Powder tips for Ripping through heavy stuff!!

Powder Skiing for 2008 not over

Some of the best power skiing of the season is in March and April. It may not be the light blow away stuff that marketing photos are always promoting, but it is the type of snow you’ll most likely encounter over the years you’ll be skiing. It makes sense to know how to ski it. You want this to be a fun experience as you’ll most likely see many more of these dumps than the light bottomless kind.

For those skiers that are still dreaming of that perfect powder day; I’ll blow your bubble, they just don’t happen often enough to wait.

How can you have a great time in these heavier one foot type spring snows?

-Start early in the day, as the snow is lighter before the temperatures go up.
-Warm up on steeper slopes than you normally ski, as on blue runs the heavier snow will slow you down too much to develop the momentum you need to push through it.
-Ski the snow like you would a steep bump run, make some runs where you complete your turns before you decide to let loose.
-Ski black bump rums as soon as possible, the snow will slow you down and you don’t have to hold nearly as strong and edge as on hard bumps.

From the technical side:
- You will need to bend your legs to let the skis go flat and into the next arc.
- Keep your core strong and stable over your feet or your body will tend to over rotate.
-Aim to finish each arc with a goal. One of the best technical ideas is to keep the chest facing the stance boot as early in the arc as possible. That isn't the old" face down hill" idea either!!!
-Aim the zipper on your jacket toward the stance boot and hold it in place at the release and transition.

Signs that this is not happening are:
1. Your skis are over turning and you are finding you can’t slow down without a long traverse between turns.
2. You often spin around, end up facing uphill after a few turns, then flip backward downhill.
3. Your ski tails split causing a wedge turn.
4. You thighs start burning.

None of these undesirables will happen if you flex to release, keep a stable upper body and prepare to hold your upper and mid body in a counter acting relationship before the turn ends.

My choices for skis in these situations are the Head, Super Shape or the Monster 78, in a 171cm length; for the turning minded skier. For the straight liner, a Monster 82 will take care of your needs.

There is still plenty of great skiing left in March and April, so don’t put away the skis just because it’s 60 degrees in town and the golf course is greening up.