Tips for skiing powder?

[geepers]

Are you gearing up for your winter?

Waiting on the weather.... <2 weeks to opening...

Saw a song about this state of affairs in the humor thread.

But this would be a tough one for me.

Just keep upping the beer penalty for non-conformance.

It's a safety issue, really. See, the more fresh lines we can get out of the groomers, the later we need to go seeking out untracked tree runs where all manner of disguised obstacles may be lurking. So you owe it to your snow buddies.

 

[PTskier]

I'm a meander-er. I tend to wander across the hill in various places looking for particular terrain features or snow conditions. Granted this is mostly on groomers,

Yes, and...as long as you find what you like and at the same time try to save some good stuff for others. Nothing is as bad as the snowboarder who sideslips all the way down the fresh powder....

When you meander, you do look uphill to be sure the way is clear? I have the right to pass, I try to pass safely, and if you zig in front of me, I don't feel guilty when I knock you down. Give me a chance to miss you.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

The last guy who knocked me down because he was going to hit trees if he passed cost his insurance companies a quarter million dollars. You have no "right to pass" and you should not be making such suggestions on a forum section aimed at newer skiers.

 

[KingGrump]

I have the right to pass,

Dude, you're in my line.

Don't remember seeing that one in the skier's code. .

 

[T-Square]

... ... ...
When you meander, you do look uphill to be sure the way is clear? I have the right to pass, I try to pass safely, and if you zig in front of me, I don't feel guilty when I knock you down. Give me a chance to miss you.

Well, this statement is completely against the Responsibility Code. This is a good reason to reinforce what is actually said in the code. Here’s the it is:

Seven Points to Your Responsibility Code

1. Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
3. You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
5. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
7. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

KNOW THE CODE: IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.​

This is from the NSAA website. http://www.nsaa.org/safety-programs/responsibility-code/

So, you don’t have an absolute right to pass. As the uphill skier you have the responsibility to pass safely. If you can’t do it safely, slow down and stay behind that individual until you can pass safely. If you have to stop, then stop.

 

[dbostedo]

Yes, and...as long as you find what you like and at the same time try to save some good stuff for others. Nothing is as bad as the snowboarder who sideslips all the way down the fresh powder....

When you meander, you do look uphill to be sure the way is clear? I have the right to pass, I try to pass safely, and if you zig in front of me, I don't feel guilty when I knock you down. Give me a chance to miss you.

As others ^^^ have mentioned above, you have to be careful about saying you have the right to pass. I have a right to turn where I want, or sometimes where I need to.

I understand what you mean; And I do check uphill fairly often out of friendliness and consideration - not because it's my responsibility. I also frequently slow way down or stop on a hill, to wait for others to clear before continuing because I didn't feel I could pass safely (which for me usually means giving them at least 30 or 40 feet of space.)

 

[Seldomski]

"Stay Low, Be Powerful."

This is a way to help stabilize against torque from the irregular snow on your feet. However, I think there are less taxing ways to stabilize the skis. For me, I find it better to think "always be turning" when the snow is variable. This keeps the skis on edge and makes for a more stable platform. If I'm not in charge of the ski edges, the snow will take charge instead. And this can be disastrous!

 

[Monique]

I understand what you mean; And I do check uphill fairly often out of friendliness and consideration - not because it's my responsibility.

I try to check uphill regularly for the same reason I check all lanes before turning, even though I have a green arrow.

 

[James]

You should check uphill out of self preservation. A collision with an adult at any sort of speed is going to be bad. If you hit a child, even if you're "right", you're going to feel bad.

 

[geepers]

I have the right to pass, I try to pass safely, and if you zig in front of me, I don't feel guilty when I knock you down. Give me a chance to miss you.

Not cool. People get seriously injured and even killed in collisions.

If the pitch is wide enough then there should be no problem giving the lower skier a wide berth. If the pitch is narrow then won't hurt to wait a few seconds.

 

[Philpug]

Not cool. People get seriously injured and even killed in collisions.

You are absolutely correct, that is NOT cool and completely unacceptable. As referenced by @T-Square...

Well, this statement is completely against the Responsibility Code. This is a good reason to reinforce what is actually said in the code. Here’s the it is:

Seven Points to Your Responsibility Code

1. Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
3. You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
5. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
7. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

KNOW THE CODE: IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.​

​

 

[Pete in Idaho]

Powder skiing my driveway.

Big Red Cats Rossland BC (my tracks are skiers right side)

Skiing with Tricia at ESA Big Sky

And skied powder out of this bad boy, Out of Panorama BC

Just read all 9 pages, some good information.

QUOTE="Crank, post: 206381, member: 446"]I guess I am not like you guys. I tend to change my technique for different conditions and different terrain as well.

Found it odd that Crank was the only one who stated this and I certainly agree. Ski the slow line fast or the fast line slow, certain quick resilency in the trees, speed in the bowlw, throttle back in the fog. I sure do change what I do all the time.

Jeff -

I was ecstatic to see Bob's post. He posted wonderful threads on a previous forum and I missed his posts after its demise. Its great to see him here.

AGREE,AGREE Bob Barnes is quite a guy and posts great information.

This came up in my news feed, low angle trees and a little bit of fresh powder

Nice skiing in the trees Tricia. I too started at the Big Sky ESA and Squatty was great. Fun Days

The only sorta statement I disagree with is that if you can ski a groomer with good technique then you can ski powder the same way. This was told to me numerous times and I have learned that this is a falsehood. Having raced, during the Stenmark reign, I was an independent , load up the downhill ski guy. This does not work in powder which I learned with numerous face plants. If you load up the downhill ski it goes the direction you want it to go but the uphill ski seeks "variable" directions.

