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Bad Bob

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That is STEEP! Just watching how far the sluff slid at each turn was an eye opener. I see spots that steep but a continual grade that long is not around this neighborhood.

Impressive.
 

James

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Wow.
Know where that is exactly? Is it in the Cham Valley?
Those are the type of turns the guide wanted when we skied a couloir in Brevent. One turn, ideally with no energy to it at the end so you come to a stable stop. He expressly didn't want linked turns as it increases the likelyhood of a fall.
 

dbostedo

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I went looking on the maps, and I think found where it is - off of Les Courtes Epaule Ouest. Here's the trace of the approximate line and profile... seems to be between 48 and 52 degrees most of the way :eek: :

upload_2018-4-29_13-56-37.png
 

dbostedo

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James

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Thanks, I did go and find it on googlemaps. Looks like one would take the Les Grand Montets tram and go from there. There's some pretty hairy stuff at the top there as I recall, but most was shrouded in fog at the time.
Though it maybe easier to ski through the Valee Blanche then hike up to the ridge. I did see them skiing past tracks going up.

image.jpeg
image.jpeg

Les Courtes Épaule Ouest
https://goo.gl/maps/BPstbbiQMWS2


About 1:24 it starts to give a view of the ridge.
 
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dbostedo

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^^^
Nice info... here it is on FATMAP too. Although moving around in FATMAP gives you a better sense than these snapshots :

ChamonixSteep.jpg


upload_2018-4-29_15-55-29.png
 

Fuller

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Well as impressive as the skiing is I'm not sure that I would use "beautiful" as an adjective to describe it. If I ever find myself in a situation where I have to come to a complete stop at the end of every turn I would say "over-terrained" might apply better, even if I made it safely down.

But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or sometimes the beer holder).
 

dbostedo

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^^^
Agreed. It just doesn't appeal to me to watch compared to more flowing skiing, as far as beautiful goes. It is an impressive feat. But I don't think I'd call it over-terrained for these guys. I might call it careful skiing, in an area with big consequences if you fall.
 
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Rod9301

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^^^
Agreed. It just doesn't appeal to me to watch compared to more flowing skiing, as far as beautiful goes. It is an impressive feat. But I don't think I'd call it over-terrained for these guys. I might call it careful skiing, in an area with big consequences if you fall.
Exactly, not over terrained.

Beautiful turns though.

This is the only way to do high consequence terrain.

There turns are not easy to make at all.
 

James

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Well as impressive as the skiing is I'm not sure that I would use "beautiful" as an adjective to describe it. If I ever find myself in a situation where I have to come to a complete stop at the end of every turn I would say "over-terrained" might apply better, even if I made it safely down.

But as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (or sometimes the beer holder).
Yes, agree. It's moutaineering skiing. You can't have any flow to it because it's so steep and narrow with serious consequences. If you linked a few turns you'd be doing 40 in no time and then your options are few. Also the last thing one wants to do is impart lots of energy to the snow pack. If it slides and your left with ice and rock you're in trouble. Alaska it is not.

This clip will give a better sense of that type of skiing up close. It's obvious why there's no flow. This terrain can be reached by walking to the Aiguille du Midi lift in town and going up 9,200 ft in two stages. The last has no pylons. When you get to the ridge evryone goes out on you go left instead of right. What makes it even worse is you can see the town way down there most of the time. It's like you're in an airplane, but you're standing on a mt. The shot around 13 sec is what I'm talking about. That's wide angle. Real eyeball view is much worse. Terrifying. I just looked at my feet and kept walking.

 
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LiquidFeet

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Notice the back end of those skis... they have flat tails, like in a race ski.
He even lets himself down backwards with those tails treacherously close to the snow.
Anybody got any idea what this ski anatomy offers him technically on this particular descent?
I'd have thought skis with turned-up tails would have been preferable.

Maybe they help him avoid unwanted travel on those pedal turns???

Screen Shot 2018-04-29 at 5.56.18 PM.png
Screen Shot 2018-04-29 at 5.55.45 PM.png
 
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Rod9301

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Notice the back end of those skis... they have flat tails, like in a race ski.
He even lets himself down backwards with those tails treacherously close to the snow.
Anybody got any idea what this ski anatomy offers him technically on this particular descent?
I'd have thought skis with turned-up tails would have been preferable.

Maybe they help him avoid unwanted travel on those pedal turns???

View attachment 45027 View attachment 45028
You want all the edge on the snow, so a turned up tail will not help.
You also want a fist tail so if you get back, you have a lot of support behind the binding to help you get forward.

In jump turns, more effective edge gives you more for art stability, which is crucial in steep terrain.

You want to stick the jump turn, without any forward movement when you land.
 

James

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I assume he meant flat tail.
That video was like 8 years ago. He likely grew up on skis like that so it's second nature. I wouldn't want much upturn. Maybe taper or rounded. Upturn makes it hard to jam in the snow vertically, plus it's just a waste of length. When you're sideways you want the whole edge to be contributing as Rod9301 said. Then the ski can be shorter.

Andrew McLean has skied all over the globe where there's no lifts.

 
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Tony S

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James's Chamonix clip is cool, but I wish they hadn't tinted the whole movie to match the guy's hat and jacket. :rolleyes:
 

Bad Bob

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What was the movie a few years back with Plake, and a cast of several, about teaching the son of a dead skier to ski the steeps at Cham? It really is good and does an excellent job of teaching the pedal turn. Was it, "Steep"?

If you can find it, watch it.
 

dbostedo

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What was the movie a few years back with Plake, and a cast of several, about teaching the son of a dead skier to ski the steeps at Cham? It really is good and does an excellent job of teaching the pedal turn. Was it, "Steep"?

If you can find it, watch it.

A little Googling shows that it's "The Edge of Never". The trailer is on YouTube :

 

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