I got blown over by the wind in the throat of Hangman's ~45 degree slope in December 1982. Skis and poles came off immediately and I slid ~800 feet to Saddle Bowl. I was not too worried because there were no rocks below me and I knew the slope eventually eased off. Mammoth is a superb training ground for steep skiing because the 40+ slopes are rarely as much as 500 vertical before they start easing off, and with a mid-season snowpack quite a few of them have no obstacles below as in my example case. There are several with more constricted lines and fall consequences, and with the current early season snowpack some of those otherwise smooth aprons are peppered with rocks here and there.rfarren":2w1in6bh said:
I'm a bit more wary of the trees than the experienced easterners. I stay out of steep trees if the snow is hardpacked: risk/reward ratio does not seem worth it to me. I have similar attitude toward the steep and constricted lines like Main Chute. I want favorable snow conditions for skiing runs like that.
I said MRG-type terrain. Jay, Sutton, Orford, etc.Patrick":2w1in6bh said: