Powder cords, attachments, etc.

[RobSN]

My avatar is me on Omesoft 195s with Salomon 737 bindings at Vail in 1982. Back then I had red powder cords that had a plastic do-hick (<- this is likely the formal technical term) that could be put into the rear Salomon binding, and turned 90 degrees. The cord would then be attached to the binding, and one then tucked the rest of the cord under one's ski pants so that when one went A over T in the back bowls, the red cord would hopefully provide a way back to my (white) skis. Fast forward almost 40 years, and I bought some Renoun Citadels so as to get back to powder skiing in whatever the first season will be in the future. First item I noticed - the little slot in the Salomon bindings is no longer there - anyone know why??? Second, the problem of losing a ski in deep powder presumably still exists (and my Citadels have partly white top-sides). There was a thread about Powtales, but they've stopped doing business. What do people use these days, oops, the answer there is nothing. What did people use just recently when there was this "sport" called "skiing"?

 

[Bad Bob]

Personal choice is (because I am cheap) colored nylon parachute cord in about 10' lengths. I just tie a loop in one end and stuff them through the hole on the heel piece. Same as forever on stuffing them up your pant leg. They can do double duty for boot packing with skis if needed.

Cheap, easy, and multifunctional; 3 of my favorite things.

 

[tromano]

I bought some powder cords when I first moved to UT 13 years ago. They have been at the bottom of the junk box for 12 years. I never lost a ski in powder that couldn't be found within about 10 minutes. Only know one person who lost a ski and couldn't find it, it happened once on the first day the terrain was opened for the year and he had to wait until spring to hike up and find his skis. The ski went straight down and stopped where he fell 6 months previously.

 

[KingGrump]

Colorful surveyor tape.

 

[Rod9301]

I had powder cords till about 1998.

Then fat skis and bindings set at 11 make them superfluous.

You don't need them

 

[Brad J]

I put mine on the brake, only deployed once and worked fine.

 

[RobSN]

Thanks everyone! I think I'll just do a @KingGrump and use bright surveyor tape while hoping that @Rod9301's suggestion that they may well be superfluous lands up being true too!

 

[KingGrump]

The funny thing is I always carry couple spools of surveyor tape in my bag. Haven't actually tie them to my skis in like 10 years. I do carry them around in my pockets on a powder day nevertheless. Just in case. It's the thought that counts. I promise to use them when I get a powder day next season.

Full disclosure: I do what @Rod9301 prescribed. I normally ski on a DIN setting of 10 anyway. Chart said 7. No way.

 

[Mattadvproject]

In 20 years of ski instruction and guiding, I've only ever seen 1 lost ski. If you have an efficient search method, then most times you should be able to find your ski. I think powder cords are a lot of extra hassle, especially if you are skiing somewhere with a gondola. Another idea might to go with more modern technology if you are still really worried, then have a look at a digital tracker like a Resqski - http://www.resqski.com/. Not cheap but potentially less expensive than having to buy a new pair of skis or less hassle than powder cords.....

 

[mdf]

I lost a ski once that took almost 2 hours to find. I hit a rock, lost a ski, and sat down right away so I wouldn't be too far from the ski.
I looked through all the loose powder, all the way down to the groomer. Then I started digging through the exposed roots of the downed-tree next to the cut. Nope. Maybe it wasn't that rock. Look higher up. Nope. A kind passer-by helped me look. He came back an hour later and helped look for another 15 minutes. Look everywhere a second time. Starting to think about giving up.

Can you guess where it was?

Spoiler: Where was it?

When I sat down I landed on the ski, buried it and packed the snow over it. I thought that part of the trail was already packed when I arrived, so the ski couldn't be under it.

So after that I started carrying powder streamers. Never use them, though. They just take too long to fool with when you are skiing with other people.

 

[RobSN]

Full disclosure: I do what @Rod9301 prescribed. I normally ski on a DIN setting of 10 anyway. Chart said 7. No way.

Bleedin' 'eck! I'd be scared to have my DIN that high. My age adjusted DIN is 5, moving to 6 if I decide I'm more type 3 (which I did after the following fall). I only lost my skis once last season when I came down a run with @Andy Mink at a GPS watch recorded 63.4mph and put the brakes on at the bottom as there were other skiers perhaps 30-40 yards ahead. Popped both bindings leaving my skis nicely parallel at about 50-ish degrees maybe to the fall line while I continued at remarkable speeds tumbling. Didn't hurt myself, and didn't think much about it until the middle of the night for the next few nights when I realized I could have done myself some serious damage ...

 

[falcon_o]

I put a small loop of cord on the heel piece of my bindings then have a clip on the end of my powder cords allowing me to easily clip them on/off at lifts. A few years back on a group trip I ran to Whistler/Blackcomb I told all in my group to use powder cords especially as our first day started with 24" of new snow. One girl in the group lost a ski on the first run which took over an hour to find. Her powder straps were safely tucked in her pocket, uninstalled. If its deep well worth the effort.

 

[rustypouch]

Not an issue if you don't fall...

 

[falcon_o]

For me - fall NEVER - bone rattling crash more likely

 

[jmills115]

Full disclosure: I do what @Rod9301 prescribed. I normally ski on a DIN setting of 10 anyway. Chart said 7. No way.

Add me to this group. Chart says a 9, I ski a 12.

 

[Nobody]

Dynafit sells some on their site. I bought about 10 pairs (it was a "group buy"). Use them when going off piste. They attach to the ski stopper and the cord is tucked into the pants. "Tested" it once and found it very handy. Prior to that spent a whole lot of time searching for a lost ski , I would have never found it, it traveled downhill between two layers of snowfall -one the top one very soft and the one immediately under very hard and compact, for almost 50 mt. Luckily it ended up where one of my mates was waiting for me.
Usually I ski offpiste with bindings set to 8 (Marker Baron 12).

 

[graham418]

The funny thing is I always carry couple spools of surveyor tape in my bag. Haven't actually tie them to my skis in like 10 years. I do carry them around in my pockets on a powder day nevertheless. Just in case. It's the thought that counts. I promise to use them when I get a powder day next season.

Full disclosure: I do what @Rod9301 prescribed. I normally ski on a DIN setting of 10 anyway. Chart said 7. No way.

I do the same. Roll of orange tape in the bag. Haven't needed it in years. ( Is that like carrying an umbrella..it never rains. Maybe I should leave the tape at home!!)
And I turn up the bindings from 7 to 9. I find just skiing fast in the crud is enough to rip my skis off if I don't

 

[Henry]

To help find a buried ski...use the tail of the other ski like a knife blade to slice through the snow. It'll cover a lot of territory quickly until you hear that clunk.

Recco reflectors can be attached to skis. If the patrol had a detector available they wouldn't have that Salomon & Rossi & Head, etc., litter to clean up the next summer.

 

[ARL67]

My pal and I joined a small group with a guide in St. Anton this pas Feb, after a 3' powder dump that closed the resort the day before.

We I had a roll of orange trail-tape and some small carabiners to attach to our bindings. I asked the guide if need these powder cords. He mockingly said " What ?! People still use those ? ". I felt like a complete amateur ( which I am when it comes to pow ).

 

[Jilly]

Which reminds me @SkiNurse did you ever find your ski that you lost years ago?