns down the fall line at mach speeds no matter the terrain or snow need an all-mountain ski that can stand up to that kind of pressure and speed. In short, they need a stiffer, damper ski with some metal in it. They probably also need a ski with a little more camber and less rocker in the tip and tail, because this makes a ski more stable and responsive.

A ski like that won’t bat an eye if you decide to carve super-G turns down the headwall in days-old crud, huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes, or even lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair.

Naturally I have no idea what the Sam Hill they’re talking about.

I found this enlightening information at www.skimag.com/gear/ski-reviews/all-mountain-skis/best-all-mountain-skis-for-expert-fast-skiers/

[Rob Hanesworth]

Well, of course your skies need to be able to handle corduroy, crud, mank, mashed potatoes, spring corn, and powder.

[Dub]

Jan 22, 2024 12:29:26 GMT -5 Rob Hanesworth said:

Well, of course your skies need to be able to handle corduroy, crud, mank, mashed potatoes, spring corn, and powder.

The deciding factor is “if you decide to carve super-G turns down the headwall in days-old crud, huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes, or even lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair.”

I hate it when that happens.

[paleo]

Another example of different kinds of skies are the skis that are used in the terrain parks. Those tend to be shorter, with twin tips (ski curves up on both ends) and shorter. They are designed specifically for terrain park skiing, think the super pipes , rails etc. They are not designed for speed. That said my Granddaughter and grandson both ski on terrain park type skis and there is no part of the mountain that they can't ski, in fact they seek out the extreme terrain. But they Don't ski excessively fast.

My skis have titanium stiffeners built into them, which makes them much more comfortable and controllable at higher speed.

[brucemacneill]

Jan 22, 2024 13:50:37 GMT -5 paleo said:

Another example of different kinds of skies are the skis that are used in the terrain parks. Those tend to be shorter, with twin tips (ski curves up on both ends) and shorter. They are designed specifically for terrain park skiing, think the super pipes , rails etc. They are not designed for speed. That said my Granddaughter and grandson both ski on terrain park type skis and there is no part of the mountain that they can't ski, in fact they seek out the extreme terrain. But they Don't ski excessively fast.

My skis have titanium stiffeners built into them, which makes them much more comfortable and controllable at higher speed.

[Dub]

Jan 22, 2024 13:50:37 GMT -5 paleo said:

Another example of different kinds of skies are the skis that are used in the terrain parks. Those tend to be shorter, with twin tips (ski curves up on both ends) and shorter. They are designed specifically for terrain park skiing, think the super pipes , rails etc. They are not designed for speed. That said my Granddaughter and grandson both ski on terrain park type skis and there is no part of the mountain that they can't ski, in fact they seek out the extreme terrain. But they Don't ski excessively fast.

My skis have titanium stiffeners built into them, which makes them much more comfortable and controllable at higher speed.

So, Darryl, please explain to us non-skiers what in the Sam Hill that article quote means. I’m referring to the quote “A ski like that won’t bat an eye if you decide to carve super-G turns down the headwall in days-old crud, huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes, or even lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair.”

Do skiers really talk like that?

[paleo]

Jan 22, 2024 13:58:48 GMT -5 Dub said:

Jan 22, 2024 13:50:37 GMT -5 paleo said:

Another example of different kinds of skies are the skis that are used in the terrain parks. Those tend to be shorter, with twin tips (ski curves up on both ends) and shorter. They are designed specifically for terrain park skiing, think the super pipes , rails etc. They are not designed for speed. That said my Granddaughter and grandson both ski on terrain park type skis and there is no part of the mountain that they can't ski, in fact they seek out the extreme terrain. But they Don't ski excessively fast.

My skis have titanium stiffeners built into them, which makes them much more comfortable and controllable at higher speed.

So, Darryl, please explain to us non-skiers what in the Sam Hill that article quote means. I’m referring to the quote “A ski like that won’t bat an eye if you decide to carve super-G turns down the headwall in days-old crud, huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes, or even lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair.”

Do skiers really talk like that?

No skiers I know talk like that.

I think they are just trying to say that good skis (think expensive) high quality skis won't be the cause of the problem if you have a problem in certain terrain.

If you go to a ski area and rent skis you get lower quality skis that are not designed for harsh terrain. But, you can rent high quality demo skis.

I personally have 4 pair of skies, all good but all slightly different.

It's a little like guitars. What is the best guitar? It depends on a lot of things. Same with skis.

[Dub]

Jan 22, 2024 14:15:20 GMT -5 paleo said:

Jan 22, 2024 13:58:48 GMT -5 Dub said:

So, Darryl, please explain to us non-skiers what in the Sam Hill that article quote means. I’m referring to the quote “A ski like that won’t bat an eye if you decide to carve super-G turns down the headwall in days-old crud, huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes, or even lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair.”

Do skiers really talk like that?

No skiers I know talk like that.

I think they are just trying to say that good skis (think expensive) high quality skis won't be the cause of the problem if you have a problem in certain terrain.

If you go to a ski area and rent skis you get lower quality skis that are not designed for harsh terrain. But, you can rent high quality demo skis.

I personally have 4 pair of skies, all good but all slightly different.

It's a little like guitars. What is the best guitar? It depends on a lot of things. Same with skis.

I’ve only been skiing once, at Whistler, Vancouver, BC. I had a great time and learned nothing.

I think I understand what they mean by a “super-G turn,” but what have you done if you “huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes?”

How long does it take to “lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair?”

Enquiring minds want to know.

[paleo]

Jan 22, 2024 14:41:11 GMT -5 Dub said:

Jan 22, 2024 14:15:20 GMT -5 paleo said:

No skiers I know talk like that.

I think they are just trying to say that good skis (think expensive) high quality skis won't be the cause of the problem if you have a problem in certain terrain.

If you go to a ski area and rent skis you get lower quality skis that are not designed for harsh terrain. But, you can rent high quality demo skis.

I personally have 4 pair of skies, all good but all slightly different.

It's a little like guitars. What is the best guitar? It depends on a lot of things. Same with skis.

I’ve only been skiing once, at Whistler, Vancouver, BC. I had a great time and learned nothing.

I think I understand what they mean by a “super-G turn,” but what have you done if you “huck your meat off a mandatory air into an apron riddled with bomb holes?”

How long does it take to “lay trenches on not-so-soft groomers to get back to the chair?”

Enquiring minds want to know.

Sorry, I don't understand or speak that language.

[Village Idiot]

Paleo, you shouldn't have said you don't understand that language. You just closed the door on the opportunity to make up all kinds of weird stuff that we would have completely believed.

Now we think you're just another old fart.