I am an eastern hard pack Whiteface (a.k.a. Iceface) skier. What do I know about skiing powder anyway? Well try this. It has taken a while. A lot of trips to our countries western ski resorts, an incredible eastern Whiteface skiing experience in 2001, and learning not to listen to a huge amount of poor instructions fed me by major ski magazine articles and other lies I have heard through the years. Some of this by people that could actually ski powder.

Why and how could these so-called gurus of skiing be so misleading? Well greed, ego, and just a profound love to hear themselves talk. One of their pieces of poor advvice is,"You ski powder with the same technique you use to ski any other condition."

Well that's true if all your other conditions are powder.

Let's get to skiing and ski what is considered "skiing heaven." It's called powder. We are back to skiing myths. The truth is if you are not used to skiing powder it is not skiing heaven unless you are Rosemary's baby. You can be an otherwise expert skier and a foot of powder will render you a beginner. Why is this so? Because you need different technique to ski powder!!!

Enough of my running off at the mouth. Here's how you do it.

Whistler III

This year I took my third trip to BC’s Whistler/Blackcomb Ski Resort. It was a humbling experience.

Q: Why?
A: It taught me I don’t know anything about skiing powder.

In my humble opinion Whistler/Blackcomb is one of, if not , the best ski area in the world.

Q: Why?
A: Incredible terrain, weather, natural snow, and who doesn’t like a pocket full of Loonies and Toonies?

During the first three days of this six days of skiing Whistler/Blackcomb received thirty (30) inches of powder. It received another two (2) inches on day four (4) and eight (8) more inches on day six. That’s a total of forty (40) inches. No offense intended by doing the addition, I’m just showing off.

It is the previous “stats” and a number of self inflicted crashes including two face plants that convinced me I do not know how to ski powder.

Q: What did I do wrong?
A: Everything.

Specifically I had my skis too far apart, did not weight my skis evenly, did not unweight properly, over turned my skis, over pressured the tips of my skis (i.e. the balls of my feet), and than over pressured the tails of my skis (i.e. heels of my feet).

When Johnny Damon was asked about A-Rod’s steroid use, in defense of his teammate he replied, “he could have done something worse.” When asked what, Johnny replies, He could have killed somebody,” When I ask myself what else I could have done wrong while skiing powder I feel I could have done worse. I could have killed somebody including myself.

I am grateful to God that as I launched my over two hundred (200) pound body face first into the unpacked powder at the rate of 32ft/sec squared my face did not encounter a rock in the forgiving snow.

Previously I had written instructions on skiing powder ignored most of what I had said. Below are those instructions with a couple of modifications. I should have said previously to ski powder lightly. Applying pressure to you feet and skis more subtly than on groomed and hard packed slopes.

I am back at Whiteface and skiing eastern conditions again. However it is March and the chances of getting some powder to practice on go up this month.

Below is how I will approach the hoped for powder. If these instructions don’t get me back to skiing powder joy fully I will let you know.

Q: Is there a pair of long, fat, powder skis in my future?
A: If I keep failing at powder and I have the good fortune to return to Whistler/Blackcombm “you betchya.”

To repeat:

You must learn two (2) footed skiing. That is keeping weight on both skies while turning. This is much easier to do with today's shaped skis. Just keep your skies as close together as possible and tip the edges in the direction of the turn. That is a carving technique and will work by itself in very light (dry) powder that is not too deep (the depth can be from 3" to 12" depending on the dryness of the snow). However you can combine this carving technique with serious unweighting. Start the turn standing tall on your skis. As you tip the skis to the new edge pull your skis up by flexing your knees. This will unweight them momentarily. As your skis come across the hill extend your legs. It will look like you are “hopping” down the mountain. Do not over turn your skis. Let the “powder” slow you down. Do not pressure your ski tips as severely as you do on hard pack or groomed. This is a major difference from what I have said earlier about severely pressuring your ski tips. I have taken way too many “head plants” by applying too much pressure for too long to the tips of my skis. I am “lucky” too even be here to tell you this. God has spared me. Save yourselves Brothers and Sisters, get the weight off of the tips of your skis while keeping your weight balanced over the center or your skis. Hop down the mountain and let the powder help control your speed. Getting those tips up will help control your speed and you will not have to turn the skis as far to control you speed. Your skis will be running into a wall of snow helping to control your speed.

Start this technique, as any other, by developing these skills on terrain you are comfortable with (not expert, remember you are learning) and than move up.

Take a look at any Warren Miller video and watch the skiers in powder and you will see what I mean. Why do so many these ski instructor people ski one way and talk another? I don't know. Practice what I have told you here and maybe you will experience powder heaven.

P.S. If you are really serious about skiing powder you must get to the mountain early. First tracks are true powder and are only available in most U.S. ski areas by being on the lift line before the lift opens. If you are fortunate enough to know a ski area really well you will find a “private stash” where you can still find powder an hour after the lifts open. I have one at Whiteface and not even my best friend knows about it. To get to it sometimes requires skiing out of bounds which is a definite no-no. But I'm talking powder here and that can be additive. WHAT?

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