Snow Adventure

I am often asked by clients: “How does one ski powder?”, as though there might be some secret trick that good powder skiers have up their sleeves so they can float gracefully and seemingly effortlessly in the wonderfully fluffy snow.

The fact is that good powder skiers are simply good skiers who have had enough experience skiing in all snow conditions to apply their technique to powder. In order to ski well in powder one must also be able to ski well on hard packed groomed snow just as is the case with skiing well on steeps or bumps. But being good on groomed terrain does not automatically guarantee that powder will be easy. One also needs to clock the miles in powder. The problem is that we don’t always have consistent access to fresh snow to gain experience. So how can we prepare ourselves best in other snow conditions so that when the heavens open up we are ready to seize the opportunity to learn the adaptations necessary in powder?

Solid ski technique forms the foundation. Seek the advice of an experienced ski instructor who will be able to pinpoint your weaknesses and implement a plan to develop your skills. It might be improved balance, mobility, turning effort or coordination that you need. What you struggle with most on groomed terrain will be your greatest challenge in powder as well.

Though experienced skiers make powder skiing look effortless the truth is that it is more demanding than skiing on hard packed snow. Powder provides greater resistance to the turning of the skis and therefore a stronger turning effort is necessary. We also use more mobility in the legs to free the skis up from the snow momentarily in every turn. Snow resistance against the front of our legs changes throughout the turn and this requires constant adjustment in our stance and balance. All this calls for harder work but when you get it right it feels so good!

Here is something for you to practice on days when we don’t have fresh snow:

Developing a centred and mobile stance is ever so important. Hopping throughout your turns will help you achieve this. At a moderate pace and in a medium size turn shape start doing some hops. Make sure that the movement is coming from all three leg joints namely your ankles, knees and hips and that you keep your upper body quiet. Every time you hop you should feel your shins coming away from the front of the boot and on every landing your shins should make firm contact with the boot again. This ensures that you are using your ankles correctly. The whole ski should lift off the snow evenly and the hops should be continuous in order to create a rebound effect. Once you get the hang of this try it in some smaller turns until you can do them in really short turns with one hop into every turn. When you do the short turns you should keep your shoulders square to the fall line and your legs should do the turning.

If you work on this consistently you will notice a real difference when you apply your new found balance and mobility the next time champagne powder descends from the sky.

Here are some other pointers for skiing in powder:

1. Pole plant: A firm pole plant in between every turn will help stabilize your upper body providing you keep your hands stable too.

2. Let the skis run: Skiing a little faster in powder overcomes some of the resistance because you float more on top of the snow.

3. Keep your hands forward: This will help you maintain a centred stance on your skis.

4. Make yourself more compact: If you look at yourself in a mirror from side on you should see your back make an even C-shape. This will lower your centre of gravity which will add to your stability.

5. Get the first lift up and make some fresh tracks: Skiing untouched snow is much smoother and less demanding than skiing in snow that has been cut up by other skiers and snowboarders.

6. Ski the groomers: Fresh snow makes changes in terrain less obvious and this can catch you out. Ski the fresh powder on the groomers where you know what lies underneath until you are more advanced.

7. Play around with your turn shape: You can do any size turn in powder so play around with it to develop your versatility. In larger turns the pressure is more evenly spread throughout the turn which means the floatation is more constant. They also allow more time to turn your skis. Pressure changes happen more rapidly in short turns resulting in sinking deeper towards the end of the turn and they require a stronger turning effort making them more challenging than larger turns.

8. Narrow your stance: Skiing with your feet closer together will create the effect of skiing on one platform. A wider stance makes it more likely to get one ski caught up in the snow. Just make sure that there is still a wide enough space between the tips of your skis so that they don’t ever touch while you are skiing.

9. Let your next pair of skis be all-mountain skis: Skis that are wider underfoot will aid floatation. Aim for something in the region of 74 – 78mm underfoot. This type of ski is a good all-rounder.

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Few things in life offer the same amount of satisfaction as a bump run well executed. The sheer excitement of not knowing what lies ahead and the snap judgements that have to be made keep you in ‘the zone’. Bump skiing requires one to be highly alert and active, yet at the same time totally calm and relaxed.

Here are 10 tips to improve your fall line bump skiing:

1. Eccentric muscle strengthening

Let’s face it – skiing is a sport and it requires a level of fitness that will allow you to cope successfully with the demands that it places on your body. Skiing requires a type of muscle action where the muscle lengthens as it contracts. This is called an eccentric muscle contraction. This type of contraction happens in your thigh and calf muscles when you bend your legs while they are carrying weight, like during skiing. Incidentally this is also the type of muscle contraction that is most strenuous on your muscles. It’s no wonder so many people are in agony after the first two days of their vacation. In the bumps this ability to control the bending of the legs (eccentric muscle control) in order to absorb the pressure as you hit the bumps is extremely important and must be trained.

Incorporate eccentric muscle control in your current workout by focussing on a slow and gradual bending of the legs in squats and lunges. If you’ve already been doing this (good for you!), increase the load by holding a dumbbell weight in each hand. To progress further and be a superstar in the bumps, start working with plyometric exercises (more on this in another issue).

2. Stance

An excellent stance is most definitely a good starting point. Here are the key check points, from the bottom up:
1. Shins firmly touching the front of the boot.
2. Skis about fist width apart.
3. Knees bent over the toes.
4. Hips bent over the heel pieces.
5. Hands out in front and keep them there.
6. Vision ahead of you so you can see what’s coming.

