Powder skiing is arguably the best type of skiing.
Whether it’s because of the snow’s forgiving nature or its surf-like experience, there’s a reason skiers brag about the number of powder days they get each year.
So here is how to ski powder better, based on some tips I learned as a ski instructor and how to find the best, untracked powder.
How to Ski Powder
In college, I was a ski instructor for two seasons. I mainly taught adolescents and adults how to ski for the first time. But I did get the opportunity to ski with other high-level instructors on powder days. Here are 5 tips I learned from those years.
(Love skiing? Learn how to be a ski bum in the 21st century here.)
View this post on Instagram
Your Ski Gear Makes a Big Difference
We’ve all seen somebody skiing in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt some time in our lives, but I will let you in on a little secret, they were cold.
The proper gear makes a big difference, especially when you plan to ski powder. Here is a list of gear I recommend that will make your day better, in order of importance.
- Get Waterproof Outerwear – First, make sure you have a pair of waterproof pants, gloves, and a jacket. Outerwear is your primary line of defense against the cold snow. The best and most expensive option is something with Gore-Tex in the fabric, but you could also sub this for any garment with a DWR finish.
- Layer Well – Powder days are typically quite cold, so make sure you layer properly. I recommend starting with a moisture-wicking base layer, then add some form of insulation before you finish with your waterproof outerwear. You can learn more about layering here.
- Goggles Beat Sunglasses – Sunglasses are an excellent option for those sunny spring days. But they don’t cut it on stormy powder days. Get yourself a pair of goggles. They will keep the snow out of your eyes better and keep your face warmer. Bonus points if you get goggles with a low-light lens. This will help you see when it’s storming.
- Powder Skis are a Cheat Code – Lastly, buy or rent a pair of powder skis. The rocker, larger waist width, and longer length of modern-day powder skis make it easy to ski powder. These skis won’t sink as much as traditional skis, but that additional float makes it easier to pivot in deep snow quickly.
With your gear sorted, let’s talk about proper powder skiing technique.
Keep a Neutral Stance in Powder
In traditional skiing, you use a forward stance to weight the front of your skis and drive them into a turn. But when you ski powder, you want to keep a boot-neutral stance.
This neutral stance will help the tips of your skis float to the top of the snow, making it easier to turn. Think about evenly dividing the pressure in your boot between the front and the back of your leg.
Speed is Your Friend
Speed is your friend in powder. The faster you go, the easier it is for your skis to rise to the top of the snow. To go faster without putting yourself in danger, I recommend two different techniques.
First, ski the fall line, when you’re on top of a run, ski directly downhill. This will give you more speed than traversing back and forth across the run.
Second, try to widen the arc of your turns. Instead of making many sharp small turns try going a little faster and making larger arced turns. This will help you keep your speed up while giving you plenty of time in the turn to shed some speed if needed.
Getting ready to go skiing? Use these workouts to make sure you’re in shape for ski season.
Keep your Upper Body Still
The biggest mistake new skiers make in powder is trying to steer with their upper body. This is bad ski technique in general, but especially in powder when your skis are even slower to react.
Instead, keep your core tight and shoulders pointed straight downhill and turn with your knees and hips. As you pole plant, reach out in front of you like you’re grabbing a door handle and pulling it towards you. A still upper body will keep you nice and stable as you go down the run.
Look Where You Want to Go
Lastly, look where you want to go. It’s common for new skiers to look down and worry about what their skis are doing, but I encourage you to look downhill where you want to go.
This simple trick will help you ski faster and keep your upper body still, making it easier to ski the deep snow.
Where to Find Powder Skiing
So you want to ski powder, but where do you find this elusive snow?
The best place to ski powder is at either a cat-skiing or heli-skiing operation. These services will take you deep into the backcountry to ski untracked snow miles from civilization.
The second best way is to pick up backcountry skiing. This is dangerous and takes a lot of time to learn. But once you know how to navigate the mountains safely, you can tour out to an untracked slope and ski as many laps as your legs can handle.
Finally, you can ski powder at the ski resort. This one is tough though, there’s a lot of competition, and typically the best powder is on an obscure run away that’s tough to find. To have the best chance of skiing untracked snow, I recommend waking up early the night after it snows.
Then head to the mountain and talk to ski patrol about what aspects will ski best that day. They will tell you what direction the storm came in and give you a compass direction. Then head out, and ski runs that face the same direction ski patrol recommended.
It’s Worth It
Skiing powder requires that you wake up early, get lucky, and know how to ski it. But when all the cards line up perfectly, there is nothing like skiing untracked deep powder. Do you love skiing and want to stay up to date with the latest trends in the industry? Sign up for my email list, and I will email you every time I post a new article.
Comments are closed.