Your Best "How To Ski Powder" Tips

[tekweezle]

biggest issue I had in the beginning was trying to carve and use techniques that might work on groomers and firm snow. I realized after a while that Powder is a totally different surface and requires a slight modification of what you already know.

Aside from the 2 footed neutral stance, I use my pole plant to initiate turns on regular slopes but on powder it;s so hard to stay forward that i use a double pole plant to start those turns.

practice makes perfect. I used to hate skiing on the edge of trails but now I practice on the loose snow every chance i get.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Powder

tekweezel, skiing the edges of trails is great practice for many reasons including getting comfortable with "powdery" conditions. But, don't confuse "powdery" with real POWDER. I think most of us are talking about conditions where you basically cannot see your legs from at least the knees down. In fact, really deep powder means you don't really feel a "bottom." You just have to keep moving and stay afloat!

 

[Geoff]

My last 2 ski days in August were in 8 feet of untracked powder in Chile. I'm still smiling....


To start with, you need the skills to be able to carve linked turns in the fall line on packed powder with your shoulders square to the fall line. No skidding. This point got captured several times in this thread.

Proper equipment really does help. On huge powder days, I use heli-skiing boards with a 95 mm waist. I've never used these skis on the east coast. My everyday skis have an 84 mm waist and work wonderfully in eastern powder and most western lift-service powder.

In truly deep powder, the main thing you have to do is commit to the fall line. If you start with your shoulders not square to the fall line, you'll flail. If you rotate your shoulders during a turn, you'll flail. If you drop your hand in the turn, you'll flail. The steeper the terrain, the more important this becomes.

There are a few side skills I've picked up from heli-ski and cat skiing guides you need to learn in deep powder skiing:

With snow more than a foot deep, you want powder cords attached to your ski brakes. A powder cord is ~ 10 feet long. I attach the other end under the velcro power straps on my ski boots so on most falls, the cord is still attached to my boot.

If you do lose a ski, use the other ski as a probe. Sweep it back and forth across the trail. Poking for a lost ski with a ski pole is useless.

The way you get back in your bindings in deep powder is to clean everything and cock the binding, insert the ski in the snow tail first, push it over 45 degrees, and step in.

If you fall in the flats in truly deep powder, make an X with your two ski poles. Grasp your hand in the middle of the X, and use the poles as a "snowshoe" to push yourself back up.

If you haven't been through avalanche training, the rule of thumb is that terrain that's less than 30 degrees usually doesn't slide. When I'm in the back country without a guide, gear, and transponders, I stick to the 30 degree rule. I also make sure I'm never below anybody who is skiing a face that's steeper than 30 degrees since they can kick off a slide that can kill me. (I had a close call last August.)

Personally, I find it far more difficult to ski in cut-up powder. You're constantly going through the fast-slow thing where you speed up when you hit tracks and slow back down when you hit a clump. That really shows whether you are properly centered or not.

 

[catskills]

The best advice on this thread so far is:

Head to SLC for a couple of weeks of deep pow therapy!

The worse advice:

Powder is overrated. You should just stay on groomed trails and stay out of the woods.

Advice not prviously mentioned here is:

On a powder day don't go to a mountain that likes to groom 99% of the trails. Go to a mountain that will not groom MOST most trails on an 18+ inch powder day.

Most important is don't forget to YELL and SCREAM real loud so the whole world can hear you when you ski powder. Yell something like this is the best ___ I have ever had. You can fill in the blank with whatever you want like the word "POW" or any other 3 letter word that you think of. Words "YEAH HAH" works also.

Also you must always smile on powder days.

Don't forget POWDER DAY RULE 101: On powder days grumpy face :x or sad face will result in immediate escort off the mountain.

I think that about covers everything. Now all we need is some powder.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Powder

Catskills I totally forgot about YELLING when you get a "face shot" of powder. It seems to be an absolutely natural reaction that many people have as they hit some "freshies." You don't actually need to be articulate, any sort of joyous uttering will do.

 

[Nancy]

Well, it was a powder day today at Loveland (at least in spots!), but since it was my first day back from an injury, I stuck with those happy groomers. My ankle and foot were FINE and the powder was definitely calling me but I wanted to make sure all my parts were going to cooperate on groomers before I try new stuff.

Soon, boys and girls, very very soon! I'll make ya proud!

