8th Annual Radar Speed Trap Day

**Endlessseason** · 04-12-2010, 11:19 PM

Hey mangs... Didja ever wonder how fast u b skiing some of the times? Menny peeple come to me and they say, "Hey!, I has no idea before now I can ski so fast." Well, enough with the weird pseudo-jamaican accent, mon.

Yes, it can sometimes feel like summer's just around the corner, but, there's a whole lotta skiing left to do yet.

This year, on Wednesday April 21st, you can find out once and for all just how fast you're really flying on that cat track. Or how much of a tuck it takes to break highway speeds with a couple of waxed sticks strapped to your feet.

If you've been out with us before, you know the deal: It doesn't matter what the forecast says, it doesn't matter if you stay up too late the night before and you beg for a reschedule, it doesn't matter if it's fog, ice, snow, rain, hail, a tornado, or scorching hot. The way an event like this keeps rolling year after year is just doing it and having a blast.

See you's Wednesday, April 21st, 2010. On the bird tram plaza, with assemblage between 8:30 and first tram. Speeds vary greatly, depending on snow and air temps. Sometimes top speeds can only be achieved for a couple of runs, then that might be it for the day.

Remember: if you've never done this before, doctors say it's good for the parasympathetic system to occasionally scare the piss out of the cardiovascular system--keeps things running smoother. Oh, and you might bring a change of underwear...

Some previous years:
7th Annual Radar Speed Trap Day (last year)

6th Annual Radar Speed Trap Day

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83399"]5th Annual Radar Speed Trap Day[/ame]

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50139"]4th Annual Radar Speed Trap Day[/ame]

[ame="http://tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29493"]3rd Annual Radar Speed Trap Day[/ame]

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8811"]2nd Annual Radar Speed Trap Day[/ame]

I don't have time to look for the first one....

**ill-advised strategy** · 04-13-2010, 01:06 AM

what's the current all-time top speed?

**Endlessseason** · 04-13-2010, 10:08 PM

I radared Rodney at 76 MPH on Pocket Rockets while he was wearing regular ski clothes a few years back.

**Endlessseason** · 04-13-2010, 10:14 PM

We're still looking for 80 MPH one of these times. All it'll take is an aggressive skier going for it when the temps and surface conditions are right.

**soul_skier** · 04-13-2010, 10:16 PM

I'll try to make it up again

**skiingsamurai** · 04-14-2010, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by Endlessseason

I radared Rodney at 76 MPH on Pocket Rockets while he was wearing regular ski clothes a few years back.

nearly 80mph on the blue noodles?!!
dudes got balls

**MTT** · 04-14-2010, 11:50 AM

Now that I have been around Snow Bird a few more time. I just never really saw a good Wide open Steep Groomer with no blind spots Blinds drops or Blind corners. I just can't think of a good place to really runem out.

Seems Every Other Area has better places to Clock High speeds inbounds.

Alta, Solutude, Snow Basin.
And There are places where you can really HALL ASS @ Park City Sesort

So Go someplace with long Steep WIDE OPEN Groomers and post some big numbers.

**Endlessseason** · 04-17-2010, 01:49 AM

Originally Posted by MTT

Seems Every Other Area has better places to Clock High speeds inbounds.
Alta, Solutude, Snow Basin.
And There are places where you can really HALL ASS @ Park City Sesort
So Go someplace with long Steep WIDE OPEN Groomers and post some big numbers.

Well, first of all, I don't know you, and I don't have time to look up your past posts to see if you're just a troll that loves to make statements that have no basis in fact or not, but, I'll go ahead and assume you're genuinely curious.

So... first, it's always a good idea to do speed runs at a ski area that is open. Past participants have traveled to this event from New York, Philly, and from as far as Europe. It would be unthinkable to me to encourage someone to come here only to have the ski area closed. For the past 26 years that I've been keeping track, the Bird is the ONLY ski area out of 47 states that has ALWAYS been open into May, with no exceptions.

Number 2: Obviously, the reason they can sometimes stay open into July is because of all that snow. The snowfall is also the reason why we can't hold Radar Day earlier than we do. Trial and error has shown us that any earlier in the month, more often than not, results in postponing or cancelling due to... wait for it... too much snow. Nothing like 2" - 36" overnight to ruin plans for speed skiing if attempted too early in April.

...and C: Not running into people at high speeds has to be on or near the top of anyone's speed skiing checklist. The last week of April is a great time to keep that goal.

