Best single thought to get down icy steep red/moderate black please

A snowHead

"I am an aeroplane" works!!!!

We made the mistake of trying 'mauduit' a red run into Meribel (should have guessed why it was so quiet!). Usually when I'm scared there is always someone who whizzes past and makes me feel totally inadequate...not this time. The few people there were obviously felt like us judging by the silent determination on the piste. It was sheet ice from the top of the tree line to the bottom. Anyway, time to try out the advice from pollittcl......I got a few strange looks (including from the family who temporarily disowned me!). But I got down in one peice, without falling, I was shaking like a leaf once I reached the bottom but I made myself link a minimum of 10 turns before I was allowed to stop for a breather and I did it at a respectable pace. I was so pleased with myself snowHead

Thanks pollittcl wink

A snowHead

IIRC "Maduit" in Meribel used to be called "Georges Maduit" and in those days it was classified black. They regraded it when they decided to build alongside it, I believe. Not that had nothing to do with the saleability of places on a red run as opposed to a black one, of course!

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

Wow! now I even feel quite proud of myself - not being one of the black run SAS type skiers...too chicken!

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Love it - I thought I was the only one with an internal conversation of gibberish which kicks in when I hit a harder slope Very Happy

Haven't tried the aeroplane technique, but 'wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee...!' got used on traverses this year, combined with "hello mr slope" as I turned into the fall line, and that went on all the way down the run. Singing is also good for getting a rhythm going. If you're really desperate and have no dignity, I once got down a slope by traversing, then sitting down at egde of piste and rolling over to point my skis the other way, traversing... sitting down... you get the embarrasing scene. Embarassed

but it got me down the slope in one piece, which is the primary aim of skiing (I reckon survival comes before fun and style) l also had a lesson once where the instructor made us side-slip down a slope so that we knew how to do it and could get ourselves out of trouble that way.

But I think all the advice above is good Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Relax, smile, bend your knees, lean forwards and if you feel ice use your edges. But above all BELIEVE. Enjoy the ride.
have fun Very Happy

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pillypie, welcome to snowHeads, good to have another fun lover

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

pillypie, not altogether sure where the ice bit comes in but maybe we're stuck in a rut.............. I'll get me coat...

After all it is free

ise, on hitting ice turn knees into the hill to prevent sliding and loss of control, magic Very Happy

pillypie, ah, we're talking about skiing again I see Embarassed

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Really bend your knees and abrobe the pressure in the bottom half of your turn (much more than normal). It will help you skis bite the snow. If you don't your skis will slide out more.

If all else fails just straightline until you hit nice snow!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

In icy conditions apply one vin chaud to the bottom of your mouth immediately. This procedure is best performed at the bottom of the mountain.

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The reward of beer is always going to get me moving. I tend to practrice ordering the beer I feel I will have deserved when I get to the bottom, so......

"one large bier please, one large bier please, etc"

You only need to ski the next 15m. The rest can wait 'til later. Pole plant and sing.

You know it makes sense.

I remember going down a race course this year and all I had to remember was:

1. do an up and over movement when initiating the turn
2. move the downhill knee downhill to initiate an early edge
3. inclinate then angulate
4. push hard against the outside leg
5. reach outside hand towards the outside

Needless to say it all went wrong and my skis fell off... snowHead

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I had a nasty encounter with Cucumelle at Serre Che once. The snow wasn't just icy, but really loose too, and the instructor was making us do nice, long traverses. All and good, except by the time you had finished skidding out of the last turn, you were almost doing the splits cause of the snow falling away, and you about 2mm from the piste with your body. I blame the crappy skis. Also, the medics that went racing past during our 'descent' didn't really help the confidence levels rolling eyes

You could also try the preferred method of a few in my group last year. Fall at the top and make no effort to stop. This was used with good success on both the race piste and the only black piste at Crest Voland.
Smile

A snowHead

snowy, had a coach last season who gave me a good mind image which fits with your checklist....when going into your next GS turn imagine you're about to shoot through a kids play tube which is facing down the fall-line (the one's you get in kiddies playparks)....it's quite low and you don't want to bump your head going through it. I like these images instead of long lists, cos by turn 2 I've usually forgotten about it anyway...

A snowHead

Snowy, if I tried to remember all of that I'd probably ski into a gate Shock

I found the best thing for me was to just ski, and keep reminding myself 'for God's sake don't lean back!'.

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

i have to say that i tried many of the 'techniques' suggested above while skiing last year - the airplane one was very useful .... but i found that following a skier that was making good shapes down the slopes (or was of good shape) concentrated the mind no end Embarassed

..... i should add that it was my other half that i ended up following for most of the time Little Angel

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Best single thought to get down icy steep red/moderate black please

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