 

[riverc0il]

when ever i am blessed with a face shot, i am usually too stunned and eleated to do anything. it's only after a few seconds pass and i realized what happened that i break out in hysterical laughter. that is the best, uncontrolable hysterical laughter that simply can not be stopped. you just go on and on and until you finally stop and wonder what in the world could be so funny about a powder shot. that's great. yelling and hollaring are required any time you hit great snow and make some awesome turns. powder turns provide especially greatful praise to the snow gods. make sure you offer praise when you get the blessed pow pow. make sure mother nature hears you enjoying her bountiful blessing. it is good to show your appreciation in that manner.

 

[Lostone]

Did you ever stop and listen on a powder day?

You can hear people halfway across the mountain!


"Yeeeee Haw!"

No... :blink: This can not be a good thing! :blink:




:lol:



.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Powder

I'm starting to feel that we are OBSESSING here.

 

[riverc0il]

Did you ever stop and listen on a powder day?

You can hear people halfway across the mountain!

sometimes if you seek out the right places on the mountain, when you stop and listen you hear nothing but absolute silence. now that is a truly amazing combination.

i wouldn't call this obsessing as much as reflecting.

:beer:

though we certainly have stopped giving advice for Nancy, thats for sure! actually Nancy, you may want to reconsider your desire to learn pow. as you can see, it has the potential to drive you nuts when you don't get it :lol:

 

[skibum1321]

The worse advice:

Powder is overrated. You should just stay on groomed trails and stay out of the woods.

I was obviously kidding.

 

[salida]

Did you ever stop and listen on a powder day?

You can hear people halfway across the mountain!

man... I don't know what you guys do on powder days, but I tend to ski instead of smelling the flowers. Just my preferecne!!!

 

[vtskibum]

My best powder advice...

besides stay home so I can have it all.....

is take a private lesson on a powder day. With only 25 days under your belt you are still adopting you skiing style and technique (of course with 40 years under my belt so am I). The bottom line, you have to adjust your skiing technique for powder based on how you ski and your comfort zone. Let an expert help you (and btw, I am no expert).

oh yeah, remember to hoot and howl

 

[tekweezle]

tekweezel, skiing the edges of trails is great practice for many reasons including getting comfortable with "powdery" conditions. But, don't confuse "powdery" with real POWDER. I think most of us are talking about conditions where you basically cannot see your legs from at least the knees down. In fact, really deep powder means you don't really feel a "bottom." You just have to keep moving and stay afloat!

i have skied in real west coast powder. it was interesting to watch all the people in my ski class up in whistler flail around once we got off the groomed into one of the back bowls.

not often enough here on the east coast though.

 

[Geoff]

tekweezel, skiing the edges of trails is great practice for many reasons including getting comfortable with "powdery" conditions. But, don't confuse "powdery" with real POWDER. I think most of us are talking about conditions where you basically cannot see your legs from at least the knees down. In fact, really deep powder means you don't really feel a "bottom." You just have to keep moving and stay afloat!

i have skied in real west coast powder. it was interesting to watch all the people in my ski class up in whistler flail around once we got off the groomed into one of the back bowls.

not often enough here on the east coast though.

I've skied "real west coast powder", too. I remember a run down McConkey's at Whistler in untracked thigh-deep sludge. It was pouring rain in the village and the snow line was the base of the Blue chair where the Harmony Express is now. Three feet of that stuff over a steep bump run is one of the more challenging conditions I've ever seen.

 

[Nancy]

Re: My best powder advice...

besides stay home so I can have it all.....

is take a private lesson on a powder day. With only 25 days under your belt you are still adopting you skiing style and technique (of course with 40 years under my belt so am I). The bottom line, you have to adjust your skiing technique for powder based on how you ski and your comfort zone. Let an expert help you (and btw, I am no expert).

oh yeah, remember to hoot and howl

Happy to share the powder with you!

Definitely good idea on the private lesson. Expensive out here (yikes!) but it may be the only way I get it without it getting me!

And not to worry, I already hoot and howl...you should have heard me yesterday!! Smiled the whole way there, on every run, on every lift, the whole way back home and even back at work, and THAT's saying something (the work part!)!

 

[tekweezle]

It was pouring rain in the village and the snow line was the base of the Blue chair where the Harmony Express is now. Three feet of that stuff over a steep bump run is one of the more challenging conditions I've ever seen.

sounds like my trip last january and in 2002!

in the 2002 trip, it was raining so hard that they discouraged us from going up even though the gondola was only going up only halfway. however, it was all snow and midway up whiich surprised me. initially it was really tough for me but after getting the hang of it, it was easily one of the best ski days i ever had.