Numero Cuatro: Oftentimes late April is The Corn Harvest. Super fast times are recorded in that golden hour when frozen corn is transitioning from "sublimation" to "melt."

5: There is no other ski area in Utah with 360 degrees of facings. We can follow the sun all the way around the mountain and milk the fastest slopes in a way that cannot be done anywhere else.

Sexto (ya gotta love words with sex in 'em, eh?): When The Utah Winter Games got started in the 80's, the committee had 14 Utah Ski areas from which to choose for the Speed Skiing Event. Where did their test racers clock the fastest speeds? At Snowbird. Some reached 90MPH on a specific run that we use from time to time for our radaring purposes. But we try very hard to use our radar powers only for good.

s7- We aim to keep trees out of the moving body/mass/velocity/sudden stop equation. There have been some very high-speed, out-of-control falls on our little outings. Better to lose control on what you call a "blind drop" at snowbird than the other three places you mentioned. A fall at 75MPH can take a couple hundred feet to slide to a stop. Show me ANY run at Alta, Solly, or the Basin where a weekend warrior can both REACH 75MPH AND ALSO be guaranteed to not hit a tree should they spaz out or goat-faint at the worst possible moment.

h: Even if you found A RUN steep enough at some other ski area, AND they suddenly decide to stay open through the month of April, EACH AND EVERY YEAR, AND you spend all your summer clearing timber in your spare time in preparation for next year's radar event-- GREAT -- you'll have one run. We've clocked 70+ at 8 separate locations at the bird over the years. It's obviously important to have several locations to rotate around, not only for optimal speed conditions as we follow the sun, but to avoid staying in one place long enough to draw undue attention and perhaps get invited to stop such a threatening looking pastime (as has happened).

9-15: There are many other reasons, but I've procrastinated my work long enough and need to get back to it. Rest assured, I think we've got the Western US ski-radaring operations pretty well in hand. Feel free to join us and/or start your own if you've got it all figured out.

Originally Posted by MTT

Now that I have been around Snow Bird a few more time. I just never really saw a good Wide open Steep Groomer with no blind spots Blinds drops or Blind corners. I just can't think of a good place to really runem out.

Maybe you could ski more and find some of the eight or so?

**Endlessseason** · 04-17-2010, 02:03 AM

...btw, MTT, I remembered that I know you as I was finishing my thoughts above. I'm just messin with ya. Except for the part about Alta, Solly, and the Basin. I'm not messin with you about that.
There is no groomer on the Albion side of Alta where it is possible to reach 75 in regular ski garb. There is only one run on the Germ side where you might be able to reach 75, and that's lower Sunspot (or commonly called Race Course Saddle). I already know from experience that you can't go fast enough on the main Spring Valley run, nor on Corkscrew. You feel like you're going fast, but it's definitely not in the 70's.
If you're thinking Solitude, it's not possible off of Summit, nor anywhere in Honeycomb. It's also not possible even straighting Sunnyside face off of Eagle. If Challenger were clear cut it might be possible, but the steep part is only 400 vertical feet, so I doubt it.
At the Basin, you can't get into the 70's on any run on the Strawberry side, nor in Middle bowl. If Wildcat were groomed you might be able to, but it's not groomed with enough consistency to duplicate and compare. Can't do it anywhere on Porky's, and, even in the Olympics with racer suits and everything, nobody was able to hit 75 on the top of Allen Peak.
Really, the only place for serious speed at Basin is Grizzly. Unfortunately, the highest speed is reached just at the bottom of the first drop. But the G's are so bad on that sharp left turn that many of the downhillers had real bad crashes in '02. I'd hate to see the carnage that would ensue with a bunch of us dweebs from the internet going for radar glory on the Grizzly Downhill Left Turn.
Heh

**Endlessseason** · 04-17-2010, 02:05 AM

Originally Posted by soul_skier

I'll try to make it up again

Fantastic! Look forward to seeing you again, mang.

**Endlessseason** · 04-20-2010, 06:09 PM

Wow, what a perfect day for speed. If tomorrow morning is a repeat of how today looked, we will clock cuckoo speeds!
See you manana.

**StroupSkier** · 04-20-2010, 07:32 PM

What runs do you normally go at it on Snowbird?

Also, keep in mind there is a pretty good chance to lightening all day tomorrow. Is there a backup date?

