1-877-542-263312 Tips for Snowboarding in Powder.
The Pineapple Express of December 19th brought 106 cm to our slops of Banff Sunshine. That’s 3 feet 5 inches – roughly the same height as your average 3rd grader. With the white gold of the storm now settling, it looks like another powder treat is on our way. Our mountain operations team is preparing for another storm from the pacific.
With so much fresh snow blanketing the slope of Banff Sunshine, we wanted to share a few of our tips for riding pow.
12 Tips for Snowboarding in Powder:
1. Choose The Right Board – When riding deep powder, the right board can make all the difference in the world. We recommend a tapered directional snowboard like the Salomon Pillow Talk or Sick Stick. If you’re keen to try a powder board, check out our Salomon Demo Tent.
2. Set Your Bindings Back- If you usually ride a twin stance, take the time to set your bindings back so that your nose is longer than your tail. A longer nose will help you float above the pow.
3. Lean Back – On powder days, you’ll want to lean back and keep the majority (60-70 percent) of your weight on your back foot. Keep your back knee bent and use your weighted back leg to help you stay on top of the snow.
4. Get Low– when powder boarding, you’ll want to keep your knees bent and your body in a low athletic stance. Staying low will help you maintain your speed and absorb the bumps.
5. Speed is Your Friend – To float above the powder you’re going to need some speed. When snowboarding in the powder, the deep snow will slow you down. Work to build up speed to help carry you through slower sections of terrain.
6. Think Steeper – On powder days, the best runs to ride are the steeper black and double black runs. On steeper terrain you’ll find it easier to keep your speed up, allowing you to gracefully enjoy the fresh stuff.
7. Ride with Rhythm – When carving up deep snow, put on some music and ride to the rhythm. Finding a rhythm to ride to will help you stay on top of your turns, and the fresh blanket of snow.
8. Pick Yourself Up – If you’re new to riding powder, you will fall. Lucky for you, falling in powder is like falling into a pile of pillows. When you find yourself struggling to get up, roll yourself over and push yourself up from your toe-side. You’ll find it easier to get up from your toes.
9. Turn on Your Core – When tearing up powder, you’ll notice that the condition of the snow may very quickly, especially when the light is flat (low visibility), keeping your core engaged will help you stay balanced as you carve up the mountain.
10. Laugh and Squeal – Snowboarding in powder is one of the best feelings in life! Make sure to giggle and squeal with excitement as you dash through the powder.
11. 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.
12. Après Shred, Stretch – Snowboarding in deep powder is a serious workout, especially for your legs. After a day of carving up Canada’s Best Snow, be kind to your body and stretch out your muscles paying extra attention the those in your lower body.
With another storm on the way, we at Banff Sunshine are over the moon with excitement for the coming powder days. For more powder day shred tips, book a lesson with one of our pros at the Sunshine Ski and Snowboard School.
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