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Rod9301

Making fresh tracks
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Primarily the bouncing method is unnecessary.

You can ski powder with exactly the same technique you would use on a groomer:
Flex to release

Interestingly, lito 30 years ago recommended using down unweighing in powder, so not everyone bounced up and down.

And it's not just a few turns, you can use the flex to release technique in short turns at low speed.

Don't knock it until you try it.
 

firebanex

Making fresh tracks
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My wife is a pretty new skier and powder was something new, strange, and scary to her this year. Over the last few years I've realized that highly technical descriptions of technique were lost upon her and I now explain how to ski stuff with descriptions of what she should feel from her skis and body.

Pretty much I told her to say "poof" with every turn in powder. It got her to start being a bit more dynamic with her body and learn the bouncing way to turn in powder on her 90mm waist skis as she tried to make each turn into a poof of snow.
 

Tim Hodgson

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Lito video-2-350.jpg

... You can ski powder with exactly the same technique you would use on a groomer:
Flex to release

Interestingly, Lito 30 years ago recommended using down unweighting in powder, so not everyone bounced up and down.

And it's not just a few turns, you can use the flex to release technique in short turns at low speed.

Don't knock it until you try it.

Agreed. My wife and I watched it for the first time last night, on recommendation from another member of this forum. Simply the best instructional video I have ever seen. To Honor Lito's commitment to instruction I immediately went to his website and bought it for $29:

http://breakthroughonskis.com/ski-videos.html
 

PTskier

Been goin' downhill for years....
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Nothing new there. How To Ski The New French Way by Georges Joubert & Jean Vuarnet was published in 1970. It clearly described down-unweighting.

61HWXSwMz6L._SL500_SX364_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 

Kneale Brownson

Making fresh tracks forever on the other side
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My first ski school director (69-70 season) was a former French national team member. He spent a lot of time with me on flexing to an edge set to promote jetting and pivoting on flat skis, neither particularly germaine to the discussion of powder technique. But his focus on standing on both skis certainly was.
 

bigskymtnguy

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I haven't read through the other posts, so excuse me if I'm repeating information.

Demo some powder skis. It will make the transition easier.

Before I jump into a powder field, I tell myself "Stay Low, Be Powerful." May not be PSIA approved, but it works for me.
 

dbostedo

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I haven't read through the other posts, so excuse me if I'm repeating information.

Demo some powder skis. It will make the transition easier.

Before I jump into a powder field, I tell myself "Stay Low, Be Powerful." May not be PSIA approved, but it works for me.

The problem with that, however well it works for you, is that I'm not sure what you mean.

Stay low -> flex your knees more? bend at the waist more? no up movements?
Be powerful -> honestly, I have no idea what this means
 

Kneale Brownson

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I don't know how staying low helps anywhere except maybe for tree branches. If powerful means tensed, too much tension can restrict movements.
 

Doug Briggs

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I don't get low and powerful either. You get low to lower your center of mass to deal with variable forward speeds such as dealing with sticky snow. Powder, by definition is pretty regular, not erratic like wet spring snow. Powerful would be useful again for erratic speeds like in crud or chowder, but in powder you can be pretty loose.

Strong is when you have your muscles engaged but still limber and responsive so that if you need to resist the snow/skis you can but so you can also easily flex and move your balance as well. Strong is almost always good as it lets you deal with irregularities of terrain, snow and speed. 'Strong core' comes to mind; the strength of the core unifying your core and extremities so that they can respond as a supple, yet unified mass to help maintain momentum and position.

Low comes into play when you need to lower your COM. Low can help modify your strong core to deal with even more resistance to forward progress as a low COM is going to continue to move forward more than a high COM which might through you into the front seat.

Most powder conditions I have experienced allow you to ski very similarly to if you were on hard pack. Left / right ski balance is more even than on hard snow, but fore and aft and lateral balance is basically the same. Another variation from hard pack to powder skiing is to dorsiflex or lift your forefoot and toes to elevate the tips relative to the tails of the skis is handy for keeping your tips seeking the surface. This is decidedly NOT sitting back, but changing the angle of attack of the skis to help them pass through the snow.
 

Monique

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I don't recall if I posted in here, but for me, the difficulty with powder comes in trusting the snow. When I am skiing a groomer, the possible surprises are pretty limited. In powder (or any snow where you are skiing "in" rather than "on"), you don't really know what you're going to encounter. The density can change without warning, and there can be logs or sharkfins below. So I find myself in braking mode even when I try to tell myself to knock it off. Over time, I'm getting better, but it's still a challenge for me. But that feeling of gliding ... I'll detour even to ski a few feet on the side of greens and flats, just to feel that.
 

PTskier

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...I find myself in braking mode...
Bracing against your skis vs. balancing over your skis. The former is hard work and works poorly. The latter is easy, fun, and works very well.

That might be one way to remind one's self..."Am I bracing against my skis when I want to be balancing over them?"

Speed control in deep snow is easy. Balance over the skis while you put them more on edge, more angle, more angulation & counter of the body. Tighter balanced turns, then release and turn tightly the other way, and again, and again, and again.

To one of Doug's points...there is no need to bring the ski tips up to the surface of deep snow. Some skis will ride with the tips submerged all day; some skis will bring the tips up themselves. I suggest taking a straight run at easy speed in deep snow while pushing the feet a few inches forward then pulling the feet a few inches back. Find the point where your skis run really sweetly and remember that feeling of the boot cuff against your leg and the pressure location on the soles of your feet. Return to that as your home position in deep snow.
 
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Tricia

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I don't know how staying low helps anywhere except maybe for tree branches. If powerful means tensed, too much tension can restrict movements.

