 Poster: A snowHead
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little ms spock, What I did find with the deep snow is that it didn't spook me, if anything it seemed to make a steeper slope shallower esp. if the tails of the skis managed to get in the snow lower that the tips. It was just real hard work to get through - I reckon I need greater fitness too.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Megamum wrote: |
| Lizzard, I must confess the boarders where certainly making easier looking work of it. |
The boards you'll see 99% of people using are equivalent to mid-fat all-mountain skis. You barely ever see people using racing/piste style boards (they'll be the ones carving properly), which I guess is the sort of skis you are using.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 19-09-12 21:39; edited 1 time in total
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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One thing I have found is that going fast is much easier on the legs, until you get up speed you seem to have to use a lot more strength to make the turns.
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It's both, and the snow being heavy and the light being flat won't have helped at all. Tons of discussions on how to ski powder on here, suffice to say bouncing around, turning your shoulders and making lots of abrupt turns is definitely not the way to do it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The first time I skied on powder I quickly realised that wide, gentle turns and more speed really helped. It's very slight, subtle movements that helped create those turns. I was on normal piste skis and it helped that I kept my feet slightly closer together and 'bouncing' in and out of turns helped. That feeling of floating through the snow was magical.
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| ALQ wrote: |
| The first time I skied on powder I quickly realised that wide, gentle turns and more speed really helped. It's very slight, subtle movements that helped create those turns. I was on normal piste skis and it helped that I kept my feet slightly closer together and 'bouncing' in and out of turns helped. That feeling of floating through the snow was magical. |
I realised this as well, but after I had nearly killed myself using the crap shoulder, slow turn technique that my brain thought I should be doing. Once I got the idea that speed was helping it all
felt better. Still needs work.
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blahblahblah,  I nearly killed myself trying the same thing on chopped-up crud. Still need lessons!
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I started reading the first few posts, but got board of the sick dude macho s**t. someone else may well have said this but i will add my 2p anyway.
Whilst being proficient skiing powder may be some peoples aim, and mine, it's not obviously that easy.
I feel, everyone is welcome to disagree, skiing powder is much harder work. i feel out of balance regularly, i feel a rush, i'm somewhere no one has been before, its brilliant. And all that.
But at the end of the day my legs are tired, i'm exhausted and I look much less of a hero than i think. in a nut shell, off piste is harder than on piste. But to show how great we are we love to say how we nailed it and took that run from the top! some people feel they can wee wee higher than others, but its just that. maybe you can, maybe you can't. but its a valid question, should we all feel we need to be able to do back flips off the palisades.  that. Skiing is great what ever you do, i'd prefer to look good while i do it, but i've got all the time in the world for anyone who will give it a go.
Rage off, just getting tetchy waiting for the winter.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Mt, good rage. I must admit I look out of window when I wake up, and have a number of different trains of thought. N.B. I ski on-piste
High Season - not too much melting has happened.
No snowfall: Mmm....Good firm corduroy, by the end of the day it will still be nicely skiable not too chopped up as the base is good and firm
1-2" overnight: It's going to be great this morning, fresh top, need to ski the virgin groomed areas, going to get packed down later, but should be OK
Knee deep overnight groomers being sent out first thing: Well I won't get hurt, but its going to be hard work, I shall get knackered, and its going to get worse by 11am when its all shunted into huge mounds, vastly less enjoyable than the first too, though it might cause more laughter
Late season - melted hard packed base refreezing overnight
No Snowfall: Rock hard corduroy this morning, teeth chattering early skiing, won't be fun to begin with, will be fast, its going to hurt if I fall. Will be fine at about 11am, evening will see slushy mounds everywhere
1-2" overnight: Good fun skiing this morning (unless its been windy in which case we are back to no snowfall conditions), The base is going to hold it all there, it might be getting swept about by 11am, slush fest again by COP
Knee deep overnight - likely heavy: Well I won't get hurt, but its going to be very hard work, I shall get very knackered, need to find a groomer to follow, its only going to get worse as it forms huge heavy mounds, moguls everywhere come tonight, vastly less enjoyable to ski than the first too, though again it might cause more laughter
However, like I say its heresay isn't it?
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Megamum, it's skiing, no one says you have to enjoy every single part of it, you're doing it for yourself after all! Skiing in soft snow is different to skiing on a prepared piste and it takes time to adjust to that. Though I guarantee if you can get out in a small amount of nice light powder off the side of a blueish run, just ankle deep and let the skis run a bit you'll love it. You can even ski that much snow like you were on a piste if its not heavy. You're already halfway there with your enjoyment of new snow on piste!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Mt, I don't get the macho BS bit - skiing on or off piste is no big deal, most places where people get a decent ski education they'll see no real distinction, kids are taken everywhere during their development etc etc. It seems there is a particularly Euro and specifically Brit holidaymaker attitude that inside the poles and outside the poles are 2 entirely different worlds. While that may be true in terms of avy safety, it's not true in terms of skills or ultimately equipment: you can ski a fat ski on piste, you can ski a thin ski off. You get very good at the right drills on piste and "powder" becomes easy, you understand more about the effect of balance and stance from skiing off-piste and you're better able to respond on. Anyone who says they are great on piste but horrible off - I tend to suspect that there is a lot of their on piste skiing that could be improved. Anyone that doesn't give a toss and ultimately does anything they fancy without moaning has my respect.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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fatbob, +1
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fatbob, yep. My kids have been going off piste since they started, no one ever told them it was difficult so they just got on and skied it.
I hate them!
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You know it makes sense.
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fatbob, +1
As an instructor of mine once said, "there is only one turn, everything else is just a variation".
