How do you handle skiing on ICE?

Besides that advice, I dont handle skiing on ice really. I just pray...... lol lol !

Tropicana,

Yes praying is one way to "handle ice"!

But then try this!

Think of skiing on ice like marriage ! It helped me in the early days of both contexts!

In both you;
-avoid the falls
-wonder ,,not if it will come but when
-wonder if he/she will be there for you when,,,
-wonder when it will show up
-wonder how cold it will be ( the ice)
-wonder how long it will be ( that ice patch)
-wonder if it will be rough, tough or just fast slippery event
- ( if you are male) tend to avoid till last second
- ( if female) feel your head turning, feel faint and want to hug someone (hard)
- (if male) brag about how good you are ( getting over that event) to all your buddies

Finally Tropicana,,,just think the "excitement" that ice gave you ! Is that not why you are skiing?

There is a high correlation between how you handle ICE and your marriage ! Look at Dave Mac married all these years! He can take the stress !

I am still married after 50 years ( it was the time they allowed you to marry at 12 ) and look how ice prepared me for my marriage!

Learned to look ahead for those stressful moments
Learned to hold breath, not say anything while on ice
Learned (after a few years) that the wife and ice are always right !
Learned to relax when ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ( you can fill in space)

Hope this helps you Tropicana.
Call me up after 20 years of marriage and skiing!

Pavel

Sorry Dave Mac,,,

Received several emails about Dave Mac's marriage record!

Seems some people know him better than me!

Can he confirmed that he is married to same women for at least 60 years?

REspectfully,
Pavel

You are joshing me, Pav. We celebrated 39 years of skiing bliss in June past, some four years after I committed to sharing my engineering life with skiing and painting. Then skiing became dominant.
How did that happen?

Dave Mac.
"Just" 39 years of bliss ! How do you do it? Please accept my apologies for "estimating" your years of bliss!

Skiing does seem to crawl in ,,ever so quietly into marriage,,especially when you ski ice!

My point is; like in a marriage,,when you hit a hard, slippery "section",,the action o take is to not give up, not throw away skis or wife but to find a better way to reach goal!
Of course try to avoid that same patch

YES,, as many have noted,,it is also a "mind game"! An attitude which generates stiff, hard skiing so when you see ICE,,slow down before ice, relax ( seems silly at first), DO NOT TURN ON ICE, pass ice then turn softly! Smile ! Take a deep breath! You have done it !

Yes a mind game!

I forgot to "share" the most important hint on how to deal with ice !

That is how to spot it ! Pretend you are on the Titanic. The first thing you must do is SPOT the iceberg,,,,,then do evasive action !!!

Ice does not "just happen" !

It appears in specific spots due to;
heavy skier traffic
sharp turns (such as in narrow trails)
poor grooming
recent rain/freeze
focussed "stop" zones ,,usually at bottom of runs ( such as near lift lines).

Learn to observe the terrain.
If you see lots of blood,,,,,,assume this is a danger zone.
If you hear lots of crying, wailing,,,assume this is a danger zone
If you see skiers following each other like sheep,,,assume ice is coming
If you see lots of broken branches or fences broken,,,,assume many skiers have been touched!

Seriously, learn to find the signs which indicate ice is coming!

The narrowing trail
The skier's tracks getting more compressed
The sloe getting steeper,,,,,then steepest
90% of time if there is a crest, a lip, a dip with steeper terrain there will be ice in the coming 5 meters. Skiers panic when it gets steeper,,jam on edges, slide out of control creating a skid zone = ice !

If you see several skiers stopped and all looking around like turkeys to the left,,then to the right,,again to the left ! ICE is coming just over the lip!
Most skiers fly down the easy parts of the slope near base ( since everyone is watching),,,then at last second jam on edges to get to lift line = ice!

On a sharp turn or cut off,,,skiers panic and skid at the CENTER of the slope thus ice forms just after hard turn. Stay to edges where most skiers are afraid to go. Soft snow there.

Many beginner skiers have heard about this famous 'hockey" stop technique. They practice it for hours creating ,,,yes ice ! So on easy terrain be careful near posts, towers, poles, signs! That is where this "hockey" stop is practiced!

In short,,learn to read the terrain. Learn to note the signs of coming icebergs and if you can do not forget the spy glasses the instrument that help you see far far away icebergs!

Too bad the look out on the Titanic did not have his!

Without being too controversial to our less gifted friends, (Tino excepted), what about those boarders who make a turn, sideslip ten feet, think about making a second turn, and then sideslip another ten feet.

All good conditions for ice-making........

Dave Mac,
As always you are right. I did forget this "technique" in making ice !

I must confess that I also had a board,,,but it was a "hard board" with hard boots so I did SL type carving turns! Due to knees tune ups I had to sell it!

You are correct ,,,90% of soft boards are more interested in; take off zones, spins, stunts. That is called "sliding",,,,,Then there are some like Tony that soar ! He is a rare bird!

Boards are great plows to get snow off slopes!

Thanks for correction.

Pavel