Downhill Tips?

[feeling-sheepish]

I was wondering if you could give me tips on the best position to be in when going downhill, and the best way to stop at the end of the hill! Cheers

[fierybones]

i think it matters a lot what's at the bottom of the hill!

if the road or trail goes on without too hairy of a turn i crouch, possibly rest my upper-body weight with my elbows against my legs, and enjoy the break.

it's a bit different if there's cross-traffic or a hard turn at the bottom of the hill, or if the hill is so steep that you'd get to an uncontrollable speed. it's always easier to stay at a speed you can live with instead of trying to recover from too fast. if the road is wide enough you can traverse from side to side like you'd do on skis or a snowboard and turn uphill at the end of each traversal. if that's not possible, brake as much as you need to to stay safe. if it's a long hill, start braking early. and if you're braking t-stop fashion, you might alternate feet so as wear your wheels evenly.

i think most everyone eventually finds themselves on a hill that is too steep to be skated safely. when that happens, look for the best place to get off or lay it down. grass is much softer than concrete!

[BWI-Sheldon]

Keep weight on back wheels.
Crouch down by bending you knees.
Pray.

If you have a doubt in your mind about ever stopping before you will be in trouble, don't risk it! A trick for a hill goes like this. Try the hill not from the top but start just a bit uo the hill where you can say "I can do this hill from here". Now go up the hill a bit more and try from there. Eventually you will be able to do it from the top.
What gets people in trouble is fear. They panic and then crash, instead of just riding it down. This drill will let you know when you are ready to take the full hill and you won't have that panic.

Keeping you weight on the back wheels and lowering you center of gravity will keep you more stable at higher speeds. Also if you hit rougher areas and your weight comes foward, you then will be on your front wheels. If you have your weigh to much on the front and hit rougher surfaces at higher speed, then when your weight shifts foward, your sliding on your face.

Good Luck.