Deep powder in glades

[awf170]

I cant figure out why I am so bad at it. Its a pathetic sight, I get in the backseat, take horrible turns, go flying out of control, almost hit trees, and the only way I stop is by turning and going flying across the glade(which isnt too safe) or by falling. I just cant seem to get it, once everything is nasty and icy and really packed I'm all set in glades. I would think powder would be easier in glades, but it isnt too me. I can ski powder on trails fine but once I get in anything tight at all I'm horrible. I feel horrified if I lean forward at all. So whadya you say I should do.
(And its not the skis being too skinny, I'm on something with a 90mm waist,which makes me even more pathatic :roll: )

 

[riverc0il]

strange you have no trouble outside of the glade on powder but trouble inside the glade. there really is no difference in powder skiing technique, you are just forced to turn because of obstacles in glades. you also say you are fine in glades when it is packed powder instead of powder, which also seems at odds with the issue with powder. perhaps just a confidence issue? powder slows you down, so you should be moving slower and in more control in powder compared to packed snow which also adds to the confusion.

how far are you looking ahead in the trees? i am always looking two or three turns ahead. i know i am going to clear a tight pair of trees without even looking at them because i already set myself up and i am looking through the trees for the next two turns. having that type of confidence really helps allow your technique to flow naturally such as you would experience on an open slope. just doesn't make sense you do okay in trees when the conditions suck but not in powder when you ski slower.

i would also suggest working on trees on lower angle tree runs. if you are skiing that bad abd almost hitting trees, you may want to take some challenge out of the factors and practice on more open and gentler pitched runs. control is the name of the game in the woods.

 

[awf170]

strange you have no trouble outside of the glade on powder but trouble inside the glade. there really is no difference in powder skiing technique, you are just forced to turn because of obstacles in glades. you also say you are fine in glades when it is packed powder instead of powder, which also seems at odds with the issue with powder. perhaps just a confidence issue? powder slows you down, so you should be moving slower and in more control in powder compared to packed snow which also adds to the confusion.

how far are you looking ahead in the trees? i am always looking two or three turns ahead. i know i am going to clear a tight pair of trees without even looking at them because i already set myself up and i am looking through the trees for the next two turns. having that type of confidence really helps allow your technique to flow naturally such as you would experience on an open slope. just doesn't make sense you do okay in trees when the conditions suck but not in powder when you ski slower.

i would also suggest working on trees on lower angle tree runs. if you are skiing that bad abd almost hitting trees, you may want to take some challenge out of the factors and practice on more open and gentler pitched runs. control is the name of the game in the woods.

thanks for the tips. A few things I think about it are that I can ski trails with deep powder because I dont take short turns at all, I'll ussually have a lot of speed. Another reasons that untracked glades may be hard for me is because I never get long streches of it, so before I can ever get in a groove I'm back in packed snow. About hitting trees, I was kinding just kidding, I am pretty out of control, but I good enough to avoid stuff like trees and people. I think the main thing is convidence like you said, because I am so scared to push myself for some reason, probably just because Im not used to it, this was my first time skiing glades with deep snow, but I have skiied glades with hardpack about 30 or so days(man I am unlucky :lol: ) I think I'll be at burke this week a couple of days so I'll hopefully be able to get some practice in.

 

[riverc0il]

definitely work on short powder turns on open slopes. you can't figure 11 a glade. glade skiing is all about making fine tune quick changes to correct your path. to me, skiing a tight glade is one of the ultimate masteries of a mountain, at least in the east.

 

[NHpowderhound]

Next time you're at Jay dont be afraid to swallow some pride and practice in Bushwhacker. North Glade is a great glade that gets overlooked alot and can offer nice snow in the afternoon when other glades seem to have been tracked out. But I wouldnt reccomend practicing in there as it has a couple of steep spots that may be a bit intimidating.
Look ahead several turns and ski with confidence. Break the run up into 5-10 tuns at a time and stop in between to give yourself time to see lines open up. Just dont stop on the blind side of a drop or in the middle of a line 'cause I might land on top of you :wink: .
((*
*))NHPH

 

[awf170]

Next time you're at Jay dont be afraid to swallow some pride and practice in Bushwhacker. North Glade is a great glade that gets overlooked alot and can offer nice snow in the afternoon when other glades seem to have been tracked out. But I wouldnt reccomend practicing in there as it has a couple of steep spots that may be a bit intimidating.
Look ahead several turns and ski with confidence. Break the run up into 5-10 tuns at a time and stop in between to give yourself time to see lines open up. Just dont stop on the blind side of a drop or in the middle of a line 'cause I might land on top of you :wink: .
((*
*))NHPH

I did bushwacker a ton of times yesterday. I did goat run to north glade to bushwacker my last 3 or 4 runs. Bushwacker is a little too flat though to practice untracked, I did get into some untracked but there were so many sketchy stream crossing that I had to get way into the backseat or I would fall on my face.


