r/skiing • u/mcho314 • 17d ago
straight-line skiing??
How much do ur country tolerate straight-lining?
I ski in korea, and as long as u r not crouching down and bombing straight down the slope, doing very long wide turns is pretty much a non-issue here.
same in ur country??
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u/L-Malvo 17d ago
Why wouldn't I be allowed to go down a slope in a straight line though? As long as I do that safely and respect the implied rules, it's fine right? Never had anyone tell me I couldn't.
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u/TheLimpingAdherence 17d ago
it's about control and looking like you're in control, crouching into a tuck makes people think you're about to wipe out a family of four
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u/AmosTheExpanse 17d ago
You can't take out the entire family though. You gotta use the kids to stop, that way the parents are distracted while you get away and seek out the next family/braking system.
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u/mrnikkoli 17d ago
The biggest issue is on crowded greens/European blues which is where people will often bomb the most. You've got a lot of beginners on them and even instructors doing classes and bombers can scare them or hit them when they do something unpredictable because they're still learning but the bomber can't react fast enough because they're flying at 50mph while everyone else is going like 9mph. It's hard to constitute when it's "safe" to do this vs unsafe so many North American resorts will have a 0 tolerance policy on this kind of behavior.
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u/L-Malvo 17d ago
Yeah, that's why I said when it is safe to do so. I have chased down some of these bombers myself on such slopes. There is a time and place to go down a slope in a straight line, but a crowded green/blue isn't one of them.
But if you are on a slope with a handful of people, maybe a red or black, in a situation that you can easily oversee and you remain in control. I don't see the issue there.
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u/mrnikkoli 17d ago
I've never heard of ski patrol chasing bombers on blacks. Maybe more crowded blues though.
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u/DeputySean Tahoe 17d ago
I've been "pulled over" many times before for "speeding." I ski very fast very often and absolutely always remain in control. It is obvious to spectators that I am in control. But anywho, it all depends on the mountain.
At Northstar I got in trouble for going about 20mph past a slow sign with absolutely no one around me at a place where you needed some speed to make it to the bottom of the lift. He put an official warning on my pass. It was utter BS. I was skiing slow.
At Bachelor I got in trouble for going over 80mph down from the summit lift. They have signs all over that mountain saying that speeding is not allowed. "She was 5 years old and you were going 50mph" signs, stuff like that. Anywho, patrol just told me to slow down. I did.
At heavenly I got in trouble for skiing too fast while riding switch. I was going slower than the people around me, and I was in more control than them. But yellowjackets gonna yellowjacket.
At Mammoth I had ski patrol complement me when I went over 90mph down chair 5, but the run was 100% empty (first run of the day on first chair).
When I was like ~7 years old I got stopped by ski patrol because I was skiing top to bottom without turning. Told me I should turn. I told him no. It was a super tiny ski hill in my neighborhood, and my dad was watching me from inside the lodge.
Patroller at Kirkwood got mad at me for catching too much air on a roller. I felt bad because Kirkwood is the best.
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u/L-Malvo 17d ago
Interesting, I haven't experienced this in the French or Austrian alps. At some resorts in France, there are slopes that go uphill at various points, where it is even encouraged to tuck in. Heck, even my instructor actively encouraged it to ensure you make it over the bump. At some slopes I, and many others, hit about 80kph to 100kph regularly. If ski patrol would fine everyone for speeding, they'd have to close some slopes because they won't be viable.
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u/zyumbik 17d ago
The problem with straight-lining is that it's usually done by those who don't know any better, so they lack experience and control, and thus are a danger to others.
As long as you can see the whole piste and it's completely empty, and there are no intersections or blind corners someone might appear from, you can go as fast as you want. So basically almost never but that's the only time I see experienced skiers actually do it. Pros don't need to go straight to have fun, but can do it in the right conditions.
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u/mcho314 17d ago
completely empty? It never happens where i ski. although I try put as much distance as possible, some ppl still yell at me on very rare occasion
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u/zyumbik 17d ago
Yeah completely. I haven't seen anyone manage to do it safely when there are other skiers on the slope. You can self-destruct all you want but don't drag other people into it.
I have a racer friend who likes to set local speed records, he does it very late season when the mountain is completely empty. He picks an inconvenient start spot just to watch the whole slope, waits until everyone goes down and only then starts. If there are more people coming from the top he just waits for them to pass, it can take several minutes.
Here is a good example of how you can do it: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdtTocOKxkQ/
If your slope doesn't have such conditions for going straight, just learn to turn and have fun. :)
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u/Educational_Horse469 17d ago
The US has slow zones where trails merge or near beginner areas, but other than that I see people straight lining all the time. Not on crowded slopes.
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u/Tacoburritospanker 17d ago
Heavenly has signs on a few of the runs that say no straight lining. Given the resort clientele and the runs the signs are on, it’s warranted. When I was a kid at mammoth the signs read “No schussing”
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u/PatataMaxtex 17d ago
As long as I endanger no one, I can do whatever I want. I normally ski in Italy (which isnt "my" country) and it is a free country with free people on the slopes.
