Skiing Powder

Ian Wickham wrote:

Snapzzz wrote:Thanks ally for that, I was just about to start a thread asking all that.

One question though. How does one cope with the transition from piste to powder?
As soon as I go off the edge off the piste into the deeper stuff at the side it's like hitting toffee and I nearly face plant every time.

I have been threatning to have a powder lesson for some time but have not experienced good enough conditions ... so I wait .... maybe this season.... maybe next....who knows but I have a good feeling :wink:

Stewart will show you how to do powder in st Anton. He loves it

Tony_H wrote:

Ian Wickham wrote:

Snapzzz wrote:Thanks ally for that, I was just about to start a thread asking all that.

One question though. How does one cope with the transition from piste to powder?
As soon as I go off the edge off the piste into the deeper stuff at the side it's like hitting toffee and I nearly face plant every time.

I have been threatning to have a powder lesson for some time but have not experienced good enough conditions ... so I wait .... maybe this season.... maybe next....who knows but I have a good feeling :wink:

Stewart will show you how to do powder in st Anton. He loves it

I can't wait ....... :lol:

Ha,,,,,powder ! The dream of many skiers! Skiing powder!

Here are a few "hints" !

First above all you must change your mind set! That is you must think of powder ( +40 cm. or more ) as water ON WHICH you must ski. NOT in the powder !
Think of a speed boat,,,there is a speed at which this boat LIFTS out of the water and skims ON the water! Windsurfers, surfers and sailors know this well! Rather than plow in the powder,,you float on the powder!

This takes some courage since there will be a little voice inside your head saying, "fool,,,,you are going too fast,,,,,STOPPPPPP,,,what are you doing " ! That voice does not know yet hat you are IN powder and you need speed to get on TOP of the powder! That is the mind set you must change! It is dramatic and for some impossible since they are yet not sure of themselves and do not believe they can do it! They equate speed with danger, speed with reckless skiers!

Sorry but in powder you need some speed!

So change mind set. Believe in yourself! You can do it!


Second.
Skiing strategy must change. Note I did not say, "ski technique" but skiing strategy! That is the way you plan you "ski line"! How you ski down slope!
In powder it is fall line skiing. That is straight as much as your heart and mind ( that little voice inside) will allow!
I often see this inner battle as I guide first time powder skiers! These are great skiers in groomed slopes and I tell them to take the fall line,,but as they reach their level of "stress, of inner desire" they will make fast cross-hill turns! Then they can not on next turn get back to fall line because they have slowed down..sunk INTO powder and now snow has "eaten them up" ! They fall !
You will discover that in powder snow you slow down very fast if you do not go down fall line!
Believe in your skiing abilities! Besides it is great fun to fall and be caressed by thousands of snowflakes! They are delicious ( I have tasted many) !

Third
Do not believe "experts" who tell you to lean back on ski tails! Stay in "sweet spot" of ski!

Fourth
Keep legs together! For two years I was teaching a 69 year old man how to carve. he became great on hard packed well groomed slopes! In fact I had to tell him to slow down.
Then he tries powder ( not serious powder) ! Powder just up to knees! Soft, new new powder!
Told him to keep skis together and go down fall line !

In 5 minutes I hear hard loud cursing! Heard words I will not repeat here ( since Dave will censor most of them )! Heard a man "upset with himself" !

It is a new "medium" ! You must adjust ! An effective skier does not have one style, one way to ski! You adjust to nature,,,since nature will never adjust to you!

No more edge sets ( à la carve )! Think of pushing down both skis to side on "down cycle" and allow skis to push you UP on the rebound! You will discover a "rythm"! That up and down rythme the skis create !

Finally
If you can,,,get powder skis. Not the radical +115mm 190cm monsters with full rackers, but the 80-100 mm. entry powder skis with rocker in FRONT and some mild rockers in tails! I have tried the various types. I have three which I love and lend to skiing friends!
The powder beginners I give them the Rossi S3! Soft mild entry ski at 177 cm.

For the better powder skiers the Watea 100 is great and finally for the "boys' who have good heart and great desire,,I reserve then the Blizzard Cochise! Amazing skis is all I will say !