**Daywalker** · 04-20-2010, 08:09 PM

$10 says Stroup breaks skis during Speed Trap Day.

**Endlessseason** · 04-20-2010, 09:26 PM

Back up date? You didn't really read the TOA when you signed up last year did you?
Remember; the first rule about Speed Gun Club is never to talk about back up dates. We just do what we can with what we can. ;-)
See you tomorrow morn on the plaza, then?

**StroupSkier** · 04-20-2010, 09:32 PM

I've never done it before, so no, I didn't read anything

**Pimpin Panda** · 04-20-2010, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by Endlessseason

Well, first of all, I don't know you, and I don't have time to look up your past posts to see if you're just a troll that loves to make statements that have no basis in fact or not, but, I'll go ahead and assume you're genuinely curious.

So... first, it's always a good idea to do speed runs at a ski area that is open. Past participants have traveled to this event from New York, Philly, and from as far as Europe. It would be unthinkable to me to encourage someone to come here only to have the ski area closed. For the past 26 years that I've been keeping track, the Bird is the ONLY ski area out of 47 states that has ALWAYS been open into May, with no exceptions.

Number 2: Obviously, the reason they can sometimes stay open into July is because of all that snow. The snowfall is also the reason why we can't hold Radar Day earlier than we do. Trial and error has shown us that any earlier in the month, more often than not, results in postponing or cancelling due to... wait for it... too much snow. Nothing like 2" - 36" overnight to ruin plans for speed skiing if attempted too early in April.

...and C: Not running into people at high speeds has to be on or near the top of anyone's speed skiing checklist. The last week of April is a great time to keep that goal.

Numero Cuatro: Oftentimes late April is The Corn Harvest. Super fast times are recorded in that golden hour when frozen corn is transitioning from "sublimation" to "melt."

Guess you haven't heard of Mammoth Mountain then? And snowboard stays open all the way till July sometimes?? Well Mammoth stays open till middle of august.

And 2/3rds of it are above the tree line. And it has alot of wide, steep, groomed runs.

**Spats** · 04-20-2010, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Pimpin Panda

Guess you haven't heard of Mammoth Mountain then? And snowboard stays open all the way till July sometimes?? Well Mammoth stays open till middle of august.

And 2/3rds of it are above the tree line. And it has alot of wide, steep, groomed runs.

And I guess you haven't heard that Endless lives in SLC

I miss the days when he'd schedule speed trap days about every other week and it would invariably snow that day. We were always begging him to bring the radar gun so it would snow again.

**Endlessseason** · 04-21-2010, 07:01 AM

Originally Posted by Pimpin Panda

Guess you haven't heard of Mammoth Mountain then? And snowboard stays open all the way till July sometimes?? Well Mammoth stays open till middle of august.

No, yeah.

Guess you haven't heard of Timberline or A-Basin, then? They are each in two states that are NOT California. They're both consistently open longer than Snowbird as well. In fact, Timberline historically runs its lifts every month of the year (which Mammoth cannot do).

Since there are three states which have ski areas open longer than Snowbird, and there are actually 50 United States, that would explain why my statement positioned Snowbird in the context of the 47 OTHER states...

**Endlessseason** · 04-21-2010, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Spats

I miss the days when he'd schedule speed trap days about every other week and it would invariably snow that day. We were always begging him to bring the radar gun so it would snow again.

I miss them dayz.

**cdlv** · 04-21-2010, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by Spats

I miss the days when he'd schedule speed trap days about every other week and it would invariably snow that day. We were always begging him to bring the radar gun so it would snow again.

**Slaag Master** · 04-21-2010, 11:36 AM

good eye cdlv! i must admit, i was to pussy to go up the canyon today. something about lightning and all that metal cable and chair. now tomorrow...

**StroupSkier** · 04-21-2010, 12:57 PM

It's a shame there wasn't a bigger turnout as the conditions for the first couple of runs were pretty good for speed. Unfortunately the graupel rolled in before we got a third and slowed things down a lot. We may try again Friday if there is a brief break in the weather, we shall see.

**beaterdit** · 04-21-2010, 01:11 PM

So how fast???

**StroupSkier** · 04-21-2010, 01:17 PM

I got to 75 mph on my second run, but checked too much speed before the rollover. I knew from the first run there was a little compression that I needed to avoid, but wasn't sure exactly where it was at. I had my tracks from the second run to act as a guide for the 3rd, but so much graupel had fallen that I couldn't crack 80 by that time.