Also when I talk about having trouble in deep powder, I mean pretty deep, under 1 ft I'm okay. 1-2 ft I get worse, then once I get into about 2 ft of powder it gets really hard for me.


I wish the videos of me came out, because then i good have you guys give me some better tips, but I couldnt explain good enough how to do it in the middle of the glade to my dad.

 

[bigbog]

....

awf170,
$.02... Remember that to complete turns with the ski giving you some rebound....you can't rush or force the turns(especially in powder)...you wanna transition from the previous turn right into the next...then take your time and let the ski load. Your mentioning of more success in PP in the trees kind of speaks to the issue of taking too long in transitions, particularly with a wider ski = more time than a ~70mm ski. PP offers more resistance and thus you can initiate a turn much quicker...even a 90mm fattie. When transitioning without keeping your COM in the frontseat..we lose connections with staying in balance and get on the tails...and then have to tussle a little to 1) get back into the frontseat and 2) FORCE the initiation of a new turn...
In deeper powder I have little experience;-), but the added surface resistance of deep snow will only slow down things...so again, I'd look into transitioning not into a deadzone thus creating stop & start points, but go directly into the Next turn...

more like $.01...
Hope something rings a bell...with something;-)
SteveD

 

[deadheadskier]

I agree with River on looking downhill. I also think that equipment is somewhat important. When you're blessed with being on the hill on a powder day, what are you riding? I can certainly ski the woods reasonably well on my single X bandits, but not nearly as well or effortlessly would be a better term as I can on my Axioms.

My suggestion though for building upon this skill is when you have a day of deep powder - instead of salivating on the woods - head for the bumps. You mention that when you ski open terrain, you are arcing out large turns at high speeds and not making short turns. Skiing in the bumps, forces you to make those tight turns. Also, as River said concerning glades, the same can be applied when you ski bumps, when you are skiing them well, you're always looking several turns down hill.

Skiing in the woods is very similar to bumps - if you envision the woods like you do a mogul field and try and follow 'natures' zipperline - things seem much more wide open. You stop focusing on the trees themselves and more on the open spaces, much like you do in moguls where you focus on the line in the troughs as opposed to the tops of the actual moguls.

 

[awf170]

I agree with River on looking downhill. I also think that equipment is somewhat important. When you're blessed with being on the hill on a powder day, what are you riding? I can certainly ski the woods reasonably well on my single X bandits, but not nearly as well or effortlessly would be a better term as I can on my Axioms.

I got blue noodles...
Axioms whats the waist on those, like 110mm right?


Thanks for the tips everyone, I defiantly have some stuff to work on next time I get a powder day.

 

[smootharc]

I would echo thoughts....

.....regarding looking "through" the openings in the trees well down the pitch to avoid "target fixation", a well known detriment to success in many sports, but most probably noticeable in motor sports. Race drivers and riders eyes are usually many "segments" (curve or otherwise) "ahead" of their machines. And, more importantly, if an unanticipated obstacle (or say a tree/stump/branch/rock for a skier) enters their path, they do not look at it (or they WILL come into contact with it), but they look past it to exactly where they want to end up.

Ski racers eyes are waaaay ahead of their bodies, and you could think of the flags as their "trees". Getting in the back seat is probably a symptom (reaction) and not a cause (discomfort due to speed/line problems). Deeper powder's breaking/friction should really be a help and be your friend.

Stick with it....you'll break through, laugh, and say "Ahaaa.....I get it". Good luck.

P.S. If you have a chance, attach yourself to a comfortible tree skier you know, tell them you'd like to echo his/her line, and perhaps that will help. You'd be able to worry less about line picking, and just feel what a smooth ride/line feel like.