Riding Slabs. There is a lot of similarity on riding steep descent to riding slabs or steep rocks, the difference here is when something becomes immensely steep i.e. nearly vertical and has little or no traction i.e. is a slab or rock, then you enter the realm of balance, technique and control whilst at a relatively slow speed.

A lot of what  I write her comes from comes from advice and guidance of other riders be it on the trials or searching the forums for guidance. I am a strong believer and I have heard Steve Peat say it once in a video, that there is no one way to do things. I have friends who climb cliff faces and they say much the same. Here is my take.

Step 1

• Check it out first. If you are conquering a steep rock slab then a)  I doubt you are in a rush and b) you owe it to yourself to check it out. Plan your line carefully. It needs to be in a straight line with no turning. Turning on a slab especially if slightly wet increases your chance of wiping out.
• Approach the edge slowly, with your saddle low and your butt off the saddle. Be smooth. Try and get as far back behind the saddle as you can get. You will be so far back your arms will be outstretched.
• Focus a little ahead and let the front wheel go over. The back will follow. This is science, yet requires faith.

Step 2

• Steep slabs are mostly about braking control and of course the issue most people have is good brake control. The key is to be right at the friction point where you're not skidding.....because as soon as you start skidding, your dragging your tire and you've got no control.
• You want to minimise brake usage as much as possible but be in control of it when you do. Many people worry about using the front brake and doing an endo. On the other hand if you rely on your back brake then your back wheel will skid and you will wipe out. It's the front that does the work. Feather your brakes, predominently using the front. If you start to skid with either the front or rear, you have to ease off the brake until you get the wheel rolling again and then you can reapply the brake again.
• On some steeps comes a point where you have to ease up on the brakes because it starts to get near vert and braking hard at the bottom is gonna be a recipe for disaster. So, on a roller like that, I brake hard as long as I can while maintaining control. Then, lay off the brakes (not entirely, but mostly) when it gets really steep and focus on controlling the bike the rest of the way down. Then, when it starts to transition to the flat ground again, I focus on applying more brake in a spot that is safe so I can regain control of the bike down there.

Step 3

• A good way to practice is to get on a steep grassy hill that you can ride and use different combos of your front/rear brake. This will allow you to feel out how much you need to keep control of the bike. To simulate steeper hills, come into it with more speed and try to slow down quickly without skidding. Find a trail with a few, short steeps and practice on those too. Wear pads if necessary.