What Exactly Is "Fast" - Page 3

This is pretty fast for beer league racing:

On a snowboard, I hit about 65 in the same section of the course. Big snowboard though.

Beginner skier here....

Holy ****, you guys really go 50+ miles/hour downhill?  Has anyone here ever fallen doing that?  It would be like jumping out of a car into snow on the thruway.  

How are half of you not dead?

that hill. that snow. those gates. that body position. no-f'ing way, no chance in hell, I don't care what that gadget says. anyone coroborate or disagree?

film On the Edge (?) has been on locally. good way to see what 70 looks like.

LogicX, don't believe it. I don't. It's internet speed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinecure 

This is pretty fast for beer league racing:

 

 

On a snowboard, I hit about 65 in the same section of the course. Big snowboard though.

Evidently neutrinos are fast -- perhaps the fastest!

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by davluri 

that hill. that snow. those gates. that body position. no-f'ing way, no chance in hell, I don't care what that gadget says. anyone coroborate or disagree?

 

 

I've checked the gun against a car's speedo and it is pretty acurate (w/in 1-2mph). I set up in that position because the skiers were coming directly at me when the speed registered (takes a moment to display - which is why he's now transitioning out of his tuck toward next gate and starting to head off to looker's left). Head-on gives best readings. It is also the last gate of the "steep" section of that course. It looks flat, and compared to other places it is, but that was the fastest part of that course. The gates were set wide (easy) on the steep section. So wide that I was able to carve every single one without skidding/pivoting any turns while riding a 210cm snowboard.

WTF? Why am I arguing with you about this when there's freaking visual evidence right there. Most of the fast skiers were in the mid-60's, this guy and a couple others were the only ones to come close to 70. It is the most fun race of the season. Put on by Sierra League every year at the beginning of March and open to anyone (there's a mandatory training day).

Quote:

Originally Posted by LogicX 

Beginner skier here....

 

Holy ****, you guys really go 50+ miles/hour downhill?  Has anyone here ever fallen doing that?  It would be like jumping out of a car into snow on the thruway.  

 

How are half of you not dead?

first very few if any of us have ever fallen at that speed and hit a solid object. I have fallen at the speed but kinda of like sliding out to first thing, doesnt really hurt.

I have also hit a waterbar going 35 mph that dislocated my shoulder.

If you get a car with quality instruments to drive the course on the same line and compare the bushnell to the speedometer you have a control. otherwise, not. I'm not arguing what the radar gun said (I'm sayin' the guy who calibrated the gun was on beer too) . I can tell speed by looking at the picture, I think. If I'm wrong, egg in my face, so be it. but I'm not seeing it. 

It's exactly the point of the post. what does 69 look like, feel like, need to occur? to me, that ain't it. again: opinion, not claimed fact.

Watched a film last night, the thin line, about racing. a lot of images of 70 and 80mph. fun. fast.

It's the angle of trees and gates to the slope. just for the factor of steepness. what about other visual  markers?

Quote:

Originally Posted by davluri 

that hill. that snow. those gates. that body position. no-f'ing way, no chance in hell, I don't care what that gadget says. anyone coroborate or disagree?

 

film On the Edge (?) has been on locally. good way to see what 70 looks like.

 

LogicX, don't believe it. I don't. It's internet speed.

 

Is that miles or kilometers? Wondering, since it's posted on Biglines, which is Canadian, right? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by davluri 
It's exactly the point of the post. what does 69 look like, feel like

Should be the point of any good post. Perhaps not on this forum, but still.

the accuracy of the device is verified as to within (+ - ) 1-2mph as stated by the irritated Sinecure, who has no idea why he's even arguing the point.

there's a similar account in another sport. Greg says that he doesn't need a lab test to determine that the boys are doping, he can see it in the way they ride.

the film is the thin line referring to the line between control and out of control.

This is what 60+ mph looks like. Course is about .9 miles. Times usually around 55 seconds for the fastest racers, depending on wind and snow conditions. Average speed 58.9 mph. Which means speeds must exceed 58.9 mph for a while, given a standing start.

and from the cockpit on a different day.

Calculating the average speed based on time and distance will give you a clear idea whether the speeds claimed have a chance of being attained.
 

60 mph feels fast. Even on DH skis. Adding the turns makes it more stimulating than doing it without turning. Knowing that a blown turn can send you into the B-net at highway speeds is thrilling. Serious injury is always a possibility.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantunamunch 

0:59-1:00 looked particularly thrilling.

Missing the line in that turn would be thrilling, for sure.
 

Quote:

can you racers go over to the fast thread and offer an opinion on the beer race course speed?

I think its possible with the right conditions. The course looks straighter than the one in my video. sinecure's course has practically no offset and probably is as steep as the hill at Cooper. Plus on a sunny day, you are going to build up a good track with lots of glaze. If you stay in that track, that is going to be fast.

In 2002, prior to the Olympic DH I watched the DH ski testing for many days.  I called the guys pro-tuckers.  They would make run after run on a short 1/4 mileish stretch of an average blue slope & would consistently hit speed in excess of 70 mph, so yes I believe that speed in a beer league DH is quite possible.

