fastest you've gone?

[C5 Golfer]

A couple of thoughts I have on these high speed numbers.. again not questioning you data -- you read the device and that is what it says.

But look at it this way -- I know it is not a very fair comparision and maybe apples and oranges thing. But think about.

A stock Corvette like mine - and yes it does go fast - scary fast -- but the stats are this. In an 1/8 of mile standing start, it takes a little over 8 sec and hits a top speed of 89 mile an hour. Acceleration is awesome - well above mother earth's of 32.2 ft/sec/sec. Given a ski slope -- lets use Snowbird Big Emma -- is about 1300 ft vertical.. maybe about 2100 - 2200 feet long. The Corvette would hit about 75 mph at about 600 feet of distance or 28% of the Big Emma run distance. So what I am hearing above is that speed could be hit somewhere around the mid point of Big Emma on a snowboard -- without the help of >350 horsepower. I say the mid point because you would need to start stopping somewhere and a snowboard does not have ABS.

[Neil Gendzwill]

In an 1/8 of mile standing start, it takes a little over 8 sec and hits a top speed of 89 mile an hour. Acceleration is awesome - well above mother earth's of 32.2 ft/sec/sec.

The same 1/8th of a mile straight down under gravity with no atmosphere would take 6.4 seconds with a top end of over 140 miles/hour. Awesome as your 'vette is, it's not quite as awesome as gravity.

Speed skiing courses typically have a 400 metre acceleration zone, followed by a 100 metre timing zone. The record is a little over 156 mph.

[*Ace*]

Isn't Gilmour known for lay it down on Ruthies going 70+ in soft gear? At least thats what he says...

[C5 Golfer]

The same 1/8th of a mile straight down under gravity with no atmosphere would take 6.4 seconds with a top end of over 140 miles/hour. Awesome as your 'vette is, it's not quite as awesome as gravity.

Speed skiing courses typically have a 400 metre acceleration zone, followed by a 100 metre timing zone. The record is a little over 156 mph.

How would the Vette do if the 1/8 mile was in a vacuum? .. -- assuming of course the Vette had an air tank to power the motor. -- do you think it could/ can beat gravity ..???

Also -- are we not talking ski resort speeds? - not closed courses? and I thought the snowboard record was 125 mph -- if not someone should tell Volkl.

[theboarderdude]

C5 Golfer, you have it correct. the snowboard speed record is 125 mph, and the ski speed record is 156 mph.

[Neil Gendzwill]

How would the Vette do if the 1/8 mile was in a vacuum? .. -- assuming of course the Vette had an air tank to power the motor. -- do you think it could/ can beat gravity ..???

Unsure. Those speed skiers are stomping all over the Vette's 1/4 mile time on those speed courses, but they are considerably slippier through the air than a Vette is.

Also -- are we not talking ski resort speeds? - not closed courses? and I thought the snowboard record was 125 mph -- if not someone should tell Volkl.

Well we were but then you brought your car into the mix... thought we were getting a handle on what was possible in a relatively short distance. The more I think about it the more I think that if you carry significant but sane, controllable speed - say 40 mph - into the top of a good steep resort pitch and then point it straight down, you could be pushing some of those speeds Bordy was talking about. It's not like you are accelerating from a standing start when you decide to bust out your big bag of crazy,

[C5 Golfer]

The more I think about it the more I think that if you carry significant but sane, controllable speed - say 40 mph - into the top of a good steep resort pitch and then point it straight down, you could be pushing some of those speeds Bordy was talking about. It's not like you are accelerating from a standing start when you decide to bust out your big bag of crazy,

Ahh-- now I get it - you want a head start. So you want to start at the top of a ski run already going 40mph -- we'll then, I totally agree all is possible,

I wonder how my Corvette would do in a vacuum, on a 1/8 mile run with a running start of 60 mph at the start line..

Edited October 17, 2012 by C5 Golfer

[Keenan]

Ahh-- now I get it - you want a head start. So you want to start at the top of a ski run already going 40mph -- we'll then, I totally agree all is possible,

I wonder how my Corvette would do in a vacuum, on a 1/8 mile run with a running start of 60 mph at the start line..

Al,

It is becoming clear to me why you go top to bottom and rarely turn.

