Every winter, devoted skiers closely watch the weather, get up early, and wait in long lines before lifts open just to ski in untracked snow. For many skiers, a great powder day can be one of the defining days of the ski season, or even the highlight of the year. Some skiers, on the other hand, find deep snow challenging, exhausting, and avoid skiing in untracked snow altogether. For folks who haven’t yet figured out how to adapt their skiing to softer snow, skiing in powder can feel impossible. As it turns out, powder requires different skiing strategies than groomed or firm snow, so adding a few tactics to your bag of tricks can make a huge difference. If you find yourself staying inside when the snow falls, or seeking out groomed snow when the resort reports six inches of fluff, the following tips can help you find the joy on a powder day.

Problem: You get bogged down in powder and have to work too hard to make turns. Solution: Maximize Flotation When skiing powder, you’re no longer just making turns left and right on top of the snow but making turns in powder. Every movement in powder will be easier when skis are closer to the surface of the snow, so try these tactics to maximize flotation. Four Tips to Improve Your Powder Skiing Technique Tyler Peterson demonstrates 1) An adjusted turn shape (his tracks); 2) Bouncing in between turns; 3) An adapted stance. Photo: Lee Cohen 1. Adjust Your Turn Shape

Every skier learns to turn across the hill for speed control. But in powder, speed and momentum are your friends and prevent you from sinking into the snow. Think of a jet boat—when a jet boat speeds up, it sits higher in the water, and when it slows down, it sinks lower. To maintain speed between turns in powder, adjust your turn shape to make more open turns down the hill rather than across the fall line.

2. Bounce

In particularly deep or heavy snow, you may need to add a little bounce to your turns. Popping out of the snow between turns can make it easier to change edges and direction. It also lets your skis and gravity do the work during the rest of the turn.

Video Tip: Bounce at the End of your Turn

Check out more video tips for skiing powder on SKI’s YouTube channel.

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