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Poll

Do you like hard or soft ice?

I like hard ice for all maneuvers.
2 (8%)
I like soft ice for all maneuvers.
18 (72%)
I like hard ice for some maneuvers and soft ice for other maneuvers.
4 (16%)
One or the other - but be consistent!
1 (4%)

Total Members Voted: 25

Author Topic: Hard or Soft Ice  (Read 10782 times)

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Offline Doubletoe

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Re: Hard or Soft Ice
« Reply #25 on: August 03, 2017, 03:47:04 PM »
Not sure where to vote on this poll. Is it closed already?  Anyway, definitely SOFT ice for me!  Better for my spins AND jumps (and edges).

Offline Isk8NYC

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Re: Hard or Soft Ice
« Reply #26 on: August 03, 2017, 07:40:38 PM »
The poll should be open at the top of the page.
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Offline tstop4me

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Re: Hard or Soft Ice
« Reply #27 on: August 04, 2017, 12:48:00 PM »
I also felt like I had to put a bit more effort into pushing?? Because it's "soft", there's less to push against?
Sounds like it was too soft.  When you push against the ice, ideally, you want as much of the force you exert on the ice to result in a return force propelling you into motion.  When the ice is soft, part of the force you exert is used to dig the blade deeper into the ice and then to compact the ice, so you get a weaker return propelling force.  At the same time, the friction on the skating blade is higher with soft ice, so you have to push even harder to get a decent glide.  When I practice Figure-8's on hard ice, I have no problems at all completing a whole circle on a single push; but on soft ice, it's a struggle.