Average Speed of Downhill Snowboarders?

Question

What's the average speed of Downhill Snowboarders. And if you know your Maximum and Average Speed while Downhill Snowboarding Include that as well.

Answer 1

max is about 20 mph

Answer 2

Downhill snowboard and ski speeds are comparable to downhill speeds on a road bike. Experts can go over 50 mph in good conditions. On the asphalt and on the snow, it is very important to stay in control. Falling or hitting trees can be extremely serious, especially at high speeds. A good fitting helmet, hardshell kneepads, tailbone pad or padded shorts, and padded gloves, and a backpack (or back protector) are standard snowboarding equipment for me.

I've been snowboarding since 1984. I estimate that I've gone over 60mph in ideal powder conditions, in open backcountry bowls (wide open steeps with no trees) near Alta Utah. I've also crashed going about 50, which even in the powder is not fun. While ski videos make it look like crashing is all good, many don't realize that you can quickly develop neck and back problems that stay with you for decades. Snowboarding/skiing is similar to motorcycle riding in that it is way too easy to go fast, and pass your limit of safety. Speed is intoxicating - watch out! Hitting a tree without a helmet at 30 mph can easily be fatal.

These days, I estimate that I have an average speed around 20mph, and a top speed around 40 MPH on smooth groomers or nice powder conditions. Speed alone is not my goal; exhilaration with a good margin of safety, and minimal chance of injury, is where its at. In a ski area, when overtaking others from behind, you must slow down and give them lots of room, because they may swerve unexpectedly, and they have the right-of-way.

Terjes First Descent - one of the steepest descents on video. Estimated 40mph+ runout turns on a huge mountain face (these look like ok but not ideal snow conditions).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Rd8AJdcnw4A

Pro snowboarders in recent powder videos are easily going 60 to 70 mph.

Extreme Ski + Snowboard video- 1:20 has a beautiful skier-snowboarder pair, estimated at over 60 mph.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMhBbmE92...

Downhill ski racers regularly go 85 mph.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...

I have heard that the mens Olympic downhill course at Snowbasin accelerated the racers from 0 to 80 mph in 3 seconds. Consider straight-shotting the black diamond start at the top of the Mt. Allen tram and you will believe it.

The snowboard speed record is (125.459mph) by Darren Powell (Australia) at Les Arcs, France on 2 May 1999.

http://www.snowboard-mag.com/node/11762

The ski speed record is quite a bit faster, at 156 mph.

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

Cheers!

Wasatch Bill

Answer 3

Half as fast as they think they go.

Answer 4

It depends on the trail, the skier, the mountain, and the snowboard.