If you ski, you should really try to experience a true powder day, at least once! If you have, you either loved it or you’re finding yourself wondering, how on earth do you ski powder? Powder skiing as the professionals do it isn’t for the faint of heart, but on a pristine powder day, anyone can have an amazing day if they have a general sense of just how to stay afloat in the deep snow. However, it is very different from skiing groomers. Because of this, there are several different techniques you’ll want to learn if you’re hoping to ski powder anytime soon.
What is powder skiing?
Powder skiing refers to skiing in light, fluffy (or powdered) snow. This snow is often deep and is not groomed, meaning that it will feel very different if you’re not used to it! Edges become less important and keeping the nose of your skis up while sinking your tails becomes the goal.
What to Wear
Because powder is light and will fly everywhere as you move through it, you will want to be covered up even more so than when you’re skiing groomers. Be sure you have a ski jacket that connects to your ski pants or ideally a pair of snow bibs. Moisture wicking base layer tops and bottoms are a good idea, too, in case you get any snow inside your jacket or pants. Last of all, you might want to also consider getting a magnetic facemask that connects to your goggles. Many pairs of Anon ski goggles have MFI (Magnetic Facemask Integration) technology that keeps everything seamlessly connected.
How to Ski Powder
As stated at the beginning, skiing in powder is a lot different than skiing on groomed slopes. The snow is deeper, which means that you will need to work harder in order to steer and stay in control of your movements. You will also get worn out faster when skiing in powder, so keep that in mind! And when you start to get tired, don’t push yourself.
With that said, here are some tips on how to ski powder:
Position: In general, when you’re learning how the most important thing to remember is that you will want to keep your tips up when skiing in powder so that they don’t dive down into the snow and cause you to get stuck or fall. Do this by focusing on keeping your weight shifted slightly back with your knees bent and core engaged. Powder skiing will take a lot of core strength so be prepared for sore muscles!
Turning: One of the big differences when learning how to ski powder is turning. On the groomers, you will turn with the edges of your skis. In powder, however, you will want to use your legs and body weight to initiate the turn since the snow is deep and you have to essentially push through it. Ski poles will also help you a lot with your turns and keeping up the momentum you need to keep moving!
Falling and getting up: Falling is bound to happen, especially as you’re learning how to ski powder. Thankfully, powder is soft and forgiving! When you do fall, you may find getting up in powder to be a challenge since your hands will just fall through the snow as you’re trying to push yourself up. What you can do instead is use your poles to help you. Cross them in an X shape and grab onto them where they cross. Then, stick them in the ground facing uphill and use them to help you stand.
Common Mistakes
- Not getting enough speed. Because powder is thick, you’ll need plenty of speed in order to stay “afloat” rather than just nose diving into the snow. One way to get enough speed is to let yourself stay in the fall line (facing downhill) for longer. This might feel uncomfortable at first since you’re likely not used to doing this on the groomers! However, this will be very beneficial when you’re learning how to ski powder.
- Too wide of a stance. You’ll want to have a narrow stance when learning how to ski powder. Having your skis too far apart may cause you to get stuck.
- Too much weight shifted back. Although you will generally want to keep your ski tips up and out of the snow when learning how to ski powder, having your weight shifted too far back may cause issues such as difficulty turning or the tips of the skis crossing and getting caught. If you find this happening, you may want to focus on keeping your weight more centered over your skis.
What if I cartwheel forward?
Nobody wants to cartwheel (also called “tomahawk”) down the slopes. This is a dangerous way to fall because it causes you to pick up more and more speed as you tumble downhill. Ideally, you will want to avoid this at all costs before it happens. You can avoid these dangerous tumbles by controlling your speed, not venturing onto too steep of slopes before you’re ready and letting yourself fall safely back instead when you feel yourself losing your balance.
However, in the event that you do cartwheel or tomahawk, the one thing you can do to reduce the severity of injuries is to relax your muscles to the best of your ability (this goes for any type of fall, too). This is also why it’s important to always wear a helmet while you’re skiing!
Final notes:
- If you want to ski true powder, be sure you hit the slopes early as you learn how to ski powder! As the temperature rises throughout the day and more people ski, the snow will likely start to stick and turn to moguls, which is very difficult to ski! When this happens, just call it, it’s not worth it for the faint of heart.
- Powder skis are not required for learning how to ski powder, however, they will make a WORLD of difference. If you have a good pair of all-mountain skis, that are more directional and wide, those should do the trick! However, if powder is what you most enjoy, you might want to consider investing in a good pair of powder-specific skis! Their wider bases help you to glide over the snow more easily. If you’ve got a pair that is already in need of an upgrade, park skis, or otherwise, you’ll get tired more quickly, and may not enjoy skiing powder.
- Last but not least, be sure you stop when you get tired! You may want to keep pushing yourself when learning how to ski powder but remember that you will get worn out more quickly! Skiing any terrain can be more dangerous when you’re fatigued, so listen to your body and stop when you’re feeling worn out.