JF

It is definitely MPH. It's hard to read, but above the numbers, it says "Speed - MPH". Here's a picture that gives a little better idea of the course. Yes, it has very little offset once you get past the first two gates that you see in the other image.

Course started with a 3 gates on a flat section, then the breakover at the top of the picture, then a flat that started just before where I'm standing, then continued around a turn through another breakover and down to the finish. During the training day, we set up the radar gun at the bottom of that one steep pitch. Starting just above the breakover, we skied straight down (no turns, basically taking the gates backwards) fastest skier friend was able to hit 72 or 73. I got to 68 or 69 on my board.

Yes, 210 is a big snowboard. It is fun to ride, but scary the first time you take it out. As long as it isn't crowded or bumpy, it's a blast.

Here's me on the training day, near the bottom of the course.

And here's a sense of how big the board is. I'm 5'10" and I think the board is not standing totally up straight.

Sinecure's photo looks like the FIS homologated Super G trail (Challenger at Northstar at Tahoe in California) with a SG course that is set with very little offset and good vertical distances.

http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/disciplines/alpineskiing/homologations.html?place=&nat=USA&gender=&homid=1428&type=DET&sector=AL

Northstar At Tahoe. CA (USA)

Homologation     Slope     Disc.     Gender     Start     Finish     Valid until     Inspector

8665/11/07     Challenger     SG     M     2583     2228     07-11-2012     Crane Bruce A.

As others have said, if you enjoy speed and want to feel the rush in a safer environment (closed trail, safety nets, multiple training runs, etc.) you owe it to yourself to try beer league and/or Masters SG or DH.

Via Google search, here are some Tahoe area beer league and Far West Masters racing schedules  http://www.skibac.org/racing/racing_calendar_currentyear.htm

Drinking beer is mandatory after racing is de rigeur.

Rental speed skis are sometimes available from high end tuners. Ask around. I have been known to loan speed skis to people. But only in CO.

Actually, the whole thing is pretty exciting. The first four gates are kind of a freebie, because you're accelerating and there's no real terrain and not much offset between gates. The first bump is on the left hander at the fifth gate and after that...well, it's a pretty good idea to make sure (a) you did a decent inspection/sectioned run and (b) you stick to your plan and don't start inventing Hero Moves you aren't capable of...and, oh yeah, in your finish line duds, you might want to include a change of underwear in case things don't go as planned...

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantunamunch 

0:59-1:00 looked particularly thrilling.

Yes, that's the Sierra League SG on Challenger at N*. Fun times.

You can drink beer during the race if you want. - As far as I know.

You can rent race-prepped skis from Starthaus. But you don't need to. There was a guy on tele doing it one year. And me on my big snowboard. You can run the race on any skis you want AFAIK.  The best part is the training day. You lap the course all day long and just have fun. There are coaches to help you out, but you don't need to listen to them. They had no advice for me since none were snowboarders. They were surprised that I could rail turns the whole way down though.

Sinecure,

One of the course crew at Ski Cooper runs our DH regularly on his carving board. He does pretty well. My helmet is off to him and you.

That's probably Todd/Quigley. He's posted about it over on Bomberonline forums.

Todd is the man.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shoal007 

for me fast is above 40mph.  above 50mph is pretty mach snell.  max i've gone was 58 on a radar gun.

 

cruising between 25-35 is norm.

 

I agree as well with this. Using my Droids GPS my son has hit ~60 MPH and he was really moving, I get nervous above 50, my fastest I have recorded is mid/low 50's (I have a shoulder condition that allows them to dislocate easily, I don't want to loose 2-3 months of work just to top my son) I would say above 40 is fast, 20 or slower is nothing, 30 is a good cruising speed.

Edit *** a number of posts have been questioning the accuracy of GPSs, you need to use a program/app that keeps a graph of the speed over the last 10 minutes or so. That way you can pick out spikes. If you see a smooth climb to top speed then smooth roll off, you can be more sure of the accuracy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sinecure 

This is pretty fast for beer league racing:

 

 

On a snowboard, I hit about 65 in the same section of the course. Big snowboard though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by davluri 

the accuracy of the device is verified as to within (+ - ) 1-2mph as stated by the irritated Sinecure, who has no idea why he's even arguing the point.

 

there's a similar account in another sport. Greg says that he doesn't need a lab test to determine that the boys are doping, he can see it in the way they ride.

 

the film is the thin line referring to the line between control and out of control.

 

 

not trying to rain on anyone's parade, but it's a legitimate concern that we not be perceived as gullible or in-experienced, buying into any and all suppositions posted by any person on any topic.
didn't follow; the proper place for definitions used in skiing would be.....Ohhhhhhh, now I get it (insert dummy icon, duh) I know what it looks like though forgot what it feels like, ha! that little gadget somehow monitors technique and position, though I'd say that guy in the gates is not doing what the instrument says he's doing, on several levels.
edit: to explain motive for doubting everything, especially exaggerations on a topic where exaggeration is the norm, and always exasperating.

I think part of the point here is that sometimes we're going faster than we think we are.

One of the fastest runs I've ever been on is a lonnnnnng blue run at Keystone.  Its not very steep, but long and shallow can really put you in a false sense of safety when you gradually pick up speed, and (sad to say) can be more dangerous because of those you encounter and the false sense of security.