 Poster: A snowHead
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What sort of speeds are averaged on most blue/red runs?
Boarders or skiers
This isn't a "how fast have you been?" thread - just that the perception of speed seems to vary greatly & so do the suggested speeds that people say they travel.
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I've always wondered what speed you get up to cruising along. So this year I took my GPS running watch.
I was averaging 35-40 on blues whilst doing long and medium radius carving, and got a 64 mph straightlining the bottom part of the Trolles black into Tignes le Lac.
While the damn thing worked anyway....
Just average lazy turns were 25 plus. I was quite surprised.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| markP wrote: |
and got a 64 mph straightlining the bottom part of the Trolles black into Tignes le Lac.
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64mph! That's mental! We have a speed-trap at the bottom of the Haneggschuss in Wengen (they leave it there after the downhill race) and the best anyone can do after a long steep schuss is about 100kph (62mph). And that's on a roped-off track!
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Hmmm... is the watch broken or the speed trap? 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Seriously?
Can I assume that my GPS isn't very accurate? 
The only form of checking I've been able to do is in the car. It appears to be reasonably accurate. ( i know car speedos aren't exactly calibrated though...)
It's definitely very accurate at running speeds!
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I recon its the speed trap.. the swiss are renowned for their poor time pieces 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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markP, 64 seems about right for that piste.
I just got my GPS in the post so i'll let you know when I find some batteries. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In normal ski clothing, you'll top-out at about 70mph. Like the previous poster, I used a wrist mounted GPS. Bear in mind that this will slightly underestimate your speed because it does not take into account the slope of the hill (ie, you're actually skiing down the hypotenuse of a triangle...oops, sorry, Geek moment!!  ). It shouldn't make a huge difference on most slopes but if you're going for max speed...you'll need a decent gradient.
Altitude helps too; I got 72mph on one of the runs at the top of Cervinia. Admittedly, I was tucking it to see how fast I could go on a pair of 171 slalom skis! It's probably pretty uncommon to get to those speeds without making a special effort.
As stated by the previous poster, cruisy mid-radius turns 25-35mph, gunning it a little takes you up to ~50-55 mph...but you've got to be trying fairly hard (in normal ski clothing) to get much above 60mph. I got 60mph out of the very meagre hill at Canada Olympic park, in Calgary a couple of weeks ago (on aggressive artificial snow)...but again, gradient is the main determinant, especially in normal ski clothing.
Am I qualified to comment? I think so...top speed: 241.5mph (150.1mph), Les Arcs, 2005.
A word of caution...only try to set your records when it's safe to do so, PLEASE!!! That is, if there's any possibility that you might hit someone...or (if you crash) bits of your kit might hit someone...wait for a safe opportunity.
Happy speedin'
Dr. Bullet
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Oh my goodness. I hope you all wear helmets
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telford_mike, essentially the bottom part of the trolles is a "roped" off area with a steep concave slope and a good runout separate from the marmottons area and the nursery slope. Two of our crew straight lined it from the last track bit and I did it a few times from halfway down and I could easily believe that kind of speed. On the other hand I was told that instructors regularly look for a gap in the "traffic" and take little un's in the marmottons area across to the nursery slope. We debated long who would be responsible. The uphill skiier or the instructor.
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You know it makes sense.
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| stevew wrote: |
| .............We debated long who would be responsible. The uphill skiier or the instructor. |
Primarily the uphill skier, IMV.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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If you straight lined from the bottom of the mogulled bit on the Trolles black you would hit 60 mph/ish. Never had the bottle to do it personally
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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telford_mike, There are 2 things that slow a skier down, first friction between the ski and the surface, so longer skis and better wax to go faster and second wind resistance, so clothing and a good aerodynamic shape.
Try Les Arcs. hire a DH suit, Skis, bit of tuition and have a go on the KL. Good controlled area, so you're not going to kill anybody else and it minimises the risk to yourself, when you want to go ballistic.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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telford_mike, maybe you need to take up skydiving.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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did the timed speed run in schalming a few years ago and got up to 75km/h which felt pretty quick to me and it seemed to take an age to slow down at the bottom, how the racers stop in the space they have a the bottom of a race course i'll never know !!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Spyderman wrote: |
telford_mike,
Try Les Arcs. hire a DH suit, Skis, bit of tuition and have a go on the KL. Good controlled area, so you're not going to kill anybody else and it minimises the risk to yourself, when you want to go ballistic. |
Are you serious? i.e. can normal punters actually do this??
