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Hardest on-piste trail in the West? - Page 3

post #61 of 141
10/14/05 at 1:10pm
As of today, the hardest on-piste trail is Catwalk/Mambo/Home Run at Loveland, which I guesstimate at about a 8 degree average slope (990 feet in about 1.5 miles). It should hold this honor for at least the next week.
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post #62 of 141
10/14/05 at 1:12pm
: Man, did someone just say "Cowboy Up" on a ski board?
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post #63 of 141
10/14/05 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Powdr
: Man, did someone just say "Cowboy Up" on a ski board?
Yes someone did. It must be a (Nevada) thing. You got the point?
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post #64 of 141
10/14/05 at 1:45pm
Here's a vote for Alta, Dogleg chute.You can't see the dogleg well from this angle, but it's there. The approach can be varied making it harder.I've never actually skied this, just the easy one on the right. Baldy is usually only open in March and April and then only on stable days. But it is patrolled, in bounds, and lift served if you don't count the hike... I'm not sure what on-piste means. They don't groom it real often...
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post #65 of 141
10/14/05 at 4:25pm
Pipeline = nuts

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post #66 of 141
10/14/05 at 5:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrryde
Pipeline = nuts
Even nuttier is the line one guy took down Center Chute last winter. We had an epic season last year - 615" of snowfall. There was so much snow that the usually unskiable Center Chute to looker's left of Pipeline became skiable. There was enough snow that the usually gargantuan exit cliff became a makeable huck of about 20 feet. The line is in red below:

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post #67 of 141
10/14/05 at 8:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by boarderline
Even nuttier is the line one guy took down Center Chute last winter. We had an epic season last year - 615" of snowfall. There was so much snow that the usually unskiable Center Chute to looker's left of Pipeline became skiable. There was enough snow that the usually gargantuan exit cliff became a makeable huck of about 20 feet. The line is in red below:

holy s%%%%.
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post #68 of 141
10/14/05 at 9:20pm
Center Chute = 54 degrees
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post #69 of 141
10/14/05 at 9:50pm
Hey Powdr, if it's not too much trouble, could you work your magic on the West Bowls at Snow Bowl, pretty please?
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post #70 of 141
10/15/05 at 8:07am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by boarderline
Even nuttier is the line one guy took down Center Chute last winter. We had an epic season last year - 615" of snowfall. There was so much snow that the usually unskiable Center Chute to looker's left of Pipeline became skiable. There was enough snow that the usually gargantuan exit cliff became a makeable huck of about 20 feet. The line is in red below:
yeah, HOLY F&^K
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post #71 of 141
10/15/05 at 8:20am
I always thought Pipeline looked fun. How far is the hike? I remember looking at it when I was at Snowbird, but 5 years ago when I was there my endurance skills weren't quite up to par to be able to ski that consistently. The center chute... I would have to question my sanity after I skied that...
Later
GREG
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post #72 of 141
10/15/05 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by volantaddict
Hey Powdr, if it's not too much trouble, could you work your magic on the West Bowls at Snow Bowl, pretty please?
Don't they teach slope calculation from a topo in school these days? Measure, count, divide.
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post #73 of 141
10/15/05 at 4:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Powdr
2) Calculate the steepness from the steepest section (minimum length, say 700')

Any other suggestions?

Powdr
Are you calculating the steepest "average" section over 700 feet (rise/700')?

If so, I agree that Pavi may average 32 degrees at its steepest 700 foot section but for DefJef's info, the steepest section I measured with an inclinometer last season was 42 degrees. Pretty high for Summit County as is the rest of A-Basin.

Now for my own curiosity, what is the "average" steepness for the top 700 feet of Alta's High Rustler and Stone Crusher. FWIW, I measured both trails' steepest top sections at 47 degrees.
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post #74 of 141
10/15/05 at 7:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cornbread
Now for my own curiosity, what is the "average" steepness for the top 700 feet of Alta's High Rustler and Stone Crusher. FWIW, I measured both trails' steepest top sections at 47 degrees.
I'd say that sounds about right.
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post #75 of 141
10/15/05 at 9:10pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harry_Morgan
Don't they teach slope calculation from a topo in school these days? Measure, count, divide.
Actually I'm not in school these days. Unfortunately all my math schooling ended after barely passing first term calculus, 21 years ago. I do remember how to calculate percentage of slope (rise over run) but that is not the same thing as the degree of pitch, which thing is beyond the oatmeal that fills my brain case. Since Powdr has been nice enough to indulge these questions with no apparent feeling of imposition at the asking, I have no problem asking humbly for the answer I don't exactly know how to reach.

You obviously aren't stepping up with anything but condecension, which is of no more value than my ignorance.
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post #76 of 141
10/16/05 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by volantaddict
Actually I'm not in school these days. Unfortunately all my math schooling ended after barely passing first term calculus, 21 years ago. I do remember how to calculate percentage of slope (rise over run) but that is not the same thing as the degree of pitch, which thing is beyond the oatmeal that fills my brain case. Since Powdr has been nice enough to indulge these questions with no apparent feeling of imposition at the asking, I have no problem asking humbly for the answer I don't exactly know how to reach.

You obviously aren't stepping up with anything but condecension, which is of no more value than my ignorance.
If you've got rise divided by run, you've got the tangent of the angle. Just find the angle that has that tangent (tables or inverse tangent sometimes called arctan on a calculator).
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post #77 of 141
10/16/05 at 7:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost
If you've got rise divided by run, you've got the tangent of the angle. Just find the angle that has that tangent (tables or inverse tangent sometimes called arctan on a calculator).
I expect you're trying to be helpful, so thank you, but I haven't got an accurate way of measuring the run (a topo map off the internet doesn't mean I have one I can measure with precision, hence asking someone who has GPS software), and I don't have a calculator with an arctangent function.
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post #78 of 141
10/16/05 at 9:03am
I'm just figuring this out. I couldn't understand Powdr's explanation (I was doing the division upside down, doh!) I've been out of school for a long time.