Get some type of powder ski! Trust me,,,,you will float not only physically,,but you will remember that first perfect top to bottom powder rush you got! It is like your first,,,,,,as a young man !

Hope this helps you !

Oh,,,,,one more hint!

Has you go down that very first great, great fall line run with those Cochise,,,keep your mouth closed ( in your happiness ) since you will discover that thousands of snow flakes love to get into your mouth !

Happy powder skiing !

Pavel

It is not very dissimilar to skiing hard-packed piste. You shouldn't be leaning back, shins must be always touching boots and your weight should be equally distributed over your skis. Also, if you will be renting skis you can get rockered skis that make powder skiing easier. I have Armada JJ's and they literally ski themselves:) You may also consider taking a lesson. There will definitely be some powder about, and another benefitt of powder lessons is that instructors will know all the powder stashes.

Reading Pavels post brings back some memories to me of how I approached skiing powder and off piste the first few times. Like many people, I believe it would be right to lean back more and lift the tails, but thats only any good if you're doddering along at a slow pace, which the first few times you only feel comfortable doing because of that damned voice in your head he mentioned screaming at you to slow down as you feel out of control.
There is a fear in some peoples minds. Fear of the unknown. I think it lies in what you think might be in what you cant see, if that makes sense?
First time in deep snow people panic because you cant see you skis. But who the hell is skiing looking at their skis in the first place? If you are, stop it. Immediately!

Like Ian, I keep meaning to take powder lessons, but havent got round to it. I keep trying to practise at every opportunity myself, and havent yet been able to really let go like Pavel suggests. Damn that little voice.

I even ski on the right kind of skis Pavel suggests; 82m underfoot so they will float sufficiently, but also narrow enough to zip about on the pistes.

This coming season I hope to have a real go at letting go and skiing fast in powder down the fall line. I'm sure there will be some quality moments captured on film.....

Tony,
Your dream come true!
This will motivate you!

I have some;
Rosignol S3, Some Fischer Watea 100 and Blizzard Cochise 110,s waiting for you!

Just save up your money,,,,

One small hint about this issue which I forgot to mention!

The selection of the terrain.

For first time powder skiers I always select a place which has a "safety zone" !
Let me explain.

I have picked out in various ski centers and slope which has powder bowls or open slopes near to groomed runs!

If at any time skier feels "over come " or that inner voice is too loud,,,then skier can just traverse to safety,,,that groomed slope!

I place the weaker powder skiers closer to groomed slope and stronger skiers away from groomed slope!

On next run down I might re place skiers,,,,

After 5-6 powder runs,,skiers develope more confidence and that safety zone is "forgotten"! Most powder skiers then ask for more "virgin" snow,,,,I wait for this request and go to steeper,,,more distant zones! No one complains since they asked for the deeper, cleaner softer powder!

In psychological terms the technique it is called, "successive approximation" ! Great to condition lab animals as well as human beings !
With great respect to all powder skiers,
Pavel

I tried my first deep powder just before Xmas and found the sensation of still moving whilst my skis had disappeared below the snow quite unnerving. I was fine until I slowed down in a slight dip and then, naturally, I fell over, face down with skis crossed behind me. Getting up again was almost impossible, no amount of probing with a ski pole could find the mountain to push against and I thought I may have to lay there until the Spring thaw!

I will try it again, when I have my strength back, but at least it was soft to fall on and I didn't even get soaked, which wasn't bad considering it took me 10 mins thrashing about to get upright again (the powder just evaporated from my clothing).

There is powder and powder. I am pretty bad at it. But it has been warm lower down in Austria, and I have seen any ski-able powder yet, just plenty fresh-looking snow which is hard packed, and really challenging, if not dangerous (as I discovered yesterday trying to ski to the car-park across a field! though it is possible to ski it is not fun). Last year at a higher resort, I headed straight into what looked fresh snow, and it was hard as a rock. Maybe at high altitudes there is real fresh powder. So I guess the first skill for a beginner to learn, though rarely mentioned here, is identifying good skiable fresh powder.