Halfpipe Maintenance
Rules of Thumb

The key to maintaining a halfpipe is proper blade work.

Stepping the Transitions
Making sure that the transitions are properly stepped is very important. If there is not enough snow removed from the transitions the pipe machines tend to have a hard time and leave a poor finish.

A Consistent Flat Bottom
Another must is to make sure that the flat bottom is consistent with the pitch of the walls and totally flat. The Pipe Dragon and cat need to sit consistently flat during the entire cutting. If the flat bottom or floor has rises or dips, these will translate directly to the shape of the Pipe Dragon's transition in reference to the wall.

Blending the Transitions
Once your walls are cut, blending the transition to the flat bottom is the next trick. It is very easy to leave a ridge where the dragon leaves off and the tiller picks up.
It is misleading to use the term "flat bottom" with finished halfpipes, because a finished transition should carry through to the other wall. A flex tiller is a must for the clean up. Many times raking will be necessary to have a smooth transition. Some pipe cutters are messier than others, but these machines can be modified to leave less mess.

Photo: Karin Dichiara