How to Ski Powder Snow

When Nanook the Norwegian invented skis a million years ago to quickly get away from fire breathing dinosaurs, he wasn’t skiing groomed runs. Nanook was skiing powder. Yes, I may have embellished the story of the origins of skiing. Our point is in the beginning there were no groomed trails or runs. There were only the basics; two wooden skis and powdered snow covered hills. You may ask if the origins of skiing are on powder snow, why are all the ski trails groomed? Fast forward to post World War II when the majority of most North American ski resorts were built. Resort managers and ski school directors know that it’s easier and safer to learn on groomed runs. This saves the powder for the more experienced skiers and snowboarders who will appreciate skiing powder. For the past sixty years ski movies have shown the world the joy that powder skiing has to offer. Read our powder skiing tips below so you too can enjoy powder and feel the pleasure it has to offer.

Do you need special equipment to ski the pow-pow? That depends on the level of performance you expect. Old school skiers would only use one pair of skis for every type of terrain, and for many skiers, budgets will keep many modern skiers from owning more than a single pair of skis. With the advancements in technology skis have change shape and materials for different types of skiing. Powder skis have been named for their shape, Rocker and Fat skis.

Fat skis will normally have a waist size of 88mm wide or wider and proportionally fatter everywhere else. The width will help skiers float over the snow, pivot and turn. Rocker skis, also called reverse camber, are shaped as one concave arch, compared to many skis that have a camber or a convex arch. I suppose Rocker gets it’s name from a rocking chair or a rocking horse. But do not shift your weight forward and back while skiing rockered skis, you could fall. The rocker shape will help you float on top of the snow. There is less edge contact to the snow with rocker skis, so they are more maneuverable and can make quick turns. If owning pair of powder skis is out of your budget consider renting a pair if you only get an occasional powder day.

You should stand in the dynamic position with your weight forward over the balls of your feet like a boxer. If your weight is back you’ll likely fall backward. When you lean forward you’ll have better balance and stability. A trick to staying forward is to focus on pressing your shins on the tongues of your boots, many skiers call that the sweet spot. Keep your upper body facing downhill at all times. All of your turns should be made at your waist with your feet and legs. Apply equal pressure to both skis as you link turns. Keep your hands in front of you. Plant your poles forward to initiate the turn and push forward after you plant your pole. Don’t let your hands drop back, that will lead to weight shifting backward becoming unbalanced. With your weight forward, your turns at your waist, upper body downhill and your arms forward you will look effortless, just like a pro.

Skiing in powder requires momentum because the deep snow will give you resistance. You’ll need speed to stay on top so it's easier for you to turn. If you are too slow you’ll sink and fight the deep snow. Start your turn by weighting your skis equally together, bend your knees and ankles, reach out your pole plant it and stand. The weighting and unweighting of your skis will cause you to shift your weight down into the turns and up out of the turn. Your skis may rebound and you unweight out of the turn. Use that rebound to get your legs up and out of the snow. Let your legs do all the bouncing and keep your upper body steady and smooth.

Make large turns. Hey, it’s powder you’ll have lots of room so give yourself some space. Yet avoid trees and other obstacles. Tree branches will prevent snow from collecting around trunk create a hole or a “Tree Well” that you can fall in and become stuck.

Falling is part of learning to ski, even the pros fall occasionally. They fall when they’re pushing the envelope and trying new things. Falling in deep powder is soft and absorbent so it’s less likely to cause an injury. Getting up and out is a little more challenging. The first thing after a fall is to be sure you have all your gear. You may have to do some climbing and digging. If the snow is deep it may take some time to find a pole or ski. Searching for smaller items like sunglasses or goggles may be a lost cause. Once you’re ready to get your skis on, place the skis going across the hill and jam the tails into the snow at a bit of an angle so the front tips are sticking up and out. Now your ready to step into your binding as you normally would without your ski sinking into the snow. If you have trouble standing up cross your poles in the snow making an X creating a firm surface you can lean on to push yourself backup.

Different whether conditions will create different types of snow. The most common types of snow are: crunchy icy crud, wet heavy snow and dry fluffy powder snow. All types of snow will have benefits or a purpose. For the best ski conditions let wet heavy snow create a base layer, then apply several inches of dry fluffy powder snow. If snow conditions are reversed with the heavy wet stuff on top of the powder you’ll have conditions for an avalanche.

You can find powder snow anywhere it snows in North America, however some areas are much better than others for consistently receiving great quality & quantity of powder. Utah’s Wasatch Range receives excellent powder snow because Utah’s western salt flats will dry out a storm front, so when it dumps in the mountains it is nice fluffy powder. The interior of Canada’s British Columbia also receives deep powder. On average Vermont receives the deepest powder in the east. Michigan’s western upper peninsula may not be as tall as most mountain ranges, but don’t over look its powder snow. They get quantity of high quality powder form the great lakes.

You may have heard rumors that there are powder day discount lift tickets. Not true, powder days are often the busiest. Many of the near by businesses such as bars and ski shops do have powder day discounts. You’ll need to ask. Powder day deals usually aren’t posted. So when you’re in a ski town on a powder day check out the local scene and don’t be afraid to ask for a discount.