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Spikyhedgehog, Glad to see my watch investment wasn't wasted! I thought you'd be able to crack 70 with no Jacket on, but maybe not!
It was always a little too busy and bumpy to straight line from the track. I did it from just above where the slope briefly flattens out.
I'm no fan of walking uphill that's for sure...
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DrBullet is right, been keeping an eye on my speed for a couple of years with a GPS device and can't get much past 60mph - have tried on a variety of slopes. Think most people would be surprised by how fast normal skiing is, just a decent upright (as opposed to tucked) cruise down a wide open red or blue will hit 45+mph if you let the skis run.
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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Spyderman wrote: |
telford_mike,
Try Les Arcs. hire a DH suit, Skis, bit of tuition and have a go on the KL. Good controlled area, so you're not going to kill anybody else and it minimises the risk to yourself, when you want to go ballistic. |
Are you serious? i.e. can normal punters actually do this?? |
It depends what you class as 'normal'. But yes anyone can have a go, it cost's around 8 euro and you get a certificate. which has your speed on it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Folk always think they are going faster than actually are 
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Probably 25-30 mph carving on a wide, open piste. 40 mph if I'm carried away. I've topped out at 56.4 straightlining. Short radius on steeps must be a lot slower and off-piste is almost nothing! 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| telford_mike wrote: |
| Spyderman wrote: |
telford_mike,
Try Les Arcs. hire a DH suit, Skis, bit of tuition and have a go on the KL. Good controlled area, so you're not going to kill anybody else and it minimises the risk to yourself, when you want to go ballistic. |
Are you serious? i.e. can normal punters actually do this?? |
86MPH for me. The top section wasn't open, but that was plenty fast enough believe me. Normal piste skiing, even when in a tuck is nowhere near that fast.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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jeez no wonder i'm scared
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Clocked 91kmh on my GPS on run 7.0 from the top of Zermatt into Cervinia at xmas. Also clocked at 73 km/h coming down from the Glacier there. But then I do have the advantage of gravity on my side 
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You know it makes sense.
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According to a GPS (garmin etrex) my friends 8yr old son topped out at 66kph (I hope it was kph and not mph) in the dolomites over new year. One of our nordic skiers was clocked at 88kph on skinny skis through a speed trap on the downhill section of a sprint race in canada.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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The only time I was measured on a speed gun was when I was 18 using really long skinnies. I topped at 70 mph but that was on a steep, in full tuck, and jacket abandoned.
Honda Kitty, I would say that most people are averaging between 30 and 40 mph on reds and blues.
There will be some faster but the one who are slower are the ones you really have to be cautious of.
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Poster: A snowHead
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The_Hirsty, I would be utterly amazed if most people were averaging anything like that high a speed.
30-40 Kph, perhaps. but not mph.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| DrBullet wrote: |
| I used a wrist mounted GPS. Bear in mind that this will slightly underestimate your speed because it does not take into account the slope of the hill (ie, you're actually skiing down the hypotenuse of a triangle...oops, sorry, Geek moment!! ). |
In a word - incorrect. GPS works in three dimensions (and has an accuracy to within about 6m horizontally and 10m vertically - of course, moving fast will have a slight effect on its accuracy...).
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 22-01-08 13:40; edited 1 time in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
The_Hirsty, I would be utterly amazed if most people were averaging anything like that high a speed.
30-40 Kph, perhaps. but not mph. |
D'oh. That was an intentional error to ensure that you are all paying attention.
Honest.
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Ha ha... this is the UK - lets have the answers in MPH please!!
Thanks for the replies
So what are we saying between 30 & 40 mph? 30mph is kinda what I thought
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Cool = thanks, it was one of those things that when I started thinking about it, I couldn't figure out.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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AxsMan, my SatNav thingy gives similar readings to yours.
Also interesting is lift speeds - ordinary chair approx 7mph, button lift 10-11mph, detachable chair 12mph (all approximate).
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On this slope on Alpe de Suisi in Val Gardena over New Year this year, I clocked approx 94km/hr with my twin tips, only did it once so was getting used to the speed but imagine I could get a few more kms/hr out of it.
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FAQ
). On these I'm probably pushing 80kph (ish).