[C5 Golfer]

using a GPS device -- here is a copy of an accuracy statement regarding same on the web

The most inaccurate is the method that tries to

estimate an average speed over some

“accumulated distance” between trackpoints.

Due to trackpoint inaccuracies, the line

connecting all track points is a zig-zag, even

if the real path of a speed competitor is a

smooth or straight line. Since the length of

this zig-zag is always longer than a

smooth/straight line, the “average speed”

determined with the “accumulated distance”

method always overestimates the real speed.

The less accurate are trackpoints (the less

accurate is a GPS unit) – the larger the

estimated “average” speed and the more

impressive is the “achievement”…

[C5 Golfer]

Al,

It is becoming clear to me why you go top to bottom and rarely turn.

Oh yea -- Keenan -- we have rode together at Cyrstal and Bend correct?

I hope to get to Bend this season.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Ahh-- now I get it - you want a head start. So you want to start at the top of a ski run already going 40mph -- we'll then, I totally agree all is possible,

Wasn't talking about your car, was talking about how you could get up to mach schnell on a resort run. No head start required on a closed course like at Les Arcs. Well, for those insane guys who want to run their boards or skis at well over 100 mph... I'll keep myself in one piece, thank you.

[C5 Golfer]

Wasn't talking about your car, was talking about how you could get up to mach schnell on a resort run. No head start required on a closed course like at Les Arcs. Well, for those insane guys who want to run their boards or skis at well over 100 mph... I'll keep myself in one piece, thank you.

Peace my friend.. I am with you -- keep ourselves in one peice. I used to think I was invincible - until I crashed 2 years ago at 5 mph and busted my leg and ankle.

good discussion Neil -- I owe you a beer if we ever meet..

Edited October 17, 2012 by C5 Golfer

[Neil Gendzwill]

Peace my friend.. I am with you -- keep ourselves in one peice. I used to think I was invincible - until I crashed 2 years ago at 5 mph and busted my leg and ankle.

good discussion Neil -- I owe you a beer if we ever meet..

No worries. Maybe we'll run into each other at SES if you're coming.

Regarding GPS devices - I run with one all the time. It's a useful tool but you have to be aware of its limitations. It's really crappy at elevation, sometimes out by 10 m or more after a looped run with only 30 m of relief. Average speed is OK, instantaneous speed at any given time is a real crapshoot.

[C5 Golfer]

No worries. Maybe we'll run into each other at SES if you're coming.

Regarding GPS devices - I run with one all the time. It's a useful tool but you have to be aware of its limitations. It's really crappy at elevation, sometimes out by 10 m or more after a looped run with only 30 m of relief. Average speed is OK, instantaneous speed at any given time is a real crapshoot.

Cool--- but lets not run into each other at 70 mph

Re: GPS -- many golfers with whom I play with and some golf carts use a GPS system to tell you the distance to the hole including the front edge and back edge of the green. I prefer the Laser measuring system - point and shoot type system off a reflector on the flag stick, quite often there is a 10 -15 yard difference in the two at the same place on the fairway, even when we are only 120 yards out.. I beleive the Laser is the accurate one of the two.

[amazoncarve]

Clocked at 61 mph at the Stratton Mountain US open in 1990, that's the only one I'm certain of!

[AutumnOrangeGT]

61mph on my Doughboy and only been able to muster 59mph out of my carving board... using a GPS app

[bumpyride]

I guess this begs the question of what's the fastest deceleration, aside from trees/skiers/other snowboarders/buildings.

I know that I've gone fast enough to get seriously hurt, but always made sure that nothing was in the way. The fastest deceleration was ripping down Mt. Hood Meadows in the mid morning hours going through the shade, turning into a dog leg that had the sun on it and planting at full speed. Ended my day and didn't feel good for a couple of more. So if I had to guess I would say 35 to 40 mph to faceplant in less than 1 second.

[OhD]

57 mph according to Allsport Pro (Android GPS logger) refreshing at 10' intervals. Done last spring on Northern Sky (easy blue, a little steep at the top) at White Pass cruising fast but making turns, on my Donek 184 GS board in a flappy jacket.

[C5 Golfer]

Some of the numbers seems very fast to me. scary fast.