What I've learned with Ghost's post and my computer's calculator, you use arctan if you have the vert ("rise") and the distance on a map ("run").

If you have the actual length of the slope (hypotenuse) and vert, use inverse sine function. I guess Powdr can get the hypotenuse (slope length) with GPS data.

If you calculate inverse sine of (rise/run) the numbers come out higher than actual slope angle.

Thanks Ghost and Powdr, I still don't remember how trig works but I can calulate slope angles now.
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post #79 of 141
10/16/05 at 11:41am
If you have Google Earth (even the free version), you can pretty easily calculate slope angles. A GIS program is a bit more accurate, because they use more detailed images and you very accurately lay down the run coodinates. Here's how you do it in Google Earth:

1) Find you desired run. In this case Baldy Chutes @ Alta.
2) Tilt/Zoom in until you can get a good view of the run. You can look sideways at the run to see where the steepest section is.
3) Use the Measure Tool, set to Line and click a begining coord and ending coord. Set the length measurement to feet. Make sure you grab at least 700'.
4) Hover the mouse over the top coord. Look down on the bottom of the frame, and it gives you an elevation, in this 10,707'. Do the same on the bottom coord, in this case 10,191'. Subtract to get rise, in this case 516'.
5) Now divide by the measured length, in this case 700.83'.
6) Take the sin inverse to get the slope angle, in this case 47.4 degrees, rounded off to the nearest tenth of degree.



Powdr
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post #80 of 141
10/16/05 at 12:58pm
Waiting for mac version of Google Earth. Really amazing, you can zoom and tilt and measure that. Wow!
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post #81 of 141
10/16/05 at 9:00pm
I just looked at Google Earth, and it requires a broadband connection, which I don't have, and won't be getting, as I'd rather spend the money on skiing. Oh well.
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post #82 of 141
10/17/05 at 3:11am
Yeah, I'm waiting for the dial-up, mac version... This math and computer stuff is harder than Angle Face at Missoula.

The hardest (scariest) I've skied-

Alta Chute 2 at JH (I also skied Gros Ventre and some of the others mentioned in this thread)
Milk Run or Navarone, Solitude
High Rustler, Alta
Silver Fox, Snowbird
Haskell Slide, Big Mt.
Six Bells and under the lift, Park City

I know all these mountains have steeper lines but I can't ski anything. I have excuse of nordic binding, it's not as good for extreme skiing, better suited to rolling terrain. I used fixed heel binding in Alta Chutes.
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post #83 of 141
10/17/05 at 8:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by telerod15
...I know all these mountains have steeper lines but I can't ski anything. I have excuse of nordic binding, it's not as good for extreme skiing, better suited to rolling terrain. I used fixed heel binding in Alta Chutes...
Those are solid lines even with a fixed heel. With Freeheel, they really start to get interesting.
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post #84 of 141
10/17/05 at 8:43am
My post was not intended as condecension. I do think it is unfortunate that map reading is not a common skill.

You can use online topo maps, provided they have a scale.

If you don't have a calculator, use excel.
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post #85 of 141
10/17/05 at 8:45am
Quote:
Originally Posted by volantaddict
Hey Powdr, if it's not too much trouble, could you work your magic on the West Bowls at Snow Bowl, pretty please?
West Bowls @ Snow Bowl = 33.3 Degrees
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post #86 of 141
10/17/05 at 9:01am
Yeah, interesting. They held my interest, with a death grip! It was fun, having survived, but things could have gone horribly wrong. They skied easier than Blue Knob's Extrovert but the risk was much greater. And I wouldn't have got close to those trails if they were icy with ten foot high moguls. East vs. West, different kinds of skiing, different challenges. It's all good, but I like the West best, doesn't everybody?
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post #87 of 141
10/17/05 at 9:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Powdr
West Bowls @ Snow Bowl = 33.3 Degrees
Steeper than anything at Blue Knob!
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post #88 of 141
10/17/05 at 12:40pm
I realize I am a newb to these boards, btw AWSOME board, finally something to supoort my other crack habit.

Now as for this list I have to disagree with a lot of what was mentioned on p1 and p2. Also I like the trend of listing steep runs but as was said steep doesn't mean tough everytime especially if its wide open and predictable; as a mater of my view on this I tend to rule out anythng I could ski easily before i got to college becuase thats when I finally started to understand skiing. SO:

Palli- no, 75 chute is harder, steeper and requires a drop-in in places
Anything anywhere at heavenly- no
Saudin's Coulour- nice and long but not really tough unless you are racing it.
sister chutes at kirkwood- not really palisades are a bigger gut check.

I would nominate:
Sunshine chute at squaw (its on older maps)

Steep, narrow, two manditory drops. rocks trees etc...

As for some of the others I cant speak to those in utah, montana but pipeling looks hairy
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post #89 of 141
10/17/05 at 12:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Powdr
West Bowls @ Snow Bowl = 33.3 Degrees
Sweet, thanks again Powdr. My curiosity is sated.
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post #90 of 141
10/17/05 at 12:51pm
Tetsuma already mentioned Chute 3 at Steamboat. I have not (yet) had the chance to ski many (almost any) of the runs listed above, except the Chutes at Steamboat. How does Steamboat's Chute 3 compare with other lift-served trails listed above? If I can ski Chute 3 could I ski most of the others listed?
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