CAPT WITHOUT AN APU; WITH ICY TXWYS; AND A 220000 LB AIRPLANE ELECTED TO TAXI ON 1 ENG TO SAVE FUEL AND THEN XBLEED START WHILE TAXIING AND TURNING.

Narrative

AFTER 2 DAYS OF SNOW IN THE NY AREA THE WX HAD CLRED BUT THE RAMP; TXWYS; AND RWYS HAD COMPACTED SNOW AND PATCHES OF ICE. WE WERE DISPATCHED WITH NO ALTERNATE AND MINIMUM HOLDING FUEL. I ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED AN ADDITIONAL 2000 LBS OF FUEL FOR GND HOLDS AT KENNEDY. THE ACFT APU WAS OTS WHICH MEANT STARTING THE R ENG AT THE GATE. I ELECTED NOT TO START THE L ENG DUE TO THE LENGTHY DELAYS FOR TAXI CLRNC. ALMOST AN HR HAD ELAPSED SINCE PUSHBACK AND THE TAXI TIME TO THE RWY WAS ABOUT 30 MINS. I HAD SAVED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUEL BY HOLDING #1 FOR TAXI ON 1 ENG. WHEN WE WERE GIVEN TAXI CLRNC; I ELECTED TO START THE L ENG AS WE EXITED THE RAMP. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE APU AIR WAS NOT AVAILABLE; A XBLEED START WAS NECESSARY. THE ACFT TRACTION WAS FINE AS WE ROLLED STRAIGHT AHEAD BUT WHEN A L TURN WAS INITIATED THE ADDITIONAL THRUST REQUIRED ON THE R ENG FOR STARTING; CAUSED THE NOSEWHEEL TO LOSE TRACTION AND DRIFT L. AT THIS POINT I INITIATED REVERSE THRUST ON THE R; ENG BUT ENDED UP IN THE SNOW ON THE EDGE OF THE TXWY. BY BEING OVER CONCERNED WITH THE FUEL SIT I LOST SIGHT OF THE BIG PICTURE WHICH WAS THE SLICK TXWYS AND THE UNUSUAL SIT OF A XBLEED START. FUEL CONSERVATION IS IMPORTANT AND IS A MAJOR EMPHASIS OF MY COMPANY BUT THE SIMPLE FACT IS SOMETIMES IT CAN BE OVER EMPHASIZED. THIS IS SUCH A CASE.