I don't get low and powerful either.
I'm in the same camp
Everything that seems to work for me in powder is light footed and agile.
The only reason I see to get low is, as Kneale says, to avoid tree branches, or maybe to get a face shot. :D
 

Ken_R

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I don't recall if I posted in here, but for me, the difficulty with powder comes in trusting the snow. When I am skiing a groomer, the possible surprises are pretty limited. In powder (or any snow where you are skiing "in" rather than "on"), you don't really know what you're going to encounter. The density can change without warning, and there can be logs or sharkfins below. So I find myself in braking mode even when I try to tell myself to knock it off. Over time, I'm getting better, but it's still a challenge for me. But that feeling of gliding ... I'll detour even to ski a few feet on the side of greens and flats, just to feel that.

Trust and commitment are key in pow but that generally applies to most conditions. A balanced approach helps a lot when in variable snow conditions.

I for one generally ski pretty much the same (ie not that great) no matter the snow. Might add some pivoty turns in tight spots when needed.

Ohh that glide, yes yes!
 

James

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The density can change without warning, and there can be logs or sharkfins below.
Logs? You're talking woods? Maybe stick to places you know someone hasn't dropped a log off a groomer and left it on the trail. 99.8% of the area of groomed runs have no logs on them.

I know someone who ran into a log at Bridger in an epic snowstorm. He was lucky they found him. It was very bad. Helicoptered out.
 

Monique

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Logs? You're talking woods? Maybe stick to places you know someone hasn't dropped a log off a groomer and left it on the trail. 99.8% of the area of groomed runs have no logs on them.

I know someone who ran into a log at Bridger in an epic snowstorm. He was lucky they found him. It was very bad. Helicoptered out.

Uh. Who's talking about groomers? Not me. I ski mostly off piste and, yes, trees. I generally know the rock bands , but not every rock. The Rockies are well named.
 

geepers

Skiing the powder
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I like to think that I'm an advanced intermediate skier...on groomers. Have only skied powder 2 times in my entire life and both times have been exhausting. Going to be (likely) heading into some powder this weekend. Can anyone give me some tips for skiing powder efficiently/effectively? Current skis are Blizzard Brahmas (88mm waist).

Was just wondering if any of the advice helped your weekend pow trip...?

Seasons over and there's enough specific advice here so a couple of general points:

  • Best way to get better at powder skiing is to live in a ski resort with good powder credentials for a whole season. (It's not that hard - it only means re-organising your entire life but you'll be so glad you did. :yahoo:) Be on 1st chairs every pow day.

  • Powder etiquette - one person mentioned "...ski the fall line and leave something for the others". Or words to that effect. Powder farming is vastly under-rated.

Only ever seen 2 examples in-resort:​
  1. At Vail a few years back where, by some act of random co-operation, one morning everyone riding the Orient trekked to a new fall line in China Bowl and no-one traversed the fresh. It was late morning before all the lines were used. It was the only time during our visit it happened.
  2. This season in a lesson. Instructor laid a nice, narrow S track down the side of a smooth, untouched pitch and gave each of us the task of matching it 1/2 a pole length to the side. Result was 7 sets of parallel tracks and plenty left for others. I think it was the beer penalty for anyone breaking rank that did it. :beercheer:

It's a pity that "Preserve powder" isn't the 11th rule of the hill.​
 

dbostedo

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  • Powder etiquette - one person mentioned "...ski the fall line and leave something for the others". Or words to that effect. Powder farming is vastly under-rated.

Only ever seen 2 examples in-resort:​
  1. At Vail a few years back where, by some act of random co-operation, one morning everyone riding the Orient trekked to a new fall line in China Bowl and no-one traversed the fresh. It was late morning before all the lines were used. It was the only time during our visit it happened.
  2. This season in a lesson. Instructor laid a nice, narrow S track down the side of a smooth, untouched pitch and gave each of us the task of matching it 1/2 a pole length to the side. Result was 7 sets of parallel tracks and plenty left for others. I think it was the beer penalty for anyone breaking rank that did it. :beercheer:

It's a pity that "Preserve powder" isn't the 11th rule of the hill.​

I understand the concept and why it matters... and I have very little experience with powder. But this would be a tough one for me. 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, so maybe as I get more experience it will change.

But the few times I've skied some powder (not untouched at all), the same thing applied to some extent. I don't want to be limited in where I go, and skiing the same repetitive turn the entire way down the fall line is kind of "meh". I'm not sure I could have matched someone else's line even if trying anyway.
 

Tricia

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Was just wondering if any of the advice helped your weekend pow trip...?

Seasons over and there's enough specific advice here so a couple of general points:

  • Best way to get better at powder skiing is to live in a ski resort with good powder credentials for a whole season. (It's not that hard - it only means re-organising your entire life but you'll be so glad you did. :yahoo:) Be on 1st chairs every pow day.

  • Powder etiquette - one person mentioned "...ski the fall line and leave something for the others". Or words to that effect. Powder farming is vastly under-rated.

Only ever seen 2 examples in-resort:​
  1. At Vail a few years back where, by some act of random co-operation, one morning everyone riding the Orient trekked to a new fall line in China Bowl and no-one traversed the fresh. It was late morning before all the lines were used. It was the only time during our visit it happened.
  2. This season in a lesson. Instructor laid a nice, narrow S track down the side of a smooth, untouched pitch and gave each of us the task of matching it 1/2 a pole length to the side. Result was 7 sets of parallel tracks and plenty left for others. I think it was the beer penalty for anyone breaking rank that did it. :beercheer:

It's a pity that "Preserve powder" isn't the 11th rule of the hill.​

:toast

Are you gearing up for your winter?
 

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