How to ski fast and narrow cat tracks (access roads) between slopes?

A snowHead

I reckon I'm about an early/average intermediate skier. I've had lessons in the past and can ski Blues and Reds fine at my reasonably average pace. I'm happy on these types of slope all day but what fills me with dread are the fast and narrow access roads (with compacted snow) that often need negotiating to move from one slope to another slope or to a different ski area.

If I'm on a blue or red I can go at my own pace and if I get tired can stop. On these access roads (is this the right terminology?) they're so narrow I find it tricky to stop without causing an obstruction and I find it almost impossible to slow down without using a snow plough and there isn't enough space for me to happily execute parallel turns to help moderate my speed. If I do I can end up crashing. Worse still is that these roads are often lined to one side with big drops making the thought of crashing even more terrifying.

It could be that the snow-plough is the only way to go but if there is a better way of dealing with these types of situations then I'd really like to hear about it.

A snowHead

Your dread of these narrow tracks won't last. As your skiing improves overall, tracks will become child's play. Skidded turns (with a bit of side slippage) are your friend if you want to slow down. There are probably other ways too. Next time you have a lesson, ask your instructor to show you how to control your speed on these tracks.

If all else fails and you find yourself heading towards the edge with the drop off, throw yourself to the ground – I did that in my first week of skiing, much to the amusement of my group. Very effective Toofy Grin

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@JuJitsoup,
Most people call them cat tracks . I have every sympathy they are not very nice .

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They're not. But I haven't encountered one in ages. there are none in my ski area and I didn't come across one in the Dolomites in February either. If you ski somewhere with too many of them - go somewhere else! Skidded turns - and side-slipping - useful skills though.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@JuJitsoup, I absolutely detest them! I will never find them a 'doddle' as the drop off the side is always intimidating, and as you say, there is always the concern that you are blocking someones elses way! I try my very best to avoid all such runs and if I inadvertently end up on one I end up knackered because I panic and go to default mode which for me is a locked knee snow plough rolling eyes

However most people do manage to develop better technique and cope well! Smile

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I've become immune to them. There are several very long tracks in Chamonix with big drop offs. And one entire piste which is a narrow cat track with a drop off into a gully, plus one home run (2000m descent) that is a cat track with a steep drop off into forest. I think that traversing all over the place off piste has helped me learn to deal with narrow tracks – nothing like hanging off a 40 degree face by your edges to put a track into perspective.

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I always seem to be overcome by the urge to practice my one-legged skiing on cat tracks Puzzled

After all it is free

red 27, I play on tracks, ski up one side, then ski off the edge and back on again. They would be very boring otherwise. Honestly, I used to hate them too but now I can amuse myself on them.

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sev112, ooh, I forgot about that one. So that's two home runs that are very narrow switchback-style cat tracks with extreme drop offs. I was referring to the Brévènt home run.

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@JuJitsoup, I found cat tracks nerve-wracking and tricky when I was at your stage of skiing too. I realised last week that this fear has now evaporated and I no longer have a problem with them, even if they are narrow, busy or icy. As others have suggested, this is all down to mastering short skidded turns to control your speed and keep to a relatively straight line. Maybe ask your instructor for some tips next time you have a lesson?

If all else fails, there is nothing wrong with snow-ploughing other than it is more tiring on you legs. You shouldn't worry about getting in peoples' way as they should give way to you, and if it's that busy they shouldn't be going so fast. If they've got any sense, they'll see that you're a relative beginner and give you plenty of space too. I know that that doesn't stop the idiots though Confused

You won't fall off the edge either. Your natural reflexes will almost certainly cause you to fall backwards onto the track and grind to a halt before you plummet into oblivion!

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All of the above, PLUS there's nothing wrong with snow plough when needs must.

Book an hour or two of private tuition and tell the instructor that you want to learn techniques for this type of slope. I did this on my third week skiing as I was very nervous and scared of the steep narrow slopes, but felt much more confident after that lesson. Yes, some resorts have loads and others don't have many, but occasionally you will encounter this type of slope and you need to know how to deal with it. Doing so will probably improve your confidence generally on steeper slopes as well, as they won't seem as bad.

You know it makes sense.

BTW, JuJitsoup is the best user name. Ever! Very Happy

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Tom Doc wrote - "..there's nothing wrong with snow plough when needs must...."

+1 on this.....

A snowHead

Never a bad idea to practice snowploughs. I was skiing with a very slow and nervous beginner last week. A lot. I spent so long doing slow snowplough turns..... only on blue runs though. Watching those pisteurs bringing a casualty in a sledge down a steep black run - one in front, one acting as a brake. Truly impressive. Those quads! And glutes!!!

A snowHead

@Zero_G, @albob, +1 each!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

And I was practising snowploughs on cross country skis this morning. A very different kettle of fish. Shocked

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@JuJitsoup, No shame in the occasional snowplough Very Happy

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@JuJitsoup, Practice skiing skiddy turns in a narrow corridor (1 piste basher wide) on a long open piste to know you can do it. When on the track you need to stop, maybe time it at a turn on the track where there is some space to the outside. The faster skiers will all be trying to nail the apex so you will be out of the way Wink

Skiing theses with skiddy turns give you good control of speed BUT is quite tiring. As you get more confident and skilled, and on shallow tracks, you can start to practice carving or railing, feet hip width apart, big toe, little toe edges, trying to leave 2 clean tracks. Less energy used as you are not constantly pivoting your skis so less stopping.

