I knew it! I Knew it! Pipeline is steeper than you think!

[Endlessseason]

I've made the comment on this forum a couple of times that Pipeline Chute is one of the steepest runs I've skied in the U.S., and I've stated that it is definitely over 45 degrees. That drew comments from a few peeps who said there was no way it's 45 degrees. Well, Tony Crocker , who is into statistics like I'm into summer skiing, did some calculations that confirm Pipeline is certainly steeper than that. I knew I wasn't losing my mind. Well....not about that anyway. I think it will surprise many of you to learn that it is 50 degrees. Now you know why people have died in that chute.

Here is his post from another board:

I did a few of these calcs after the other thread on eastern steeps. It works just as Powdr described using the free version of Google Earth. You can even measure dogleg chutes by adding two lines above and below the turn. Then you type the Google Earth data into Excel and use =180/PI()*ASIN(vert/Google distance) to get the angle.

I find the calculations to be very sensitive to distance. I used a minimum of .10 mile (528 feet), but the numbers don't settle down until you get up around .20 mile. Las Lenas has a whole bunch like Christmas Bowl, longer than 4000 feet in distance with average steepness over 30 degrees, and a couple that sustain 40 for over 1000 vertical. I didn't find anything here that was over 40 degrees for as much as 1000 vertical. I have Big Couloir at Big Sky as 44.95 degrees for 746 vertical and Pipeline above Snowbird as 50.15 degrees for 608 vertical.

Big Couloir is the scariest run that I have ever skied personally. Much of that was due to less than ideal snow above the dogleg. The line drawn on Alta's Mt. Baldy is Little Chute. Google Earth has it at the same steepness as Main Chute at 41 degrees for 500-600 vertical. But the narrowness and fall consequences make Little Chute much more intimidating. I would not have considered Little Chute when I skied Main Chute in 1990. Coverage in Little Chute in last year's huge snowpack made it look doable while viewing from Collins, but I never got up there to see from the top.

[Endlessseason]

I also stick with my estimation that the top couple hundred feet of Suicide Chute, across the street on Superior, is at least 45 degrees, regardless of what The Chuting Gallery classifies it as.

[Trackhead]

[gramps]

Yeah, seriously TH. Google Earth? Come on. This all depends on snow depth anyway. These chute that collect snow mellow out as they get more in them I think. Like Main Baldy for instance. 41 degrees in this picture? No way.

April 24

[Tippster]

That picture makes me happy in my pants.

[Rontele]

That picture makes me happy in my pants.

agreed. does it matter how steep it is?

[Sphinx]

agreed. does it matter how steep it is?

You gotta be able to brag about something!

[gramps]

Heh, no it doesn't really matter. It's just in my experience, true 50 degree slopes have a pretty unique feel to them, slopes in the low 40s are a whole lot different. I've only skiied Pipeline once, but I'm pretty sure it's not over 45. Suicide definitely isn't higher than the low 40s except maybe the first couple turns. It's only natural to want to "round up" when giving slope angles, so a slope inclinometer is really the only thing to believe. (Which I guess means don't believe me either, since I don't normally have an inclinometer with me)

[Trackhead]

(Which I guess means don't believe me either, since I don't normally have an inclinometer with me)

I just bring a ruler to measure the length of my dick waving.

And I ALWAYS round up.

[Ireallyliketoski2]

You basically have two options, either work really hard to become a better skier and tackle truly steep slopes or simply overestimate the slope angle of easier runs. It seems to me that only a fool would choose the former.

[EastCoast2835]

That picture makes me happy in my pants.

Me too. That picture is sexy.

[Mcwop]

Let me get out my angle checker, and it reads: effin steep!

[Telenater]

Until Google Earth tells me what resolution and accuracy DEM they're using, I'll continue to regard calculations of slope as being very sketchy. It's an amazing visualization tool, but it isn't suitable for calculations involving slope in particular.

[Bum Z]

I just bring a ruler to measure the length of my dick waving.

Metric or English?

[gramps]

Metric obviously - He's a Euro extrem skier.

[Steezus Christ]

I see nothing in here about the K-12!!! What about the K-12!?!?!?!?

[Trackhead]

Measuring slope angles is so variable. Are you measuring the average angle, the top (where it's usually steeper due to cornice formation), etc, etc.

Measuring slope angle can be fun, to see how you feel at different angles. But in the end, I feel the only angle that matters is the magic 38 degree range. In reference to slide potential and reporting and observing slides to forecasters, etc.

[AltaPowderDaze]

endless, i skied it for the second time this year on july 26th after it had fully become an alpine climb and found two distinct sections that approached ~48-51 degrees for atleast 20' vert. the snow was very thin and there were all sorts of hazards but it was steeper than when i skied it with trackhead earlier in the month. even then it seemed a bit steep right where the runnel got deep. one shot from trackheads vid shows it well.