Powder Skiing

Powder, pow, fluff, angel dust, champagne, or whatever you want to call it, it is the stuff that skiers dream of.  Powder has the magical ability to take skiing that one step closer to that sought after sensation of floating.  That perfect balance between control and reckless abandon.  That sense of weightlessness mixed with the power of the turn.  Many skiers will tell you that their best day of skiing ever was a powder day (and so was their second and third best days).

Whatever powder skiing is to you it has always been associated with very specific gear.  Those perfectly sunny powder days where a big storm that dumped 24 inches the night before and then blew over to leave a nirvana of perfect snow sparkling in the sunlight are rare.  In fact, most powder days are storm days.  This means good goggles, good outerwear, and a super pair of powder skis.

The powder ski is designed with deep, light snow skiing specifically in mind.  They tend to be wider then other ski types often being over 90 cm or wider under the foot.  They are also softer flex allowing for more ski bend in the softer, less resistant snow.  They are generally lighter themselves with an easier swing weight so that skiers can move the skis with more agility in the deep snow.  Many are now being manufactured as twin tips too.  This adds some to the carvability and flotation of the ski in the really deep stuff.

Most manufacturers are making a variety of powder skis these days and as skis get fatter and fatter, more and more people at different ability levels are able to get out and enjoy it too.  So when your shopping for your next powder ski, keep some of these characteristics in mind.

Understanding the Snow Condition

Ever been totally disappointed by the snow condition?  How about been sitting on a chairlift listening to the other skiers go on about the grapple layer base that is giving way under the 24 inches of champagne and not been too sure of what they meant?  Sure, everyone has, but don’t let this be the case simply because you didn’t understand the language.  Knowing the speak is part of the sport.  Here we accumulated a list of terms that are used frequently to describe the snow and skiing conditions.  Take a look and if I’ve somehow missed some key ones, please comment.

Piste: (pronounced pee-st), also known as groomed snow, is the machine prepared surface found on groomed runs.

Off-piste: Obviously any snow surface that is not groomed.

Crust: A condition where soft snow has developed a hard layer on top.  Sometimes the hard layer is thick enough to ski on, other times it is too thin and skiers will break through on each turn.

Crud: Heavier thick snow that may have been tracked up when it first fell and has had a chance to ‘set up’.  This can be very hard to push when making a turn.

Ice: Solid surface snow the may have been through a freeze-thaw cycle.  It has little or no give.  Ice is difficult to hold an edge on.

Powder: Soft, light, fresh, cold snow that has recently fallen and is not tracked up or settled.

Champagne powder: The pinnacle of soft powder.  Ya, we dream about this stuff.

Grapple: This is a form of snow that is much like small frozen ball bearings when it falls.  It can precede powder, but by itself tends to be heavy and make for average skiing conditions.

Freezing rain: Rain that freezes immediately upon hitting the ground or any surface.  This is lousy skiing and a better day for posting on AlpineSkiGear.net.

Storm conditions: This varies from region to region, but generally entails snowfall, wind, and heavy snow accumulation.  Great for no-crowd powder skiing days.

Cascade Concrete: In the Pacific Northwest this type of snow is all too common.  It is a high moisture content snow that can literally be as heavy as wet cement.

Corn Snow: A fun snow condition which is soft and holds a great edge.  Usually found in the spring on warmer days.  It gets its name from the frozen ‘corn’ shape that each granule has.

Slush: This is old snow that may have been frozen in the early morning but turns watery and heavy as a Spring day wears on.  It is the next phase after “Corn Snow”.

Dust on Crust: This is where a light snow fall has covered a firm frozen layer by only a few inches.  It can look good from the top, but turn out to be a real leg shaker on the way down.

Check out the video next to this article for even more snow condition information for beginners.