How to spot ice patch

[James]

With the Hahnekamm coming up this image from a few years back pops to mind:

According to some here, they can't see that till they're 3.6 ft away. But it seems one is always 3.6 ft away there.

 

[François Pugh]

With the Hahnekamm coming up this image from a few years back pops to mind:

View attachment 37433

Oh I see it now! The icier bit seems to be centred around the blue paint, very helpful.

 

[Monique]

With the Hahnekamm coming up this image from a few years back pops to mind:

View attachment 37433

I can't actually picture addressing this (esp with my (lack of) edges) without maybe taking off skis, lying flat on my belly, and hoping my feet stay pointed down.

 

[Swede]

I can't actually picture addressing this (esp with my (lack of) edges) without maybe taking off skis, lying flat on my belly, and hoping my feet stay pointed down.

Sounds like it could be fun though. Maybee doing the streif in a big plastic garbage bag or something.

 

[Tricia]

So, you're saying we should just ski ice like this....

 

[slowrider]

Buffed ice. Who in their right mind would go 70mph? down that. I'm taking my skis and going home.

 

[Sibhusky]

We stood at the top in summer and it was steep and scary then, covered in nice grass.

 

[4ster]

I was there on an Instructor exchange in 1981 to watch. It was scary enough from behind the weak, wooden picket fence!
I rode the Tram to the start with a bunch of the racers, when Fleischer refers to it as the morgue in the video posted above he hits the nail on the head. On the ride up no one said a word, just a bunch of intense, solemn game faces.
Canadian Steve Podborski won that year. Phil Mahre & Ingemar Stenmark ran it that year for points. IIRC, Phil had a top 10 finish & Ingemar was in the 30's barely ever even attempting to grab a tuck.

EDIT: Ooops ment to post in Kitz thread

 

[Swede]

I was there on an Instructor exchange in 1981 to watch. It was scary enough from behind the weak, wooden picket fence!
I rode the Tram to the start with a bunch of the racers, when Fleischer refers to it as the morgue in the video posted above he hits the nail on the head. On the ride up no one said a word, just a bunch of intense, solemn game faces.
Canadian Steve Podborski won that year. Phil Mahre & Ingemar Stenmark ran it that year for points. IIRC, Phil had a top 10 finish & Ingemar was in the 30's barely ever even attempting to grab a tuck.

EDIT: Ooops ment to post in Kitz thread

A lot of Swede's held their breath for a while when Stenmark was mixed up with another skier who crashed violently.

 

[T-Square]

Oh I see it now! The icier bit seems to be centred around the blue paint, very helpful.

Can you imagine putting down the blue marking. Now, do they ‘paint’ it before or after it gets that nice solid surface?

 

[James]

A lot of Swede's held their breath for a while when Stenmark was mixed up with another skier who crashed violently.

That's exactly what I thought when I watched that clip. I think the announcers said it was Stenmark when in the gate and the racer looked the same. It was the guy right before. Another Swede?

 

[Johnny V.]

Sounds like it could be fun though. Maybee doing the streif in a big plastic garbage bag or something.

Or a Flexible Flyer sled.......................much more control than a garbage bag!

 

[Monique]

When I see that ice, "control" is not the word that comes to mind.

 

[Ken_R]

Can you imagine putting down the blue marking. Now, do they ‘paint’ it before or after it gets that nice solid surface?

 

[Swede]

That's exactly what I thought when I watched that clip. I think the announcers said it was Stenmark when in the gate and the racer looked the same. It was the guy right before. Another Swede?

Not sure who that was James. But not a Swedish skier.

 

[James]

Not sure who that was James. But not a Swedish skier.

It was #18 Hans Enn, Austria. The tv shows Stenmark in the start, starting, then at some point cuts to Enn whose speedsuit looks a lot like Stenmark. Very odd. Don't know if they ran more than one racer a time back then. It's not until he's on the ground in the fence that it shows 18 and the name on the screen. The guy before also crashed into the fence.

