Dylan Nicoletti rips through a foot of fresh powder and flat light on Vail's Prima.
See what happens when you ski in the backseat? You lose a lot of control.
Ian Cropp plows through the pow on his board in Blue Sky Basin.
Staying light on one's feet is key when the snow is up to your knees.
A skier perfects the "unweighting" technique of carving through powder on Riva Ridge.
Powder makes for soft landings. Not everyone has the nerve of Tim Szurgot, who flies off of the Little Wailer in Northwoods.
Oh, all of this new snow in Vail! Acres and acres of glistening white! So soft, deep and beautiful, yet when some people take their skis and boards into fresh powder, all they do is want to fight it.
The No. 1 rule for successful powder turns is to lighten the load on your skis when you go into your turns. Let your skis float.
Instructors call this technique “unweighting,” and say it is be implemented when initiating each turn.
It’s a little different than carving on a groomed run or in the bumps, where you always compress your body into your turns and feel your edges connect with the slope.
“Rather than extending, you retract your body in and out of your turns,” said Vail Rec District’s Brian Doyon, a ski instructor and trainer of 15 years.
“Stance is the most important thing,” Doyon says, “You want to be two-footed and always centered over your skis.”
One running myth for powder skiing technique is that the skier’s weight should be moved to the back of the skis. Not only does skiing in the backseat sacrifice a large part of control of the skis, but it also kills your thighs in no time.
On a snowboard, your weight should be a bit farther back on the board, but only slightly, or your back foot and leg will begin trembling with exhaustion before you know it.
One of the many bonuses of skiing powder is that it’s less jarring on your body than skiing hard-packed terrain. Ease into it. Try venturing into a couple extra inches of fresh snow on a groomer before venturing into deeper and deeper powder.
- Tips for Skiing Powder:
- Use fat skis or medium-fat skis
- Don’t fight the snow
- Rather than making deep, heavy carves, stand up slightly to soften your weight going into and out of your turns
- Always keep equal weight on both skis
- Stay centered over your bindings
- Always keep your hands up and in front of you
- Tips for Snowboarding in Powder:
- Put slightly more weight on the back of the board
- Bend your knees
- Go with a longer rather than shorter board
- Squeeze your knees together for more control
- Keep your hands still and by your sides
- Pump your knees and the board into and out of your turns
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