How steep is steep? Quantifying degrees of steepness

Nick · Apr 8, 2014

An interesting article in the Edmonton Journal:

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2014/04/08/how-steep-is-steep/

45 Degrees: A fall at this angle can really hurt and will involve as much time in the air as in contact with the snow. Half way to vertical, this is where serious skiing begins. Controlled turns are advised. This is where the quick unweighting principles are applied. Keep turning until the skis come all the way across the fall line.

50 Degrees: Standing, you can now touch the slope with an outstretched arm and hand. Turning involves an edge check that kills your speed almost completely, a brief free-fall as you swing your skis in the direction of the fall line and then a shower of white dust as your skis fight to counter this sudden acceleration. Don’t fall.

Click the article for the rest of it!

fbrissette · Apr 8, 2014

Very good description. However, i would add that 'how steep is steep' depends a lot on snow conditions. 40-45 degrees in stable soft snow or powder is a lot of fun and not really dangerous for a decent skier. Same angle on hard stuff is life threatening and not fun at all.

Tin · Apr 8, 2014

Good stuff. I really like areas less than 15' wide with unavoidable features like on Rumble, Goat, etc than super steep and wide open.

skiNEwhere · Apr 8, 2014

fbrissette said:
Same angle on hard stuff is life threatening and not fun at all.

I think a few people on this board can vouch for that :lol:

skiNEwhere · Apr 8, 2014

Isn't eagles nest at squaw like 60 something degrees?

Scruffy · Apr 8, 2014

Tin said:
Good stuff. I really like areas less than 15' wide with unavoidable features like on Rumble, Goat, etc than super steep and wide open.

Ditto!

catsup948 · Apr 8, 2014

Tuckerman Ravine has some places where it's easily 50 degrees. Hardest part was getting up it and getting my skis on. Once my skis were on i felt much safer. Steepest I've skied east or west!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

ss20 · Apr 8, 2014

My degrees of steep:

Home Hill Diamond
Look Before You Leap
On Edge
Over the Edge
Oh Sh!t
I'm (expletive) (expletive) (expletive) Dead

fbrissette · Apr 8, 2014

skiNEwhere said:
Isn't eagles nest at squaw like 60 something degrees?

Tackling a sustained 60-degree slope (and surviving it) is something only a few very select skiers can do. Falling on a sustained 60-degree slope is likely to result in death.

Cannonball · Apr 8, 2014

Beyond measuring? Jeremy Jones in Nepal....

fbrissette · Apr 8, 2014

Looks more vertical than it likely is (telephoto from far away). 50+ degrees, may be pushing 60. I doubt you can get that much snow on anything steeper than 60 degrees.

MadMadWorld · Apr 9, 2014

skiNEwhere said:
I think a few people on this board can vouch for that :lol:

Been there, felt that.

Smellytele · Apr 9, 2014

fbrissette said:
Tackling a sustained 60-degree slope (and surviving it) is something only a few very select skiers can do. Falling on a sustained 60-degree slope is likely to result in death.

Matters with the run out and length of "sustained"

Smellytele · Apr 9, 2014

fbrissette said:
Looks more vertical than it likely is (telephoto from far away). 50+ degrees, may be pushing 60. I doubt you can get that much snow on anything steeper than 60 degrees.

The picture looks like it was squashed in from the sides or stretched top to bottom

Tin · Apr 9, 2014

Aside from trails like Paradise at MRG with its' ledges and Goat and Smugg's Liftline with natural features is there anything really over 40* in the East? A lot of people talk about Ovation, Fiddle, Face Chutes etc. but most are in that 30-35* zone.

MadMadWorld · Apr 9, 2014

Tin said:
Aside from trails like Paradise at MRG with its' ledges and Goat and Smugg's Liftline with natural features is there anything really over 40* in the East? A lot of people talk about Ovation, Fiddle, Face Chutes etc. but most are in that 30-35* zone.

Inbounds? Not sustained for more than 200 or so feet

Puck it · Apr 9, 2014

Smellytele said:
The picture looks like it was squashed in from the sides or stretched top to bottom

Fixed it

MadMadWorld · Apr 9, 2014

Puck it said:
Fixed it
View attachment 12306

Oh wow that looks a lot less steep!

fbrissette · Apr 9, 2014

Smellytele said:
Matters with the run out and length of "sustained"

Anyone can do 60 degree (even head first) if it is a short pitch with a safe runout. Very, very few skiers/boarders can tackle a real 55+ degree slope, with life and death on the line. I'm talking about long sustained slopes requiring several hundred turns. Extreme ski mountaineering on long couloirs with 500m+ of vertical descent. Not talking about the steep but relatively short descents we see in ski movies where they the hit big air and pretty much straightline the maximum pitch.

To use a climbing analogy, I'm talking about free soloing big walls and not about world cup speed climbing.

fbrissette · Apr 9, 2014

Tin said:
Aside from trails like Paradise at MRG with its' ledges and Goat and Smugg's Liftline with natural features is there anything really over 40* in the East? A lot of people talk about Ovation, Fiddle, Face Chutes etc. but most are in that 30-35* zone.

You're correct. This website gives accurate results that matches my own calculations for Jay and Smugg's.

http://www.gondyline.com/angle-of-ski-trails.php

How steep is steep? Quantifying degrees of steepness

Administrator

Well-known member

Active member

Active member

Active member

Active member

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Active member

Active member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Similar threads