I would be curious if those that use GPS for speed measurement could try this.. get your GPS and your car -- and take a road trip --- go down a steep mtn road ... set your cruise control on your car to 50 mph. go for as long as long as you can at that sustained exact 50 mph speed. at the end of your exact 50 MPH speed trip --- check your GPS and see if it agrees with your max speed of 50 mph.. I'd would bet -- I apologize ahead of time if I am wrong... that your GPS would be quite a bit higher than your auto's 50 MPH.

come on Whistler snow storm -- we want to go riding!!

[Bordy]

Some of the numbers seems very fast to me. scary fast.

I would be curious if those that use GPS for speed measurement could try this.. get your GPS and your car -- and take a road trip --- go down a steep mtn road ... set your cruise control on your car to 50 mph. go for as long as long as you can at that sustained exact 50 mph speed. at the end of your exact 50 MPH speed trip --- check your GPS and see if it agrees with your max speed of 50 mph.. I'd would bet -- I apologize ahead of time if I am wrong... that your GPS would be quite a bit higher than your auto's 50 MPH.

come on Whistler snow storm -- we want to go riding!!

Drove down Provo canyon from Heber city to Orem in Utah, about a 15 mile trip, set my garmin in the passengers seat(after it feel of the dash twice. Set the cruise at 50 since it is the speed limit anyhow. Top speed according to GPS 47.8.

So either my cruise n speedo r wrong or my gps is...not the higher speed you expected.

On year in Waterville valley we had this speedo the clipped on the back of your board and had a wheel that trailed, even that POS would give speeds in the fifties while free riding on GS gear. One day Bill Enos took it out on SG gear and said he got it to read 70 some thing, but he also lost it So we never saw his speeds it would only spin the wheel when you where flat based.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Going in a straight line over a reasonable amount of distance on the flat I would expect the GPS to be pretty accurate.

Downhill, less so as the resolution for elevation is just not very good/reliable. If you had a device that used an altimeter to help the accuracy that would be better.

Lots of turns, no good as they just don't sample often enough. But the turn issue would make you look like you were going slower than you actually were.

You have to be careful on peak readings as it's really easy to get a glitched reading or two. If you can dump the data to see the details rather than relying on the display output you can see the errors, if any. I always dump my running data to Garmin Connect.

[C5 Golfer]

Drove down Provo canyon from Heber city to Orem in Utah this morning about a 15 mile trip, set my garmin in the passengers seat. Set the cruise at 50 since it is the speed limit anyhow. Top speed according to GPS 47.8.

So either my cruise n speedo r wrong or my gps is...not the higher speed you expected.

On year in Waterville valley we had this speedo the clipped on the back of your board and had a wheel that trailed, even that POS would give speeds in the fifties while free riding on GS gear. One day Bill Enos took it out on SG gear and said he got it to read 70 some thing, but he also lost it So we never saw his speeds it would only spin the wheel when you where flat based.

Like my post says -- I apologize ahead of time. I know it is all relative.. but on my pedal bike 45 is scarry fast and I got brakes and very fast tires and I think rolling friction on a bike is better than a sliding friction on a snowboard. I am just thinking of the length of the run to come up to speed that is 50% faster than my bike in a similar length of hill. Plus I dont have people on the road I have to watch out for.. just cars going the same speed.

so it is kinda like religion in a way.. I have faith in you guys and you are telling me the truth.. I accept it but know I will never ever experience it..

[Bordy]

Al, while 45 may seem fast on your pedal bike 100 plus speeds feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. Same two wheels.... Right.

As a side not have you ever put your road bike straight down the same pitches for along as some of the ski runs, like say ruthies for example?

[Bordy]

I just looked up the bike speed records, the fastest speeds seem to be on snow, perhaps because of pitch and length?? Or maybe just for saftey or just lake of true grade, not many roads in the us are steeper then9%. but lots of groomed trails are.

Here they r at wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_records

[C5 Golfer]

Al, while 45 may seem fast on your pedal bike 100 plus speeds feel very comfortable on a motorcycle. Same two wheels.... Right.

As a side not have you ever put your road bike straight down the same pitches for along as some of the ski runs, like say ruthies for example?

Nope--- not getting me on a motorcycle at 100 mph... no and hell no..

Ya know it is just fear -- you got none relative to me. :=)

I got faith in you .. wish I could be on the side hill watching you at that speed.