10 Tips For Skiing Powder.

91 cm, and counting, of Canada’s Best Snow has accumulated on our slope at Banff Sunshine since the Pineapple Express has moved in. The storm started December 19th and is expected to rage on until December 22nd. For us, this pre-Christmas storm is the biggest powder producing storm we’ve seen this millennium. 

Thanks to the magnanimous gift of powder all our runs (even the groomers) are thigh deep with what we call white gold. 

10 Tips for Skiing in Powder: 

1. Keep Equal Pressure on Both Your Feet– In powder, it can be frustrating when one of your skis runs away on you. The trick is to think about keeping equal pressure on both of your feet to stay grounded in the deep snow. 

2. Think Round Turns – when powder skiing think about making nice round turns as you cruise down the fall line. In deep snow, when you turn your skis to quickly you’ll find yourself faceplanting in the fresh powder. 

3. Speed is Your Friend – To float above the powder you’re going to need some speed. Powder skiing is slower than skiing on groomers, so trust yourself and work up the confidence to carry your speed. 

4. Keep Your Core Engaged – When skiing powder, you’ll notice that the condition of the snow may very quickly, especially when the light is flat, keeping your core engaged will help you stay balanced as you carve up the mountain. 

5. Narrow Your Stance – When skiing powder, you’ll want to narrow your stance. This will help you keep control of your skis in the deep snow and will aid you in floating above the pow.

6.  Ski Steeper – On powder days, the best runs to ski are steeper black runs. On steeper terrain you’ll find it easier to keep your speed up, allowing you to gracefully enjoy the fresh stuff. 

7. Get into a Rhythm – In deep snow, ski to a beat; even if it’s just you counting. Skiing in rhythm will help you transition from turn to turn while keeping your energy up. 

8. Lean Back – When cruising through fresh pow, you’ll want to lean back to keep your tips up above the snow. 

9. Stay Hydrated – Skiing powder is a serious workout, on deep powder days you’re working hard for your turns. Make sure you take breaks to hydrate and fuel up as necessary. 

10. Ski a Fatter Ski – Treat yourself to a pair of fat skis (you can rent a pair from our Salomon demo tent) to have the most fun on a deep powder day. The fatter the ski, the better you’ll float on top of the glorious fresh snow. 

With the snow still falling, we at Banff Sunshine are giddy with excitement for an encore of powder days. For more powder day ski tips, book a lesson with one of our pros at the Sunshine Ski and Snowboard School. 

Not a skier? Click below!

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