Advanced buttsliding

[Artex]

Hey Jamie, I'll have to take you to Pleasant Mountain in Bridgton! The Firewardens Trail is great for sledding....wicked fast and wicked fun! It's about a 2 1/2 mile run all the way back to the car and if coniditions are favorable you can make it the whole way down with out stopping! It's a hoot of a time!

-MEB

Sweet!!! That sounds great! Let's definitely do that! Awwwwoooooooo!!!!!!

 

[bobandgeri]

EMS sells the Snow Claw and should be having a gear day - 20% off everything - coming up in the next week or two. We could have a slide off some day!

 

[cp2000]

Those mad river rockets sound spiffy. My ? is how good do they do in deep powder. Might be kinda fun to hike the Peabody slopes and have a good slide down

 

[MattC]

With the snowshoes on, I placed one foot in front of the other so the snowshoe in back rested on the tail of the snowshoe in front. I could then sit on the tail of the rear snowshoe and with a little bit of leverage from the winter boot (in front) pull the front of the forward snowshoe back and up as to remove the teeth from the snow. It worked damn near perfect, great control and good speeds, with the pack on... Only problem was standing back up at the end of the run.

Interesting that you sort of improvised a technique there. I don't know if you use poles or not, but they can help a lot w/ standing up as well.

I'm also curious if anyone has worked out a way to use poles to slow down, control themselves, etc. I suppose you could just drag a pole in the snow to control speed. I remember one day in the Catskills last winter (I think it was coming down either Plateau or Sugarloaf), when I was having a blast sliding down until I started going too fast at times. That made me a little nervous, so I stayed on my feet after that. As much I as I love sliding, I didn't like the out-of-control feeling.

Matt

 

[Nadine]

Matt typed: I'm also curious if anyone has worked out a way to use poles to slow down, control themselves, etc. I suppose you could just drag a pole in the snow to control speed.

You can mock self arrest with the carbide tip of your ski pole. By far not the most effective tool for the job, but if it's all ya got... I've executed the technique three times while skiing--err, well, more like sliding down the slope on my back, and it's saved me from kissing trees each time. Roll over on your stomach, get your feet downhill, jettison one pole, hold the remaining pole with both hands at the carbide tip end, and force that metal tip into the snow/ice with all your strength. Hopefully you'll slow down I have a pair of ice axe handles for my ski poles (black diamond whippets), but I've always been afraid to use them while skiing, for fear of landing on top of one and suffering a sucking chest wound. I'm sure they're nowhere near effective as a genuine ice axe, but it's tough to pole plant with an ice axe while you're skiing

Nadine

 

[MattC]

Thanks for that reply Nadine. Good to know you've actually succesfully used that technique. Is that something you've practiced w/ the poles? Or are you already skilled/practiced at "real" self-arrest technique using an ice ax?

Matt

 

[Nadine]

I had no clue what I was doing, but I had to do something
I held on to both poles the first time, and ended up having difficulty getting both hands in position on the pole I was trying to self arrest with. The second pole kept bouncing around and getting stuck where I didn't want it to. The next time went much better, and I wasn't nearly as nervous. I ditched one pole and was able to hang on and apply my strength much more effectively. I did end up spinning around upside down as I was sliding down the icy slope (hit a big mound of snow--probably a buried rock), but I eventually got my body back in position and everything went smooth. By the time the third time rolled around I was a seasoned pro I impressed my friends and the ski patrol

I've never self arrested with a proper ice axe. I'd like to learn the technique though.

 

[Head]

Those mad river rockets sound spiffy. My ? is how good do they do in deep powder. Might be kinda fun to hike the Peabody slopes and have a good slide down

The MRR does great in the powder around here (NE) They carve on a dime (well, the sledder does the carving so it's up the the sledders skill level ) I've had mine for a couple of years and I'd never go back! (I'm not a sales rep either...seriously ) If you have knee problems, they might be a problem (considering all of the riding is done on the knees) but other than that they are the bomb!

 

[Mark]

You can mock self arrest with the carbide tip of your ski pole. By far not the most effective tool for the job, but if it's all ya got...

If I don't have an ice axe with me and I find a long butt slide run, I will collapse my hiking poles down all the way and hold them both in one hand. I grab the poles near the bottom with the other hand and use them to slow down or even steer a little. Grabbing them near the bottom reduces the chance of snapping off the bottom section of the poles.

Disclaimer: This does not replace an ice axe and shouldn't be tried in icy, fast conditions. Or in conditions where you could get hurt. In fact, just forget I said anything!

 

[Mike P.]

Nadine;

you can see the ice axe technique in Freedom of the Hills.

BTW it's pretty similar to what you are doing with the pole with the exception that you want the axe head outside of your body (outside the shoulders as opposed to bewteen them) so the other less pointy but still sharp end sticking up doesn't injury your face, eyes mouth, etc,

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

Good points here (no pun). A friend and I were butt-sliding down from Sawteeth (ADK's) last March - we were enjoying a long slide with a couple of blind turns - when he encountered a pair of ascending hikers. Since my friend was ahead of me, I don't know their initial reaction, but they were pleasant to me as I flew by. That was the first time I've passed other hikers while glissading, but it made me wonder how others view a descending slider - it does seem to smooth out the trail. As long as the sliders can stop, or the folks on their way up have time to avoid those who are sliding past, it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[blacklab2020]

Most of the people I have encountered on the descent either smiled or laughed as I went by. I can imagine it is very possible that they will probably be doing the same on the way down.

~J

 

[Nadine]

Mike P typed:

you can see the ice axe technique in Freedom of the Hills.

I really need to order a copy of this book. I've heard it mentioned in other ski/climbing groups quite frequently.

BTW it's pretty similar to what you are doing with the pole with the exception that you want the axe head outside of your body (outside the shoulders as opposed to bewteen them) so the other less pointy but still sharp end sticking up doesn't injury your face, eyes mouth, etc

As I recall from GO's vocal advice on the Katahdin trip last winter, there's a proper hand position for holding the ice axe as you move along. I need a refresher course Keeping the axe head outside of your body, and not impaling your face as you slide down the slope, seems like sound advice

Nadine

 

[Lawn Sale]

To practice your self arrests, get a tyvek painters or insulators suit and find a small hill. You won't have a clothing friction to deal with and can easily perfect your technique, just make sure the hill isn't too big!