Blane's Powder Tips
By Blane Johnson |
Wed, 31 Dec 1969
It looks like winter is
about to make a much needed return.
When skiing or riding
in deep powder stay as close to the fall line as possible, this will keep your
momentum going and keep you “floating”. Although many less experienced powder
hounds will tell you to lean back to keep your tips up the better players will
tell you to keep as centered as possible and to ski/ride like you are on
perfectly groomed corduroy. The only time that you should be leaning back is if
you are playing in deep Sierra Cement and it’s difficult or impossible to keep
your speed up. Start off aggressively and thinking this is the worst stuff in
the world. As you get the feel of the conditions settle down and only use as
much energy as is required to keep turning.
If you are just
beginning to get the hang of powder, try and find short patches of powder. You
can find this where two runs intersect. Try basically going straight and get the
feeling of floating. If you can’t find that little shot of powder try a little
longer run and traverse (go sideways) on the run. Get a little momentum and pump
up and down or porpoise in the snow. When you are “up” try a little turn down
the hill and then flex back down and turn up the hill. This will give you the
first couple of turns and confidence. Do three turns across the fall line and on
the last turn, don’t cut back into the hill, instead try one long turn the other
direction (remember to flex down), repeat the other direction.
Another tip for getting
started is stay on the groomed runs and instead of avoiding the mounds of snow
that start to build up try cutting them in half. Think about moving the snow as
you go through it instead of simply riding over the top. This will begin to give
you the feeling of snow around your feet. Good skiers and riders will seek out
“good crud” after the freshies are all gone.
Remember the best
powder is found when the snow is still falling, so put on your warm clothes and
a great set of goggle and go play.
If you ever have any
questions regarding playing on the snow give me a call. I taught skiing and
snowboarding for over 20 years and love talking about the sport to other lovers
of the game.
Blane Johnson
30-Year Local