Since learning the powder basics stated here I have really enjoyed the ride.

 

[jseeski]

Interesting thread, still going nearly two years later.

Bob Barnes said it best in post #115.

Balance, as always, is huge. Ski centered, shin touching the cuff but not driving the tips down. This places you in a position of control and allows you to drive the skis through variations in density.

Although the edges are not engaged to a firm surface, the angle of the ski relative to the snow controls your platform and it is still necessary to release to initiate a new turn. Hence, my signature, in all conditions.

Down or up unweighting, while a fun enhancement to anyone's powder skiing, is not necessary. A ski tipped toward its downhill edge will still drop nicely into a turn, even if it is buried under 3 feet of snow. Attempting to teach bounce to a new powder skier adds movement complexity. Teach patience. Use patience in teaching, too. Tip the ski, allow the turn.

Powder turns will be longer. Tail follows tip. Resist the impulse to push the ski into the turn. Guide, don't twist. Patience.

There's more, of course. This is just a start, which I believe was the subject of the OP.

"Bouncing" or unweighting of various kinds can be useful, effective and fun, but it's not necessary when you're still trying to figure out powder for the first (or third) time. Relax, tip the skis, let them turn. With unweighting (retraction is my favorite) it is possible to guide the tips more aggressively, but you need to be ready to balance the forces that a more rapid change in direction will generate.

FWIW (not much), my first powder was at Berthoud Pass on a pair of 203cm Omesofts. Narrow by today's standards, but a reasonable choice for powder in those days. Since then, I've skied a fair amount of powder. The most I've ever skied on a "narrow" ski was 3 feet of untouched on a pair with 78mm underfoot. Since then, I've gone wider, using 96mm, 106mm and 115mm at various times. My daily driver in a place known for powder is 96mm. In my avatar picture, I'm on a low angle slope wearing 78mm skis.

 

[Castle Dave]

I think this photo of my wife might illustrate jseeki's point about the angle of the skis to form a platform.

 

[Henry]

Powder turns will be longer....Resist the impulse to push the ski into the turn. Guide, don't twist. Patience.

Oh, yeah.

The tempo of one's skiing is now determined by the snow, not by the skier. The deeper one is down in the snow, the more patience needed. Balance, tip the skis on edge as shown above by Dave's adult supervision, have patience. End the turn by relaxing both legs. The skis will flatten & rise, then tip them to the other side. The pic above of Pete's driveway skiing shows a more difficult situation than if he'd turned left and skied down the hill. Flatter slopes require better balance and more patience. Steeper is easier...to a point.

One thing about Dave's Mrs....if she tries what she's doing but with her inside hand & shoulder a bit higher & more forward and the outside hand & shoulder a bit back, she might like the result. The edging she's doing will come even more easily.

 

[RobSN]

Not cool. People get seriously injured and even killed in collisions.

And it's not just the idiots crashing into you: here is a true life reason for paying attention to the responsibility code. I was skiing fast, as is my wont, on a wide wide groomed blue in Beaver Creek - no-one near or below me so I was really shifting. I was approaching a large clump of trees on the side of the run so was just about to make a turn when two effing idiots out of control came flying up from behind me and crossed, one of them skiing over the backs of my skis. That threw my tips up and I found myself flying at the trees. I landed at high speed and just managed the hardest turn of my life to stop. Meanwhile the little sh!ts had carried on down the mountain, perhaps oblivious to the fact that they had very nearly killed me. If I had found them I would probably be typing this from Death Row. There's a reason for the code.

 

[David]

The last guy who knocked me down because he was going to hit trees if he passed cost his insurance companies a quarter million dollars. You have no "right to pass" and you should not be making such suggestions on a forum section aimed at newer skiers.

So are you saying we can never pass? If I'm passing and giving someone a lot of room and they suddenly decide to make a sharp turn away from what they've been doing then they better look first! If they don't and get hit then I agree it's their own fault.

 

[KingGrump]

So are you saying we can never pass? If I'm passing and giving someone a lot of room and they suddenly decide to make a sharp turn away from what they've been doing then they better look first! If they don't and get hit then I agree it's their own fault.

Not according to Skier's Responsibility Code posted on the National Ski Area Association web site.
Please consider code items #1 and #2.

Seven Points to Your Responsibility Code

1. Always stay in control, and be able to stop or avoid other people or objects.
2. People ahead of you have the right of way. It is your responsibility to avoid them.
3. You must not stop where you obstruct a trail, or are not visible from above.
4. Whenever starting downhill or merging into a trail, look uphill and yield to others.
5. Always use devices to help prevent runaway equipment.
6. Observe all posted signs and warnings. Keep off closed trails and out of closed areas.
7. Prior to using any lift, you must have the knowledge and ability to load, ride and unload safely.

 

[Tony S]

Oh no. Not this again. Red and gray.

 

[dbostedo]

So are you saying we can never pass? If I'm passing and giving someone a lot of room and they suddenly decide to make a sharp turn away from what they've been doing then they better look first! If they don't and get hit then I agree it's their own fault.

Think of it this way... if they can suddenly turn and hit you, then you are not passing safely and are violating the code. It's entirely your responsibility as the overtaking or passing skier.