Quote Originally Posted by Irulan View Post
(excuse me while I get out a soapbox) Skidding and sliding is very destructive to trails. It should be avoided at all costs. If you are skidding or locking up your tires, you are going too fast for conditions or out of control. It's also an indicator that you are braking too hard - let up on the brake just a bit. Unless you are on fireroads where it doesn't matter, there is no legitimate excuse for skidding or sliding while mountain biking.

/soapbox
Very good point about trail preservation- thanks for making it clear. I didn't really articulate that in my first post. I would never intentionally slide, but it's still important to know how to deal with slides when they happen.

Same thing with riding wet trails....it destroys them, so don't ride on them.