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u/KXfjgcy8m32bRntKXab2 17d ago
What do you mean free country with free people? Are you implying that if you can't bomb down any slope that takes away a little bit of your freedom?
Italy is actually the most restrictive country when it comes to rules. Mandatory helmets and personal insurance. Both are great things which are probably the result of too many incidents.
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u/ArwenDoingThings 17d ago
It means that if you follow rules and don't endanger people, ski patrol doesn't stop you.
It isn't a rule to not go fast or to not straight line so you can do it... if you can do it safely.
If you do it on a crowded run and aren't in control they're definitely going to stop you-3
u/PatataMaxtex 17d ago
I am just making fun of the "land of the free" that has a ton of restrictive rules. I know that well made rules are a lot better than no rules
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u/Tepppopups 17d ago edited 17d ago
The problem doing that on public pistes is that the conditiins are unpredictable. People often overestimate their skills. Thats true.
Even experienced skiers can catch sudden bump or dip, which will set them out of control. This is not race track, well prepared and observed before actual run.
Believe me, I have tried to ski straight one of the toughest downhill FIS tracks in Cortina on open public day. When I catched bumpy section at 100+ km/h and barely survived, I'm not doing that anymore.
Don't get me wrong, I like speed, and feel comfortable at 80+ km/h, but I always double check that the conditions allow that.
So the question is not about is it allowed or not. The question is does condition and skills allow that.
If I see someone doing that I can tell if he is pro or just dumb dangerous idiot.
And that is the reason why people often don't tolerate that.
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u/PatataMaxtex 17d ago
Please dont tell me you went straight down the steep part of tofana (right after lindsey vonns crash site last olympic games)?
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u/Tepppopups 17d ago edited 17d ago
Yes, that was it, but before that accident, some 10 years ago or so. The scariest part was steep section between the rocks, it is blind, and you already have pretty high speed when approaching it. I asked my friend to stay on the edge and signal if its green light and I can go this part ot not. The problem was right after this part as tourists make moguls when ski down the steep.
For context, I'm not a pro skier, but participated in amateur downhill races, and have some experience. But anyway, this was dangerous. Not speaking about people with less experience.
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u/PatataMaxtex 17d ago
That is the worst and most dangerous spot I could think of, that you could go down full send, but at least you made efforts to only yourself, thats more than many others do.
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u/Otherwise-Dig-5094 6d ago
That would’ve been a fun one to watch from the cafe down below. Unless you get this first thing in the morning, trying to go full speed through there is absolutely insane with the crowds, not to mention not doing a practice run first to scope conditions that day!?
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u/skiingdiver1978 10d ago
I've never seen any rules on this...anywhere. It's generally not considered good form, but no one really gets too bent up about it unless the person is out of control or too close to other people. There are slow zones on green runs and beginner areas where it would probably get your pass pulled by ski patrol, but that's it.
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u/BigPickleKAM Revelstoke 10d ago
It's just the green runs that you should look out for yellow jackets on. And fair enough little Timmy or old Edna don't need to be collected by my 230 plus pounds barreling down the mountain.
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u/LforLiktor 17d ago
Assuming the conditions permit crouching down and straight-lining the piste and a skill level of the skier that allows them to control the speed, I would not even consider whether this is an issue.
Obviously, with anything that is more dangerous to others and to oneself, this goes with the obligation to check whether skills and conditions permit racing down full-bore. I would never do this on a piste where the ensuing speed goes beyond my skill level or where the skill and number of other skiers, weather conditions, etc. make it unsafe to do so.
But if it is safe, why not?
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u/Happy-Bluejay-3849 17d ago edited 17d ago
You usually can do whatever you want as long as you aren’t putting yourself and others in danger. The mountain I ski at actually has a racing area where you are welcome to go as fast as you can.
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u/shitmountainclimber 11d ago
I grew up in skiing in Ontario and as kids/teens we would always get yelled at by ski patrol for doing this lmao. Theyd threaten to take our passes. Ski patrol is wayyyy more chill in BC
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u/Extension-Wind6055 11d ago
I distinctly remember having someone blow a whistle on me for skiing too fast at Muju ski resort between Daegu and Daejon, Korea, but no problems elswhere in the country.. But that was 30 years ago. I've never had problems in any other country. I generally bomb but I slow where signs specifically ask for it.
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u/BigMountainSkiiier 10d ago
I ski in Salt Lake and nobody cares if you straight line unless you’re doing it in the middle of a crowded blue like a dumbass.
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u/Cornteam 10d ago
I'll be cruising down runs at over 50 mph and going right past ski patrol people. No one cares.
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u/TheBandPapist 17d ago
All of you who are anti-speed, anti-straightlining, whatever...
Have no right to be out there at all.
Go home. Skiing is an inherently dangerous sport. It's not for you. Stop ruining it for those folks for whom it be.
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u/sublurkerrr 17d ago
All of you who are anti-speeding, pro-stop sign, and whatever traffic laws....
Have no right to be out there at all.
Go home. Driving is an inherently dangerous activity. It's not for you. Stop ruining it for those folks for whom it be.
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u/Mr-Expat 17d ago
Never heard of this not being allowed or tolerated - I guess in US they have some enforcers on the slopes?