Terminal Sliding

**Rideski** · 11-12-2006, 10:05 PM

At what slope angle would a person dressed in typical semi nylon ski wear slide uncontrollably without much hope of self arrest on boilerplate snow?

Would there ever be an angle steep enough to make this happen in pow conditions, or would it just turn into a slide?

At what general slope angle will it be too steep for snow to accumulate without sloughing off therby never becoming pow, only icy hardpack?

**summit** · 11-12-2006, 10:24 PM

The Slide Zone is more about sliding snow than you sliding down the couli.

Originally Posted by Rideski

At what slope angle would a person dressed in typical semi nylon ski wear slide uncontrollably without much hope of self arrest on boilerplate snow?

It is all about self arrest tools and reaction time vs how far you have to try and slow yourself.

What do you have to stop yourself? Axe? Skis? boots? hands? You don't stay laying on your nylon...

Your orientation to start affects how quickly you can start to arrest which determines your speed at the start of self arrest which determines how long it will take you to arrest given your method... etc...

Would there ever be an angle steep enough to make this happen in pow conditions, or would it just turn into a slide?

If the snow conditions are right and you are going fast enough... ever seen them rag doll down an Alaskan face in a TGR film?

At what general slope angle will it be too steep for snow to accumulate without sloughing off therby never becoming pow, only icy hardpack?

Now this is relevant.

This depends on the surface temperature and composition, the ambient temperature, the type of snow crystal (morphology and moisture content), wind, etc... (I"m sure there are variables I left out)

In general it varies by region/altitude. Coastal snowpacks hold onto steeper pitches than continental snowpacks.

**Choke Slam** · 11-12-2006, 10:32 PM

extreme pant sledding is the new hot shit! Remember to spray some Pam cooking spray on the pants for maximum velocity.

**Rideski** · 11-12-2006, 11:02 PM

choke- Actually I did pant sledding (read self arrest technique class) in wilderness trekking class for ColoMtnClub, with and without an ice axe years ago. (actually glissaded down grey's peak years before that, probably not good to have done the second before the first....)

Summit, yeah, I was aiming for tech talk and diverted here at the last minute, because of the last question. My hypothetical was a skier that had lost skis and poles.

**Cruiser** · 11-13-2006, 08:45 AM

I read a story in Skiing about a speed skier who was killed when he slipped and fell onto a mogul run while wearing his speed suit. Those suits are so slick that he couldn't stop his fall on a 35 degree slope.

**grskier** · 11-13-2006, 11:46 AM

Ah, this brings me back to the days I wore a body condom and strapped 208 cm 2x4s to my feet for fun...

Catching an edge at 60 mph then sliding on my hip, feeling like I was actually gaining speed as i neared a nice orange plastic fence.

ahhh.... the memories.