Ski by Braille?

[Monique]

I don't know that there is any magic bullet. Just as powder can hide traps, so can poor visibility. You have to accept a certain amount of risk in either condition. It's just that powder is more fun, so the risk is easier to swallow.

Certainly people with good balance, good form, and moderate speed have a better chance of correcting. It sounds like you've already thought of all of that.

 

[oldschoolskier]

Something from old school. Hands wide and forward. Long poles tips slightly in and forward, truely a Braille feel as it initiates your turn. One reason I still ski long poles (hard crutch to break, never will actually).

This is reactive skiing at its best (worst )

One last thing relax and absorb otherwise it will beat the c&$p out of you.

 

[Eleeski]

I tried contacts under my goggles yesterday. Helped a bit. But my eyes hurt today. Perhaps giving my goggles to one of the kids halfway down the hill and having my eyes pelted might have been a factor. The unprotected eyes in the poor visibility really was Braille skiing.

Today was tough visibility. Absolute Braille skiing away from the trees. I just tried to be smooth and trust that the hill wouldn't fall away. Usually it didn't but the few times it did terrified me into keeping it as slow as I could.

Ski slow. A crappy tip but it's what I do.

Eric

 

[Monique]

By the by, when vis is poor, I head to the trees, which block the wind and provide contrast. I'm only in the poor vis long enough to get down. (Unless there's untracked powder etc etc and I'm choosing risk for the reward. But then I still look for the line with some visual aides.)

 

[mdf]

By the by, when vis is poor, I head to the trees, which block the wind and provide contrast. I'm only in the poor vis long enough to get down. (Unless there's untracked powder etc etc and I'm choosing risk for the reward. But then I still look for the line with some visual aides.)

Sure, trees are my go-to strategy too. But they aren't always available.

Another tactic is to follow another skier, using him/her as a "moving fog pole."

 

[SBrown]

Sure, trees are my go-to strategy too. But they aren't always available.

Another tactic is to follow another skier, using him/her as a "moving fog pole."

Heh, I remember when Uncle Louie sent me out in the Vail Back Bowls one time during a white-out, I felt more like the canary in a coal mine than a fog pole, but same thing I guess. I think he said, "Everyone follow her; if she drops off the side of a cliff, stop quickly."

 

[Monique]

Sure, trees are my go-to strategy too. But they aren't always available.

Another tactic is to follow another skier, using him/her as a "moving fog pole."

Yes. Especially if you know that that skier knows the terrain intimately and won't lead you into the rocks.

Hah. Reminds me of last season - I was with a small lesson group, and we skied into the powder of George's Thumb. It's a mellow pitch, but it has swaths of major shark fins. There's a specific route to follow. We had a conversation at the top to make sure everyone knew the line.

Well, I've noticed that people often follow a ski school group, seeming to think that ski school never skis anything challenging. Apparently some guy followed us, not knowing the line, and then went up and semi-bitched out our instructor for taking "him" down a dangerous run with rocks!

As I recall, it was a mixed conditions day with some clear and some so windy that I got vertigo standing still. But regardless, that run is dangerous if you don't know the line. I think @RachelV knew someone who hit the rocks and messed up their face that same weekend.

 

[Doug Briggs]

Lots of good ideas here. I was on top of Imperial ready to ski Wacky's when the clouds came in reducing visibility to nil. You could see your skis, but there was zero contrast to the snow under them.I skied a completely different route without the objective hazards. First, I skied sloooowly so that any incident would be low impact. Next, I just did some in the fall line brushed turns. Full 180 degree turns that resulted in nearly stopping after each turn. I maintained slightly more pressure on the outside ski but was balanced on both sufficiently that if something tried to force me off balance, I had a good base to work from.

 

[Josh Matta]

Find trees if possible, even on the thickest of day our trees seem to let you be able to see. ifs it really thick I just find an open as groomeed as possible slopes and ski it Blind. Ill close my eyes if its open enough so I do not get false information.

If its bumpy I purposely sit back on my heels and squat and stem step. There is no reason to get hurt when I have another day to ski.

 

[KevinF]

Another tactic is to follow another skier, using him/her as a "moving fog pole."

Ha! On an insanely low-vis day at Stowe earlier this year I was following a patroller down for this very reason; he was the only thing I could see!

He stopped to adjust some fencing, so I stopped as well ... He asked if I needed something (nope! Just for you to move on so that I can get my fog pole back!) but he said he was going to be a while, admitted that visibility was "ridiculous" and I resumed picking my way down the fog.

 

[James]

Quotes aren't working now.
As for not skiing fast in fog... Years ago I was shocked how fast racers were free skiing in fog at Les Deux Alpes. We couldn't see anything and these people were going pretty damn fast. We packed it in but it was scary trying to cross a trail with people coming through the fog at maybe 30mph. But that's a groomed flat trail- with lift towers.

Honestly, seeing Euros ski in fog last year at the Grands Montets in Chamonix got me thinking about the whole situation. Many really weren't that good but skied much faster and more confidently then I did. That's when I got the stop trying to see insight because that's what I kept trying to do and it wasn't working at all.

The freakiest situation is skiing up a side hill or incline and you don't know what's happening.

Following people. Be careful. I did that last year on a piste at Les Grand Montets. Vis was one pole-10-15m. At one stopping point the people I was following disappeared. It was very unclear which was the proper way to go now. Instead of guessing I followed another group of people who were just about to go out of view. Turned out we were now off piste and it was a guided English group. The guide let me join for the run which was nice because otherwise it would have been backtracking uphill in fog.

 

[Philpug]

Quotes aren't working now.

Seem to be.

 

[Monique]

Quotes intermittently don't work when there's a slow connection. Usually very temporary.

 

[KingGrump]

Many really weren't that good but skied much faster and more confidently then I did.

Ignorance is bliss.

 

[Plai]

Ignorance is bliss.

is that why I'm so "happy" ?!?

 

[KingGrump]

is that why I'm so "happy" ?!?

Since you are the OP, I would safely say you have passed the blissful ignorance stage (Unconscious incompetence).
I would guess you are currently muddling through the "knowledge is painful" stage (Conscious incompetence).

 

[Monique]

Ignorance is bliss.

I was skiing extremely fast and quite confidently right before I blew out my knee.

 

[James]

Ignorance has nothing to do with this. Nor does crashing at speed on a full vis day.

 

[Monique]

Ignorance has nothing to do with this. Nor does crashing at speed on a full vis day.

Pssh. How do you know my eyes were open?

(Okay, yes, they were open.)

Perhaps it's just a matter of trusting absorption. They probably have more practice dealing with it, just like east coast skiers have more practice dealing with ice?

 

[Bad Bob]

"Another tactic is to follow another skier, using him/her as a "moving fog pole."[/QUOTE]

If they crash, slow down.