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July, 2025

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Halfpipes

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RJ_Res
Posts: 628 - Karma: 292
I've noticed that even though the halfpipe has a fairly large role in skiing, not very many ski hills have a pipe. In fact, they almost seem to be in decline. I know that they can be expensive and hard to maintain, but I feel as if more places should have them. What's your thoughts on this? What places still have halfpipes? Are they making a comeback?
11 years ago
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JGWI
Posts: 2842 - Karma: 7,812
Id rather have my hill improve their park in other ways such as new rails and better jumps than waste over $100,000 on something that is going to melt in a few months.
11 years ago
21 1
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iamkenith
Posts: 3 - Karma: 26
Im not a big pipe skier but they are definitely fun to hit from time to time
11 years ago
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will_powder
Posts: 3194 - Karma: 5,445
They're scary as balls, hard to use, probably more dangerous, and WAY more expensive than rails/jumps. It's no wonder why they're a dying breed.

I think I went in the whistler pipe (arguably best on earth) once or twice last year....
11 years ago
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Miomo
Posts: 4302 - Karma: 14,137
will_powderThey're scary as balls, hard to use, probably more dangerous, and WAY more expensive than rails/jumps. It's no wonder why they're a dying breed.

I think I went in the whistler pipe (arguably best on earth) once or twice last year....


Mini pipes in the spring doe
11 years ago
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THEE_wizard
Posts: 304 - Karma: 1,842
I havent noticed any decline in pipes; however, I hardly hit them myself mainly because they are hard to use. This is no excuse but I just tend to like regular park more.
11 years ago
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ri.peters
Posts: 53 - Karma: 75
the park i ski in puts most of their focus on there pipe, spending weeks and a lot of money for it to be good, while not paying any attention in to having a decent rail/jump section. i would way rather have a sick layout through out the park and new rails then waisting money, time and space on a half pipe, plus i ski east coast, no one likes pure ice half pipes
11 years ago
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SamSandmire
Posts: 289 - Karma: 4,536
Pipes are great for spectators because they are in a confined spot so they're easy to watch/film. They are expensive to build & maintain. Resorts have to have a zaugg & someone who knows how to use it. Anyone can ski in a halfpipe, but once you're getting air out of the pipe, it's scary as hell (I'm told). The margin for error is minuscule. My kid says, "When you get up out of the pipe, 3 things can happen...and 2 of them are bad."
11 years ago
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
will_powderThey're scary as balls, hard to use, probably more dangerous, and WAY more expensive than rails/jumps. It's no wonder why they're a dying breed.

I think I went in the whistler pipe (arguably best on earth) once or twice last year....


SamSandmirePipes are great for spectators because they are in a confined spot so they're easy to watch/film. They are expensive to build & maintain. Resorts have to have a zaugg & someone who knows how to use it. Anyone can ski in a halfpipe, but once you're getting air out of the pipe, it's scary as hell (I'm told). The margin for error is minuscule. My kid says, "When you get up out of the pipe, 3 things can happen...and 2 of them are bad."


yeah, im biased cause i suck at pipe but theyre just so expensive, hard to maintain, and only a small percentage of people really use them to their full potential

MiomoMini pipes in the spring doe


TRUE




but here's what i don't fully understand: why are pipes icy so much more often than jumps? why are pipe walls hard as rock 7/10 times i see them while 9/10 jumps are just fine? is there something about the vert of it? i dont get it
11 years ago
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Pipe_Munky
Posts: 10888 - Karma: 2,185
Halfpipes are on the decline because of the ratio of cost:use. They are expensive as fuck to produce and the amount of people that are going to use them is steadily declining. The fact of the matter is, a massive superpipe is scary as hell to drop in on your first time. Because of this, most skiers/snowboarders won't even attempt to ride it and therefore the amount of people with the skill to ride a pipe is steadily on the decline.

Far too many resorts believe they need to build a 22ft wall superpipe to keep people happy. This just isn't true because the vast majority of people aren't throwing doubles or boosting 15ft+ out of the pipe so the need for a pipe of that size isn't there. Big pipes are also extremely difficult to properly cut and maintain and those that choose to build them are often inexperienced leading to walls that are over/under vert or aren't even straight... when this happens, people don't ride them and resorts just waste money.