I see a lot of skiers traveling this type of terrain in slight plough (on the inside edges, big toe, big toe, of their ski's) which ingrains a stance and makes technical progress harder. Shallow tracks are a great opportunity to practice and ingrain good skills & habits. You'll be drawn into 1 legged skiing on them before you know it Smile

Thanks guys, such great advice and helpful hints. It's reassuring to know that I'm not the only one who's had problems with them. I now feel slightly less terrified knowing there are methods I can learn to help with these tricky cat tracks. We're away over Easter in Montgenevre so I'll be taking all of this on board and seeing if I can make cat tracks places I enjoy rather than fear.

This forum is such a great friendly place, it's a shame it's only electronic and not one big alpine bar where we're all just sat round a warm fire shooting the breeze drinking gluhwein! Very Happy

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Loads of good advice already - snow plough is fine but tiring. Don't rule out an angled side slip either if you need a break - parallel, across the slope at 45 degrees or so, just a little edge pressure so you drift down semi-sideways in a straight line - you don't have to keep turning all the time. Second the advice of practicing short skidded turns in an environment when it doesn't matter if you mess them up. Other thing to remember is that if you are not flying then the consequence of going over the lip are much more likely to be bruised pride than anything serious - I know it doesn't seem like that!

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Why do people call these track cat tracks? Aren't they just tracks?

Isn't cat track short for 'caterpillar track', the thing that goes on the wheels of a big digger?

@jonm, frequently used for access by snow cats aka piste bashers.

Or maybe it's cos that's where the wild cats hang out over night Puzzled

You know it makes sense.

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snowploughing is fine. i do it to take a look over my shoulder and make sure the kids are ok/ keeping up as they don't have my, erm, 'momentum'. i then know that i'll be continuing in a straight line, rather than side-slipping/skidding where it's a lot easier to move off-line when you're looking backwards!

A snowHead

The problem all stems either from the fact you are using speed to turn. This is because you are using your edges. Or that your weight is far forward. Or both. Cat tracks need flat skis and centred weight - effectively side slipping. For the weight thing, go onto a slope, start side slipping and move your weight forward or apply pressure forward. See how you move forward. If you you then angle the hips in to the hill a little you pick up speed. This is where the forward speed is coming from on the cat track. So you are trying to find the reverse - hips away from the hill in your side slip and centre weight (it might feel like weight back to start but if you lift your toes and feel your shins on your boots you will be roughly there), then start pivoting your skis whilst side slipping and you are happily descending in a straight line without picking up speed. Also, you are not using much energy either because you are not having to expend energy slowing yourself down.

When I hit a cat track the first thing I do is consciously think about ensuring my hips are angled away from the hill/turn. And in case any of this sounds patronising, I used to fear narrow tracks and couldn't understand how they were often graded green! You can't learn this from a post, however, practise and ideally take some lessons. Hopefully this gives you a simple picture of how you are trying to move your skis over the snow.

A snowHead

In these days of carved turns and easy-to-carve skis, the running sideslip appears to have passed out of fashion. But it is a tremendous skill to have when confronted by tricky situations such as narrow, intimidating tracks. Very Happy

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snowplough every time

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@LOTA, Not sure if I'm understanding what you are referring to but I would have thought that only works on slopes somewhat steeper than the ones I assumed we were talking about? But I hasten to add that I am no expert!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@CaravanSkier, the running sideslip often works well on steep slopes but you can modify the angle you sideslip at and control the speed of descent on any slope. Certainly worked for me in any number of tricky situations!

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The main difficulty with cat tracks is purely psychological and the more you ski them the more you get used to them. If they are wide enough for a snow cat to pass they are wide enough for your skis to turn if turning there is necessary at all because lot of time these tracks are also fairly flat, so as long as you have control over your skis and it's clear ahead you can just go straight, which also makes you more predictable to whoever might be behind you. If you have to turn the radius of you turn can be smaller than the length of your ski, so nowhere near the sidecut.

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@LOTA, I shall bear that in mind! Very Happy

and I can see that I might actually do that! Very Happy

After all it is free

Snowplough ...dont think of it as a beginners thing or look at it as a technique used by someone who is out of their depth ... its an essential tool ... so use it.

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I'm not sure running side slips are taught any more, they seem to have gone the way of stationary kick turns and reverse side slips a shame because all of these old techniques are still of use, I'm told stationary kick turns are no longer taught because people no longer have enough flex in their legs to be able to do them without injury, or at least the ski schools don't want to run the risk of a legal claim from someone injured doing so, but I have no idea why a running sideslip isn't taught, possibly because these days people take far fewer lessons (many stopping soon after they learn to parallel) which might also explain the number of serious injuries.

A snowplough will work on a narrow track, but it tends to result in the person s turning down the center of the track and is hard on the legs, a running sideslip lets you stay close to the edge of the track allowing faster skiers or those in less control to avoid you bplus it's much easier on the legs and allows you to come to a near instant stop if theres a pile up ahead of you

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How to ski fast and narrow cat tracks (access roads) between slopes?

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