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Question on coming down a hill



 
 
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  #41  
Old February 17th 05, 07:17 PM
Janne G
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BarryT wrote:
"Scott Elliot" wrote in message
news:ZyyQd.44981$K54.35596@edtnps84...

Based on that , hockey stop ability must be an inherited feature for
natural born Canadians. ;)

Scott



It is because we Canadian boys are all born with hockey sticks in our hands
and skates on our feet! Canadian girls find it more difficult because, until
recently, they were all born with figure-skating skates, with which you
can't really do such stops... ; )


What about the Norwegians then?
They are born with XC-skiis on their feets.
Wonder how theire mothers sees it, it must be a hell to give birth when
the baby having a 130cm XC Madshus pair of skiis on allready... ;-)

JAnne G
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  #42  
Old February 25th 05, 12:44 AM
TheGroomer TheGroomer is offline
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Posts: 10
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I am a trail groomer. It's hard to determine what is "normal" in terms of practices, but I don't set tracks on hills - its easier to herringbone up or snowplow down if no tracks are present. There is a lot of differing opinion on this though. As a very non-expert skier with no edges, I have been known to put my poles between my skis and ride them like a witch's broom down the hill. Hey - whatever gets you there! It's not about looking good....

Quote:
Originally Posted by JCZ
Finally I'm bored with the easy trails. Saturday I tried the medium
trails, and I did just fine -- lots of nice rolling up and down hills.
I had no problems whatsoever, but then I saw a rather steep hill
leading up to the difficult trail. I was tempted to try it, but had I
come DOWN that hill, it would've been scary because it ended at what
looked like a kind of big intersection of trails with benches and maps
and lots of people. Say I was on this trail, and I'm coming
down.....(classic). How do I stop when I need to? Up to this point,
I've tried "snowplowing" which doesn't work when in tracks, I've tried
putting my poles kind of forward to try and get some resistance, and
I've tried turning my boots outward to kind of dig into the tracks to
slow down, but none of them really work that well, and I imagine they
don't work at all well when going kind of fast. Can anyone give me a
suggestion? Thanks.

June
  #43  
Old February 28th 05, 05:22 AM
Gene Goldenfeld
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I believe that setting tracks is normal on hills where there is room.
Part of the fun of skiing is being able to stride up the hill as far as
one's kick will go and to ride down the hills in the tracks. Even
skaters sometimes use the tracks for downhills (if the trail allows
skating). Plus, how can your novice and intermediate skiers improve if
you take away choices for dealing with hills? Playing to the lowest
common denominator of ability means that's who your area will attract.
Reputations for grooming are passed around among skiers and tend to
stick.

Gene

TheGroomer wrote:

I am a trail groomer. It's hard to determine what is "normal" in terms
of practices, but I don't set tracks on hills - its easier to
herringbone up or snowplow down if no tracks are present. There is a
lot of differing opinion on this though. As a very non-expert skier
with no edges, I have been known to put my poles between my skis and
ride them like a witch's broom down the hill. Hey - whatever gets you
there! It's not about looking good....

  #44  
Old February 28th 05, 01:31 PM
taywood
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Gene Goldenfeld wrote:
I believe that setting tracks is normal on hills where there is room.
Part of the fun of skiing is being able to stride up the hill as far
as one's kick will go and to ride down the hills in the tracks. Even
skaters sometimes use the tracks for downhills (if the trail allows
skating). Plus, how can your novice and intermediate skiers improve
if you take away choices for dealing with hills? Playing to the
lowest common denominator of ability means that's who your area will
attract. Reputations for grooming are passed around among skiers and
tend to stick.

Gene


I believe our groomer friend is incorrect, unless there is something
wrong with the underlying ground surface he is working on.
I'd say that track setting is crucial on downhills for classic skiers.
I've even seen that worded into the instructions given by the World
Masters Assn. to the Organising Committee at a proposed venue.

At most competition venues and tourist venues simply staying in the
set track will get you safely downhill and round the bend at the foot
of the hill. Of course there may be exeptions but even where the
sheer volume of traffic has wiped out the set track and formed a sort
of banked cresta turn its still possible to stay on line, even with
limited skills, without resorting to full snowplow defence.
Mike


  #45  
Old March 15th 05, 01:59 AM
TheGroomer TheGroomer is offline
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First recorded activity by SkiBanter: Dec 2004
Posts: 10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by taywood
Gene Goldenfeld wrote:
I believe that setting tracks is normal on hills where there is room.
Part of the fun of skiing is being able to stride up the hill as far
as one's kick will go and to ride down the hills in the tracks. Even
skaters sometimes use the tracks for downhills (if the trail allows
skating). Plus, how can your novice and intermediate skiers improve
if you take away choices for dealing with hills? Playing to the
lowest common denominator of ability means that's who your area will
attract. Reputations for grooming are passed around among skiers and
tend to stick.

Gene


I believe our groomer friend is incorrect, unless there is something
wrong with the underlying ground surface he is working on.
I'd say that track setting is crucial on downhills for classic skiers.
I've even seen that worded into the instructions given by the World
Masters Assn. to the Organising Committee at a proposed venue.

At most competition venues and tourist venues simply staying in the
set track will get you safely downhill and round the bend at the foot
of the hill. Of course there may be exeptions but even where the
sheer volume of traffic has wiped out the set track and formed a sort
of banked cresta turn its still possible to stay on line, even with
limited skills, without resorting to full snowplow defence.
Mike
There is a simple reason I do not set tracks on hills. I am grooming at a nature preserve. This has the following impacts:
1. The general public is invited (free) - all abilities, all ages.
2. The area is unattended - if you get hurt, you are on your own
3. Since it is a preserve, there are real limits on trail widths, trail contouring, etc. I can't cut trees or move dirt (beyond the haul roads I currently use)
4. The machinery used is slightly limited in the conditions under which it can set an effective track. I'm not running a power tiller.

Leave the mentality of a very capable skier behind and consider yourself to be a 50+ couch potato housewife or a 5 year old. Do you want to snowplow or would you rather ride potentially icy tracks down the hill? I watched a family struggle to get their small daughter to herringbone up a well groomed 5% grade - it was her first day on skis, and she couldn't walk up it, ski up it, or herringbone up it. That's my "market." So I would suggest I am not "incorrect." I'd suggest the "correctness" is dependent on goals, and goals are dependent on the market. Since my market is average to never-evers, I am trying to achieve a safe and enjoyable experience for them.
  #46  
Old March 17th 05, 11:52 AM
taywood
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Thanks for your explanation.

And thanks also to you and your fellow groomers for
the excellent work you guys do for us.
Mike
 




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