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I must admit there does seem to be 'deep snow' and 'deep snow'. I've skied after a big snow dump on 2 or 3 occasions now, It did get enjoyable when it dumped in Switzerland at about -18C at night, and came down as light, icing sugar like crystals that you could throw into the air and they just parted and re-snowed back to the ground. Apart from not seeing your skis and boots you couldn't tell you were skiing through snow. Instead it was like floating on air. The snow late in the season earlier this year, was far harder work.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
Instead it was like floating on air.
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mmmmm the stuff dreams are made of and we all pray for, come on winter hurry up 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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+1
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Megamum, as mentioned above, if you can make a snowball, it's not powder, just fresh snow.
Also, as far as I am aware, it doesn't snow at -18C - it's too cold. Snow only falls within a remarkably narrow temperature/humidity/pressure space. It's amazing it ever falls at al!!
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under a new name, well, it was damn cold by the time we went out in the dark in it! Then the light fluffy stuff was pure unadulterated stuff of dreams 'powder' where as the heavy snow in VT was 'just fresh snow'
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The temperature in the sky is not necessarily the temperature on the ground so snow can definitely fall out of the sky when it's apparently too cold.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Just do a quick google, plenty of articles on coldness and snowfall. It can snow at -18 degrees Celsius. From what I've read as it gets colder there is less snow due to amount of water vapour cold air can hold and the general stability associated with colder air. The snowflakes also get smaller but -40 seems to be about the cut off point. One simple example http://blogs.news.sky.com/theweathergirls/Post:16164f10-6515-4ad7-bed4-cf67744f86e1 Back to OP. it's more technique than tools.
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Arguing about "powder" really is like dancing on a pinhead. Any day with significant fresh snowfall is a powder day in my book even if it doesn't meet the blowaway definition. If all people cared about was superdry powder then Whistler, BC interior, Most of US west of Utah and most of Europe wouldn't have a ski industry.
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fatbob, +1, off piste is about skiing what you find, if you wait for the perfect champagne powder day you'll be waiting a long time*
Greg
* or be in Japan 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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fatbob, +1 again
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waynos, Thanks for googling for me!
Snow is a most fascinating thing is it not? I can't get enough of it. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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On-piste conditions vary a lot (grippy, polished, icy, busy, lumpy, etc) and off-piste conditions vary a lot (light powder, heavy gloop, crust, windblown, etc). A skier with good skills will be able to ski all the conditions, but when conditions get more complex any weaknesses in our skiing are soon shown up.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Megamum,
I am a heretic too. I hate deep powder snow. I just don't like it.
For me there is nothing better than nicely groomed piste.
I'll get my coat.
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| emwmarine wrote: |
Megamum,
I am a heretic too. I hate deep powder snow. I just don't like it.
For me there is nothing better than nicely groomed piste.
I'll get my coat. |
Not at all, it's all about enjoying yourself. Hell, I know some people who don't even like skiing!! 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Mosha Marc wrote: |
| emwmarine wrote: |
Megamum,
I am a heretic too. I hate deep powder snow. I just don't like it.
For me there is nothing better than nicely groomed piste.
I'll get my coat. |
Not at all, it's all about enjoying yourself. Hell, I know some people who don't even like skiing!! |
What, you hang with teh boarderz?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Megamum, It's mostly technique but equipment helps a bit too. The problem with powder skiing is that powder days are so few and far in between, so for many recreational skiers skiing couple weeks a season once they start feeling they "got it" the next time they can try their new skill can be next year or even two years from it. But even if you don't get any powder days in a particular year there are a few things you can focus on during normal piste skiing, like letting skis finish turns and not forcing them, not dragging your hands/poles, not twisting your upper body, staying balanced over the skis and not lifting one of the skis at the end of the turn. Even minimal lift which is barely noticeable on hardpack and of no consequence on this surface will make you lose your balance in powder. Sloppy technique gets exposed in powder very quickly. But what you learn in powder can be carried on to the groomed slopes and will improve your overall skiing.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Skiing powder is fun, but it's a rare occasion.
I love skiing mixed up variable crud and spring snow. Nothing better than battering down through some soft slushy bumps towards the end of a day
I had a great couple of lessons with Tom at Newgen at Courchevel a couple of years ago developing compression turn technique to be used in bumps and soft snow... best lesson I've ever had and i'd recommend this to everyone who struggles in those conditions.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Don't think turn think scrape, skidding is the key to good off-piste skiing and a fat ski allows this in deep snow the ability to plane across the top or smearing to lose speed. Watch extreme skiers and their use of carving is minimal.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Cynic, Nope. Yeah they may skid on a fifty degree spine in AK, but everywhere else the good ones are using a lot of edge angle.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| shoogly wrote: |
| Skiing powder is fun, but it's a rare occasion. |
Skiing powder is like making love to a beautiful woman, you can always find it, you just need to know where to look.
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Cynic, I'm going tto disagree. There's not a great deal of scraping going on when you're in thigh deep powder as far as it feels to me...
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| davidof wrote: |
Skiing powder is like making love to a beautiful woman...... |
Sometimes it looks like perfection from a distance but turns into old crusty mank by the time you get there?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| davidof wrote: |
| shoogly wrote: |
| Skiing powder is fun, but it's a rare occasion. |
Skiing powder is like making love to a beautiful woman, you can always find it, you just need to know where to look. |
Copyright Swiss Toni?
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| fatbob wrote: |
| davidof wrote: |
Skiing powder is like making love to a beautiful woman...... |
Sometimes it looks like perfection from a distance but turns into old crusty mank by the time you get there? |
yep... depends on how many folk have had their wicked way with her before you get there!
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FAQ
