Steeps & Groomers

I've come across these two terms a lot on this newsgroup. Mostly they
seem to be used by Americans. Could someone explain what they are? At a
guess, I think groomers are just what I'd call pistes but I don't know
about steeps. Maybe a steep is a coulior or something.

Octes

On Sat, 04 Feb 2006 13:33:51 +0100, Octessence
wrote:

I've come across these two terms a lot on this newsgroup. Mostly they
seem to be used by Americans. Could someone explain what they are? At a
guess, I think groomers are just what I'd call pistes but I don't know
about steeps. Maybe a steep is a coulior or something.

As a fellow right-pondian, I've had to work out translations too, but
I've boarded a bit on the west coast, which might have helped.

"Groomers" are what we call pistes in europe, but more than that. The
usual north american word for a marked run is "trail"; a "groomer" is,
I think, a well prepared, nicely groomed, not too steep, trail. A
typical wide european blue run, in other words.

"Steeps" is just anything that's steep, I think.

I await correction from the Americans and Canadians :-)
--
Champ

American, been skiing since '60's, snowboarding since '90's....
Steeps are anything that challenges a boarder/skier to make it down
with style and grace.
It can be intermediate runs for a beginner rider, or a air dropping
chute/coloir for an advanced rider.
Personally, anything that requires a jump turn, where the board is
actually redirected in the air, not in contact with the snow, is a
steep slope.
Anything which can be ridden with the board sliding/skidding, or
carved, is an intermediate slope.

"LeeD" ) writes:
Steeps are anything that challenges a boarder/skier to make it down
with style and grace.
It can be intermediate runs for a beginner rider, or a air dropping
chute/coloir for an advanced rider.
Personally, anything that requires a jump turn, where the board is
actually redirected in the air, not in contact with the snow, is a
steep slope.
Anything which can be ridden with the board sliding/skidding, or
carved, is an intermediate slope.


So when are you going to tell all the slalom/GS snowboard racers and
alpinesnowboard carvers who rip up the slopes that they are *only* doing
it on intermediate slopes?

Just because you can't do it doesn't mean there are others who can carve
down the black runs.

Steve.

First couple years snowboarding, I regularly rode with MikeJacoby,
MarkBassett, and a few other's of the Hot snowboard team.
Knew the Hot rep, and was a platebinding/raceboard rider. They were
nice to potential racers, and one of our fellow employees, raced for
the Summit (Colorado) team.
The practice courses were all blue groomies, at Donner the run
heading N from Chair3, at Alpine off LakeviewChair, and at Heavenly in
the Nevada side.
A beginner can make it down, thos not gracefully, and even for
skiers, basically intermediate slopes, similar to ShirleyLake at Squaw,
or 2 at Kirkwood.
All intermediate slopes.
Steve, you should consider what the pitch is of the racer's slopes,
before saying too many uninformed things.
And in the skiing days, I rode the OlympicDownhil Course off
Siberia...another barely advanced intermediate slope. OlyLady was
expert, but only when moguled out....as groomed, pretty easy semi
steeps.

"LeeD" ) writes:
First couple years snowboarding, I regularly rode with MikeJacoby,
MarkBassett, and a few other's of the Hot snowboard team.
Knew the Hot rep, and was a platebinding/raceboard rider. They were
nice to potential racers, and one of our fellow employees, raced for
the Summit (Colorado) team.

How many race courses get set up on Blue runs ? I've yet to see one.
How many intermediate to advanced carvers don't or can't go down blacks?

I'm barely what you could consider an intermediate plate rider and I was
having a blast on the black runs at Buttermilk last winter.


Steve, you should consider what the pitch is of the racer's slopes,
before saying too many uninformed things.


I've watched races in person on Black runs and carve down blacks on
occasion myself even though I'm still learning. Its not that difficult if
you can complete the turns.

Steve.

I tried mentioning a few of the runs we practiced on, roped off by
the ski patrol, staked for turns, and only the racers allowed to run
thru.
I don't know where you are from, Steve, but I do my riding in Tahoe.
3rd year snowboarding, first on softies, easily rode ScottsChute at
Alpine, did Chute75 Squaw, and most anything (well, I was younger then
too).
Don't need any flak about my riding skills.
But riding with my plate racer buds, a simple run like Sierra's
Backside is plenty steep enough, for carving, not skidding.
I assume you have never ridden any real steeps, because you don't
understand what I mean by air turns and jump turns. When it's in the
extreme range, NO one can carve their turns, they'd get too much speed,
and most have to do aggressive jump pivot turns so they don't head down
the hill, the hill being too steep to point and go....or point for even
two seconds and control.
Once you start riding some steeper stuff, you'll understand.

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 03:23:26 GMT, "LeeD" allegedly
wrote:

Don't need any flak about my riding skills.

Can't take it eh?

Once you start riding some steeper stuff, you'll understand.

Ah, but willing to dish it out. It's all becoming clear.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow -
Securing your e-mail

The Snowboard FAQ lives here - http://rssFAQ.org/

LeeD wrote:
Don't need any flak about my riding skills.

I'm starting to suspect you don't have any. You talk (and you talk a
lot) like someone who's had snowboarding carefully described to them,
but never done it themselves.

Nei

"LeeD" ) writes:
Once you start riding some steeper stuff, you'll understand.

Comments are related to your incorrect definition as to the type of riding that is done on steeps (no
carving based on what you wrote).

I take out the freeride gear for the realy nasty stuff but carving on
blacks (which I would assume by definition would fall into anyone's
classification of steep?) is possible and can be downright fun. Which is
contrary to your comment about suggesting that carving is only done on
Blue or green runs.

So one more time, do you still believe that people don't/can't carve down
a steep run ?
Steve.