"Walt" wrote in message news:NgYEd.134
Stop scraping and we'll stop complaining.

It's definitely possible to snowboard without heel scraping.
Unfortunately, too many boarders don't seem to understand this - they
think that because they can heel scrape the steepest slopes in the place
they are some kind of advanced athlete.

the heelslide is the first thing I learned in snowboarding. It's like
snowplough in skiing. And I reckon it has a lot to do with icing in spots
where it suddenly gets steep.

Note that it's also possible to sideslip on skis and scrape off just s
much snow as a heel-scraping snowboarder. The difference is that a skier
who's sideslipping *knows* he's not really skiing.

slideslipping is almost impossible for a beginner skiier. they can only do
it when they are in parallel, and by that time they can ski, kind-of.

I've taken to dropping the shoulder when passing a boarder who might
suddenly turn on the heelside!
it's lots of fun if they suddenly do. Well, I have fun.

ant