planning ahead

[robbbd]

I've read alot of comparisons between steepness of trails. But what if you do loose it? Falling isn't too bad if theres lots of snow below you, but rocks make for a rough slide. Anyone want to compare the level of danger between trails if you do happen to fall? I'm thinking new ski clothing may be a good idea. Possibly something from Road Warrior with lots of spikes might help....and body armor.

Also, since skiing tucks I've read about cranking your bindings up..... after popping a binding off for no good reason. how much should I crank my bindings up when skiing at Tucks?

[DMC]

first of all - DONT LOOSE IT!!!
but if you do...

If your a snowboarder and you start to slide... get that board downhill and pull it under you..
You got a chance to get back up... When I see a rider fall - I scream "GET UP!!GET UP!!GET UP!!" Most outta control slides I've seen are when people are trying to control speed by scraping on the heelside edge.. If you feel you can't control yourself on the heel then TURN - get on the toeside.. When it's that steep you got no chance of butsliding and using edges to stop..

If you a skier - and you lose your skis... Try and get your hands down low on your poles by the baskets. And use the poles to stab the snow..

I seen way too many skiers slide from the top of the headwall to the lunchrocks like they were on a water slide or something...

It really depends on the time of year. Like someone said - later in May you slide right into rock...

The bowl area is bad for sliding... Left Gully and Hillmans - you got a chance to stop cause of bumps... The worst slides I've ever seen have been out of the Chute...

[loafnut]

well, falling is not an option for most of tucks, but if you have a clear line to the bottom of hte ravine you probably wont get hurt. Its when there are rocks/cliffs below you that you get in trouble. id say a fall in the bowl below the headwall wouldnt be too bad
a fall in the chute may or may not be bad, right gully has lunch rocks below it but its not that steep....
id crank the bindings up, this time of year slushy heavy snow can pull them off. put them to 3+ (ski area jargon) or near the top of your din setting. I have mine at 10 out of 12 din

[TheOctopus]

If you lose it: This time of year, most of the runs will have clean run-outs. Know how to take a fall (avoiding cart-wheeling) and how to self-arrest, and you should be fine. Several runs do not have clean run outs at any time of the year -- Sluice and Right Gully are the most likely candidates you'd encounter, but as someone above rightly points out, they're not all that steep, relatively speeking, and you ought to be able to arrest a fall. That said, if it's an icy hardpack kind of day, they're plenty steep enough to send you into Lunch Rocks at an uncomfortable, bone-breaking speed. Of course, if you're venturing above the headwall area this late in the season, that stuff is totally no-fall terrain; same goes for upper Chute and the Left Gully headwall (the skier's left variation of which runs out directly into a rock wall).

DIN settings: I'll take the minority view here and tell you that I don't move my DIN settings at all for Tucks. Admittedly it's set high to begin with, but I like to be conservative. I don't ski above my ability level, I always have a Plan B ("What happens to me if I fall here?") in mind when I'm skiing, and I know how to arrest a fall. I guess I'm afraid that moving the DIN would give me some false courage which might ultimately get me into trouble. And I also highly value my knees....