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"Too much powder"...

hammer

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lol, this is so so very true.

I'm pat and i have a problem, i suck at powder skiing. I wont tell you how much i ripped up 3 feet, but i will tell you its the most fun i've had falling all over the place.
OK, I've seen videos of you skiing bumps and you look real good there...is it really a different skill set to handle powder?

You do have a good point, though...even if I fall more in powder it's fun, like playing in the snow when I was a kid.:-D
 

2knees

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OK, I've seen videos of you skiing bumps and you look real good there...is it really a different skill set to handle powder?

You do have a good point, though...even if I fall more in powder it's fun, like playing in the snow when I was a kid.:-D

bottomless powder, or powder with no base, i've only experienced 2 times. totally different skill set and my tendency to lock my skis together doesnt help. I can handle powder on a base no problem, its the lack of base that gets me. But its fun fun fun.

that and i spend far too much of my time skiing just moguls.
 

AdironRider

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You should get a snowboard. I get bottomless powder turns in as little as 4". Three feet just makes it that much better.
 

tekweezle

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skills to deal with powder-

go for the blue and black trails and avoid the flat green trails that haven;t been groomed. you need pitch and momentum to deal with the powder. after making 2-3 turns in a row and everything will turn easier.

don;t try to carve or put your skis on edge. stay centered on the flats of your skis(weight more on the center of the skis than on the head), skis moving together(not as independent as you might on groomed surfaces), hands outward and forward for balance, upper torso straight and ride the snow, occasionally kicking your skis outward(heel sliding?) to check your speed.

use a double pole plant if you have problems staying forward. because of the uneven surfaces, you will get thrown around a lot but that;s the fun and challenge of powder skiing!

oh yeah, get the skis waxed!

enjoy!
 

jaywbigred

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True, but most of the people I've heard complaining weren't beginners..

I wouldn't care, if they like to ski groomers I have no problem with that, except they complain to management who in turn mows down a perfectly fun trail... :(

Well, then you certainly have valid objections; if you are an advanced skier who cannot appreciate deep snow, you need to a) get your head checked, b) keep your mouth shut and perhaps c) think long and hard about defining yourself as advanced.
 

koreshot

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I love powder and bottomless skiing is great, but the more I think about it the more I am starting to understand why some people complaining.

3 things are critical in enjoying deep "bottomless" light powder days - terrain with good steepness, skills/experience with deep powder, proper equipment.

Terrain - majority of EC trails are not steep enough to enjoy bottomless powder skiing, other than straightlining. IMO you really need a 25 degrees or more of pitch to really ski deep light powder, which by EC standards is a double diamond run.

Skill and Experience - many good, advanced and expert skiers that usually ski on the EC don't have the luxury or the opportunity to practice their deep bottomless powder skills.

Proper Equipment - i know there are skiers out there that can ski deep powder on old school long skinny skis, but most advanced and expert powder skiers, like myself, today rely on wide powder skis. Given the lack of powder days on the EC, many don't own or have even tried wide (90mm+) boards.

Factor in one or two falls in 3 feet of snow and by the time you make it out of the powder and get your skis back on you are completely wet and exhausted. Therefore, I can see how some people might get frustrated yesterday, today and maybe tomorrow. Deep powder is not for everyone.

I wish I was up there right now instead of stuck in my cube, cause I would not be complaining... my Atomic Powder Pluses are sitting in the closet waiting for Saturday.
 

FRITOLAYGUY

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I cant understand how people can complain about too much powder, my first experience with that was 19 inches at Copper, my first year skiing and i fell on my face about 3 times in a row and at one point totally bit it and lost my ski under the powder, between that and actually standing back up and clicking back in it was probabaly about 20min, but u know what i never had as good a time skiing and falling into that white blanket and just laughing at myself as i did that day.
 

JimG.

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"Too much powder" is an idiotic statement, especially given the previously snowless nature of this season.

It's as idiotic as saying that there's too much sun at the beach.

Or that the grass is too green on a golf course.

Like I said before, alot of people lose focus if they don't hear themselves complaining incessantly. I ignore it.
 

dmc

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My big powder tip is to carry a second set of goggles...
 

from_the_NEK

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My big powder tip is to carry a second set of goggles...

I shoulda done that this morning. The hike up Burke got my clear goggles all foggy. Then they iced over in the very cold temps at the summit. By the time we skied down I could've been using my regular tinted goggles. Instead I was skiing through an icy haze (or maybe that was all powder in my face :lol: )
 

tekweezle

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another tip, bring wet weather gloves. on days when I know I am getting soaked, i wear snowboard gauntlets.
 

2knees

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i'll bring all my glasses and shoes.

that way i'll have them.


god i used to love the jerky boyz.
 

koreshot

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"Too much powder" is an idiotic statement, especially given the previously snowless nature of this season.

It's as idiotic as saying that there's too much sun at the beach.

Tell that to the thousands of people that have died in avalanches and tree wells. Just a couple of years ago I read a story of a skier in BC, I believe, skiing into a 13 foot wind drift, he was found dead some time later. That is too much powder in my opinion.

That said, 3 to 4 feet of snow is not too much powder at all in my book, but I can see how people skiing on greens and blues on skinny skis could think that.
 

JimG.

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Tell that to the thousands of people that have died in avalanches and tree wells. Just a couple of years ago I read a story of a skier in BC, I believe, skiing into a 13 foot wind drift, he was found dead some time later. That is too much powder in my opinion.

That said, 3 to 4 feet of snow is not too much powder at all in my book, but I can see how people skiing on greens and blues on skinny skis could think that.

Kore, BC is a whole different animal. We're not talking about BC conditions. The comment was made at a ski resort. Rarely is there uncontrolled avalanche danger at a ski area.

As for tree wells, you get those without 3-4 feet of snow. 1-2 feet will do. Is that too much snow too? To me, falling in a tree well and blaming it on the snow is like hitting a tree and blaming it on too many trees.

I stand by my statement...idiotic comment.
 

DEVO

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as I sit here in my office (while friends are off enjoying the powder day today), reading about those people complaining about "too much Snow", makes me want to kick those people in the nuts......
 

dmc

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as I sit here in my office (while friends are off enjoying the powder day today), reading about those people complaining about "too much Snow", makes me want to kick those people in the nuts......


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