Women's Input On Side Hilling

[skidoochic]

I just found this forum, and it's wonderful seeing things like this just for women! My husband and the guys I ride with always answer "just give it more throttle". Problem is, when I actually listen to them, I end up shooting down a mountain alot faster I think we as women tend to think things out a bit more than the guys do...

Great advice on sidehilling - we're going up Sunday (with a foot of fresh snow) and I'm definitely trying some of these out!

 

[live2ride]

Welcome Skidoochic!!! Have fun and be safe!!

 

[Taminator]

I just found this forum, and it's wonderful seeing things like this just for women! My husband and the guys I ride with always answer "just give it more throttle". Problem is, when I actually listen to them, I end up shooting down a mountain alot faster I think we as women tend to think things out a bit more than the guys do...

Great advice on sidehilling - we're going up Sunday (with a foot of fresh snow) and I'm definitely trying some of these out!

Glad you're here! I find it great getting input from the gals! I love my guy riding buddies, they are the best and are teaching me well. But knowing other women have some of the same struggles and seeing how they overcome them helps me use the input from the guys better and helps my confidence knowing others are out there doing it too!
Woman specific input on gear, mods and equipment...priceless.

Hope your sidehilling practice went well!!

ps...check out the Ladies Ride forum...you'll like that too! http://ladiesride.websitetoolbox.com/

 

[Wyodragonlady700]

Ladies,

As a recent masterer of basic sidehilling and a husband of 20+ years (I schprecken der wimminish) may I add a couple things?

If your area has any long, even slopes where you can line yourself up in the direction of the valley, try practicing there first. This allows you to ease into the hill and pull a long sidehill without having to climb too high on the slope. IF you do wipe out practicing you're not yardsaling your sled down the mountain. U-shaped glacial valleys are perfect for this (assuming the avy danger is low)

You can practice in both directions until you build some confidence then you can move onto turning out of short climbing runs into sidehills. From there you move to turning back uphill and reversing directions.

By the way, the physics behind why countersteering works is about balance and inertia. A sled is inherantly unstable in a turn because it only has 3 points of contact--the track and ski's. We all know instinctively to lean into turns so we don't flip over the high side. This is great advice. I was never told that.

In a sidehill we are using that instability to counteract gravity. By turning the skis out and leaning we are forceing the sled to tip into the hill. When we do it just right our lean equals the downhill pull of gravity and we crab across the hill in a straight line. Taminator's pics two posts up are a perfect example of this in action. So, where does the "dirty leg out" come in doing this? That is what I have been told to call it. I am somewhat uncomfortable putting my left foot foreward, with my hanging out right leg on the right side of my sled. How do I over come this? And, how do I switch back to the correct foot on the correct side?

Practicing figure 8s in the meadows is great practice and doesn't hurt if you make a mistake.

Also, generally speaking, if you are right handed you will have an easier time mastering sidehilling on your left side first.

Thank you for your information. I am going out this weekend and will try what you said. Have fun, stay safe!!

 

[RX1MountainMan]

Schooled

uhm...uhm...uhhhh..nope not gonna say it............

While I have been riding for about 25 years, my wife has been riding for about 10 now, she is a very good rider and claims she got that way by following me. (Not trying to toot my own horn). When we would go out a lot of times she was the only woman in the group and still is most of the time. I have a tendency to be riding along and...ooh untracked snow... take a little detour, not thinking about the fact that she was going to follow me no matter what, so by pushing her comfort level she has gained experience. I would try to explain some of my techniques, but after years of riding you tend to not think about doing it you just do it, so either it gets hard to explain, or lots of pieces get lost in the translation. We recently got a copy of Bret Rasmussen's video SCHOOLED and after the first time we watched it we were both like "holy crap!", but then watched it a few more times and this past weekend found a good open sidehill to try out the new techniques on. WOW! We both did alright a sidehilling our own way, but when you try some of these it makes it a whole lot easier and more graceful. Give it a try!

 

[Puddy Tat]

Oh gee! I went into a tree yesterday! 10 feet each side of it, all i needed to do was lift a ski, lay it over to get around it BUT NO! Insteed, I looked at it and instantly hestitated and with the momentum I had built up - it sent me right into the bugger! LOL So yeah, dont look at the trees!

Good thing to bring up Scott! I ALWAYS chop my bars on my dirt bike - definitely makes it easier for me to handle but I have not done this on my sled yet - I am going to ponder this some more though because area that I always screw my self in is when I stop pointed across a hill on top of the snow (no track dug in) and then my downhill ski on the throttle side ends up lower and I cannot for the life of me, reach that throttle on the opposite side AND weight the break side of my sled at the same time! Embarrassed to say that I've had to have those boys get things back up on edge for me - all they do is hop on, grab that throttle, dig the track in and it lays over on the break side. I have to be very concientious of how I stop on hill with my throttle side on the down hill!!!!! So I wonder if narrower bars would help me out?

I to have that very problem, I cant reach the throttle on the on the opposite side, maybe that would be a great idea to make my bars shorter???? I would like to know if it really does help or not?

 

[VicsActionShots.com]

Thanks for the great advice

I too sometimes struggle with side hilling so I read all your comments and advice. This year Jeff and I went to the Snowies and Grand Mesa, both known for Powder. I can now say I feel very comfortable Side Hilling, Counter Steering and Carving! Thanks Ladies!
Vickie Saewert
Indiana.