3. Improve your short radius turns

Fall line bump skiing is about being able to do great short radius turns in bumpy terrain so improving your short radius turns on groomed runs and then applying those improvements in the bumps is very useful. Make sure that you are able to choose an imaginary corridor to ski in and that you are able to maintain the same speed all the way down. If you can do this on moderate terrain, move on to steeper runs or small bumps to make it more challenging.

4. Pole plant

A strong, confident and decisive pole plant that reaches forward down the fall line is your ally in the bumps. Doing this consistently forces you to commit to turning all the time. A mantra like “Plant, turn, plant, turn, plant…,” can be very useful.

Planting your pole into the face of the bump as you approach it has the effect of kicking your hand back and can in turn cause your upper body to go back as well. Reach further forward and over the top of the bump for a smoother ride.

5. Activate your ankles

Think of your body as a giant shock absorber. To most effectively absorb the bumps you need to use all the joints at your disposal. The ankle joint is often neglected.

Picture this: you approach a bump, the tips of your skis start to slide onto it and as they do, the skis start to bend. As this happens the force gets transferred to you your ankles that then start to bend. As your ankles bend the force travels further up your legs to your knees that in turn start to bend and eventually ends up at your hips that absorb the remainder of the force.

Remember that in the same way that a shock absorber lengthens after it has absorbed the shock, you need to lengthen your legs as you ski over the other side of the bump in order to maintain contact with the snow and absorb the next bump in the same way.

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6. Choose the best line

Choose your initial line for the features that you are looking for. You might only be able to see the first 4 or 5 bumps and nothing further than that. Maybe you want the first few bumps to be more regular in shape and pattern to make for an easier start or perhaps you want to play a bit and choose a more challenging line with interesting features. It’s really up to you. The more tricky part is to keep looking 2 or 3 bumps ahead of you as you make your way down the run so that you know what is coming and you have that extra split second to prepare. More advanced skiers are also able to scan the bumps to their left and right to decide whether they want to change to a better line.

7. Breath

Remember to breath! Your muscles need the oxygen. Focussing on deep, slow breathing has the added benefit of keeping you appropriately relaxed. Sometimes we just try too hard and then we start to force things. Focussed breathing takes your mind off what you need to do, giving you a clear mind and the ability to ski more ‘naturally’.

8. Visualize

Visualization in sport is a fantastic tool to improve all aspects of your ability. Virtually all Olympic and elite athletes employ this technique in their training programmes and more and more recreational athletes are realizing the benefits of visualization. Find video footage of an expert bump skier in action. Become that person in your mind and replay the run over and over in your mind’s eye. Make it as real as possible, including colour, sound and feeling in your visualization. I really encourage you to find out more about visualization techniques. They are incredibly valuable.

9. Enjoy the experience

Sometimes we are so serious about improving our skiing that we forget to enjoy it. If you have fun while you are working hard, the improvements will come much quicker. Savour every run and take in all the detail. You deserve it!

10. Take a ski improvement course

Take the guess work out by spending time with an experienced instructor who will coach you to your goals and by using supplementary tools such as video analysis. You will reach your goals much quicker and you’ll have heaps of fun with other skiers of a similar ability level.

The best time to start working towards your goals is right now. It’s important to realize that you can start making improvements anytime and anywhere. Muscle strengthening, visualization and checking your stance in a mirror while in your ski boots can be done even while you’re on holiday in the Bahamas. Ok, well, maybe lugging your ski boots to the Bahamas is taking it a bit too far. Or is it…?

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Where do I turn if I push on my left ski? The answer: Right to the ski school desk to book a lesson. If you’re asking such questions perhaps it’s time to get your turns straightened out by a professional ski instructor. Please spare yourself the agony of being taught by your well-meaning friends, or, worse yet, your husband.

Skiing is about having fun. Sure it could be fun to straight line it at mach 10 and out of control, taking out some kids along the way before having a yard sale right underneath the chairlift. But as we say at Big White Ski Resort: ”Safety + Fun = More Fun!”. This statement is as true as it is cheesy. So let’s have a look at what a proper ski turn should be.

First of all a proper ski turn is one that enables you to control your speed effectively. This means you should be able to speed up and slow down your progression down the slope at will. Secondly a proper ski turn gives you the control of deciding exactly where you want to ski, which is quite useful when you suddenly realize that you are heading straight for a tree. So you should be able to adjust the size (radius) of your turns as is necessary or as you please. This is what the goal of ski improvement is essentially about – improving your turns so that you are able to control your speed and direction effectively in the multitude of snow conditions and terrain choices out there.

Now let’s have a look at some of the basic mechanics of how to start a proper ski turn. A turn is initiated by turning the legs within the hip sockets. Think of the way you would turn your forearm when using a screw driver. This is what your legs need to do when starting your turn so that you gradually start pointing your skis around the turn before your pelvis and upper body start moving around the turn as well. In technical terms we call this ‘pivoting’. Pivoting enables us to turn in balance. If we start the turn by turning the upper body first we turn out of balance and this turning of the upper body is called ‘rotation’.

So as you can see, there is no need to push on a particular ski in order to start your turn. Learning to turn in this way will surely teach you to initiate your turn with your upper body (rotation) rather than with your lower body (pivoting).

Turn yourself in balance by using pivoting. Improving this skill will give you much more control over your speed, direction and size of your turns.

Taking a lesson from a ski instructor is absolutely the best way to improve your skiing. Research has shown that taking ski lessons improve the overall experience of holiday goers at a ski resort. So if you want to avoid the frustration of struggling on your own and rather want to really improve your skiing and have way more fun, get your turns straightened out by a professional ski instructor.

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