A shy person asks anonymously:

I had an unpleasant crash this winter: a wet spot followed by a left
hairpin turn. Once I started leaning into the turn, it felt like I
was riding on ice. It's been 6 months and the bruises are still
pretty spectacular. But the worst bruise is on my mind. I feel
extremely uncomfortable leaning into turns since then, even if the
pavemen is totally dry. I just don't know how far I can safely lean
w/o going into a skid.

Are there special tires that are stickier than others? I crashed on
Michelin Carbons (red stripes) which are supposedly designed for wet
weather - did not help.

No colored rubber toire is designed for wet weather. Just ask
yourself how many motor vehicle colored tires are on the marklet.

I guess I can only feel comfortable once I know exactly what to do
if I get into a skid. How does one train for that? Sounds like a
tough way to train - either you leave flesh on the pavement, or you
don't.

You can lean much farther than you believe. It is lubrication by
water, loose grit, or oily substances that slide unpredictably.

There was an article in Velonews by a guy who won a famous descent race
in LA. He says he lifts his bike when it strats to skid...

That is giant BS. Watch bicycle racing videaos and you'll see that
once the front end slides when banked over, it is irrecoverable. On
the other hand, racers are often not great cornering experts as you
can see from watching GdI and Tdf videos.

By comparison, I think I am good in descending on nordic skis, to a
point where some people consider me nuts. I guess, it's because I
know exactly what to do if anything goes wrong. But on a bike - I
am totally clueless. I am used to going 50+ mph on straight
downhills, just by letting it go and hoping that nothing bad
happens. But I have no idea what to do in an emergency.

That has nothing to do with cornering on a wheeled single track
vehicle. Water skiers do even more than snow board descenders do and
they far outclass skiers on snow.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/
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Jobst Brandt