I love riding halfpipe and do at every chance I get but they're getting more and more scarce but that doesn't have to be the case.
11 years ago
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
^great post and you reminded me what i meant to say before: i think the compromise hills should make is to make mini pipes and let them be weird and funky. i love a nice small pipe that has all kinds of weird trannies and lips here and there-- it's basically like a million sick side booters in a line
11 years ago
1 0
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,464
but here's what i don't fully understand: why are pipes icy so much more often than jumps? why are pipe walls hard as rock 7/10 times i see them while 9/10 jumps are just fine? is there something about the vert of it? i dont get it[/QUOTE]

With jumps, whole surface is generally hit by the sun each day, warming and melting it. With pipes, one side is generally oriented in a way that it will never see the sun, and therefore it will not melt and will instead stay rock solid. The sun baked side will become soft while the other side is boilerplate.
11 years ago
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FrostyMN.
Posts: 122 - Karma: 118
I have actually never hit a halfpipe, but being that the Midwest has some pretty hard snow I don't know how popular they would be for skiers out here? Maybe it is declining in places that can't keep the pipe maintained correctly?
11 years ago
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broto
Posts: 9040 - Karma: 25,675
RubberSoulbut here's what i don't fully understand: why are pipes icy so much more often than jumps? why are pipe walls hard as rock 7/10 times i see them while 9/10 jumps are just fine? is there something about the vert of it? i dont get it


Now I'm no expert by any means, but this would be my guess. Ever see a groomer till a park? When they start up the tiller, metal rotating spikes break up hard snow and give us that corduroy we all know and love. Have you ever seen a half pipe with curdoroy? No, because grooming pipes works differently. You essentially (from my understanding) shave the wall back until it's a perfect quarter circle. It's meant to be smooth, and a smooth surface gets ice a lot quicker than a tilled one. Add in shadows and stuff like the guy above said and you've got an icy halfpipe.
11 years ago
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5676 - Karma: 4,297
Last time I had the chance to ski a pipe I could do ally oop 180s and bad 360s, and just air. It's so fun, but it was also a small pipe. I saw the superpipe at killington once. Couldn't ride it cause there was some sort of snowboard comp, but it looked huge and I probably wouldn't air above the coping.

I think resorts should build small ones. They're fun and you don't die if you fall. Creek tried. It gets destroyed cause of noobs, but they tried. I can see why it's hard to keep, cause people just destroy the lip and take chunks out of it, or snowboarders just shave it so it gets messed up.
11 years ago
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Rio360
Posts: 133 - Karma: 597
It is true that most resorts do not have a halfpipe, but I think it need a place big enough, lots of da snow, and the right equipment. Also it doesn't produce money, so some resorts might not be able to afford it
11 years ago
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Casey
Posts: 8033 - Karma: 27,135
Snoqualmie got rid of theirs. They never got enough snow to build it until like march, and then would close in april and in the meantime it took up like half of the lower park. I don't think anyone really misses it.
11 years ago
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snowmosexual
Posts: 1941 - Karma: 10,090
I absolutely love skiing pipe mainly cause I used to be obsessed with Simon Dumont, but the thing about mini pipes is you can't get over 3 ft of air out of them or else you'll hit deck. My mountain has a give or take 15ft pipe you can't do anything above a 3 in it because you'll hit deck. I've gone to a few super pipes and have been able to do clean 5's with no issues getting about 5-10ft out. If a mountain wants to have a good pipe they have to have a super pipe, if they don't than its shit.
11 years ago
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broto
Posts: 9040 - Karma: 25,675
ski-hippieI absolutely love skiing pipe mainly cause I used to be obsessed with Simon Dumont, but the thing about mini pipes is you can't get over 3 ft of air out of them or else you'll hit deck. My mountain has a give or take 15ft pipe you can't do anything above a 3 in it because you'll hit deck. I've gone to a few super pipes and have been able to do clean 5's with no issues getting about 5-10ft out. If a mountain wants to have a good pipe they have to have a super pipe, if they don't than its shit.


That's just not true. X-games used to have something like a 12 ft pipe years ago and candide and the other dudes had no problem boosting out of it
11 years ago
1 0
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snowmosexual
Posts: 1941 - Karma: 10,090
brotoThat's just not true. X-games used to have something like a 12 ft pipe years ago and candide and the other dudes had no problem boosting out of it


Maybe its just me but super pipes are easier to ride
11 years ago
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Rekkil
Posts: 169 - Karma: 146
CaseySnoqualmie got rid of theirs. They never got enough snow to build it until like march, and then would close in april and in the meantime it took up like half of the lower park. I don't think anyone really misses it.


If you look skiers right on the lower half of the park between the small and big jump lines they built up a bunch of dirt so it would be easier to build two(?) seasons ago. I, along with many others never got to ride it but if it came back I sure as hell would. We have pipe cutters and everything. Park crew just doesn't build it?
11 years ago
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Casey
Posts: 8033 - Karma: 27,135
RekkilIf you look skiers right on the lower half of the park between the small and big jump lines they built up a bunch of dirt so it would be easier to build two(?) seasons ago. I, along with many others never got to ride it but if it came back I sure as hell would. We have pipe cutters and everything. Park crew just doesn't build it?


That's what I meant is I'm pretty sure they bulldozed those rock piles this off season to do something else. I know in seasons past they've made the 'Executive decision' to bail on building the pipe like in low snow years when their waiting around all season for enough snow to build the big jump line.
11 years ago
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