Here's a better quality video showing it. Stenmark starts at: 44:30

 

[dbostedo]

Or a Flexible Flyer sled.......................much more control than a garbage bag!

/buzzkill-on
Someone was actually killed yesterday at Sunday River in Maine after sledding down one of the black diamond runs at night. (2 AM)

https://bangordailynews.com/2018/01...edding-accident-at-sunday-river-sheriff-says/

That article also mentions that Sugarloaf had a death last year from someone doing trail work on foot, who slipped and slid down a race course.
/buzzkill-off

 

[Seldomski]

Likely locations for ice:
-Middle of trail
-Trails with high traffic and/or bottle necks
-Between those fluffy piles of snow (i.e. scraped off parts of trail)
-More of it appears as the sun goes down
-More of it in the shade* (if the area was sunny and/or temps were warmer earlier)

Avoid ice:
-Ski the edge(s) of the trail
-Ski in the sun
-Leave before the sun goes down
-Avoid areas that were sunny earlier and are now shaded
-Avoid high traffic areas
-Ski from fluffy pile to fluffy pile, turning on the soft parts
-Listen for it on the lift - is the skier below 'scraping' with each turn? Is there another path down?
-Look for it on the lift - are people flailing? Is there a pile of downed skiers? Can you see shiny surfaces or texture changes?
-Ride the lift down
-If it is icy where you are, can you move somewhere else on the trail?

Deal with ice:
-"Get better" - good balance, stay loose, etc
-Sharp, narrow skis
-Ski 'as quietly as you can'
-If you lose grip, point skis in the direction you are traveling to get the edge again
-If you lose grip, try changing tilt angle of ski (i.e. add more or less edge)
-Ski slower so if you lose grip, the fall is not catastrophic
-Increase gap size between you and other skiers

I am always looking for ice/obstacles in the snow when I ski. The downside is I don't ski as well since I should be looking further down the hill... maybe I could handle ice better if I didn't look for it.

 

[Monique]

Likely locations for ice:
-Middle of trail
-Trails with high traffic and/or bottle necks
-Between those fluffy piles of snow (i.e. scraped off parts of trail)
-More of it appears as the sun goes down
-More of it in the shade* (if the area was sunny and/or temps were warmer earlier)

Avoid ice:
-Ski the edge(s) of the trail
-Ski in the sun
-Leave before the sun goes down
-Avoid areas that were sunny earlier and are now shaded
-Avoid high traffic areas
-Ski from fluffy pile to fluffy pile, turning on the soft parts
-Listen for it on the lift - is the skier below 'scraping' with each turn? Is there another path down?
-Look for it on the lift - are people flailing? Is there a pile of downed skiers? Can you see shiny surfaces or texture changes?
-Ride the lift down
-If it is icy where you are, can you move somewhere else on the trail?

Deal with ice:
-"Get better" - good balance, stay loose, etc
-Sharp, narrow skis
-Ski 'as quietly as you can'
-If you lose grip, point skis in the direction you are traveling to get the edge again
-If you lose grip, try changing tilt angle of ski (i.e. add more or less edge)
-Ski slower so if you lose grip, the fall is not catastrophic
-Increase gap size between you and other skiers

I am always looking for ice/obstacles in the snow when I ski. The downside is I don't ski as well since I should be looking further down the hill... maybe I could handle ice better if I didn't look for it.

No need for more posts.

 

[François Pugh]

Sounds like it could be fun though. Maybee doing the streif in a big plastic garbage bag or something.

The depth of focus of the camera takes the steepness out of the picture. On skis with sharp edges OK,. On foot with crampons OK. On a motorbike set up with screws for ice racing, OK. On ski boots, a toboggan, a toy sled, a flexi-flyer, a garbage bag, your butt, your belly, or most any other way, No Way - that's a sure way to get severely injured or killed.