what skis did you have?

ski-hippiewhat skis did you have?

Dynastar mythics 184

ski-hippiewhat skis did you have?

Dynasty Mythic 184 - it was near the top of the thread, not trying to be an ass

Not sure what this thread is asking for but I guess I'll give advice.

I too have struggled in deeper pow (although I blame my 90mm skis for that). Basically it's all about getting into the right groove.

There is no carving, sharp turns are not where it's at in pow. Think of yourself as a boat rocking up and down on top of the waves.

If you want to mive out West and are worried that you won't be able to ski pow; don't be. After a week in the white stuff you'll be loving it and shredding like a boss.

Also get new skis

Isis_rocksNot sure what this thread is asking for but I guess I'll give advice.

I too have struggled in deeper pow (although I blame my 90mm skis for that). Basically it's all about getting into the right groove.

There is no carving, sharp turns are not where it's at in pow. Think of yourself as a boat rocking up and down on top of the waves.

If you want to mive out West and are worried that you won't be able to ski pow; don't be. After a week in the white stuff you'll be loving it and shredding like a boss.

Also get new skis

That could have been it. I was expecting to have to have "proper" form getting on my edges.

Also skis were just rentals, only out here for a few days. Wish I could have brought my hellbents. When we have 2-3ft of lake effect powder they perform pretty well.

Thanks though

Keys to pow are getting it while its fresh (within 5 days of a storm or else anything untracked may/may not be sunbaked or very settled), steeper the slope the better (as long as its safe) and knowing how to ski pow. Its not the same as any other skiing, sure it takes plenty of practice to dial it in. The right equipment can help but if you have bad technique then itll still not be as fun as you're expecting.

I dont know much about mt shasta, but i would guess the snow was heavy as fuck and the slope was super flat. Maybe your lack of experience was a factor too, but go to a resort and ski pow or a more desireable BC area. I dont know really anyone that goes to mt shasta to ski pow...

eheathKeys to pow are getting it while its fresh (within 5 days of a storm or else anything untracked may/may not be sunbaked or very settled), steeper the slope the better (as long as its safe) and knowing how to ski pow. Its not the same as any other skiing, sure it takes plenty of practice to dial it in. The right equipment can help but if you have bad technique then itll still not be as fun as you're expecting.

I dont know much about mt shasta, but i would guess the snow was heavy as fuck and the slope was super flat. Maybe your lack of experience was a factor too, but go to a resort and ski pow or a more desireable BC area. I dont know really anyone that goes to mt shasta to ski pow...

he was skiing bottomless pow, on skinny skis, on what equates to a mellow blue run. Thats the big reason he didnt like it haha.

Shasta is great for late spring and summer corn harvesting, but anything with pitch will have apocolyptic avalanche risk if skied when there is powder. Seriously... Think mt hood except twice as big.

yeah, so people skied pow for many many years on skinny skis. If you're on narrow skis and you're trying to make big floaty turns, you're doing it wrong. If you watch the pow sequences of the late 90's before everything got super wide, you'll see that it is quite a bit different than the floating you see now. It takes a lot more work on narrow skis and adding a jump in your turns generally makes it a bit easier in the heavier snow. It's especially hard when it's bottomless because you don't have anything to edge on and you're basically just sinking to some limbo point and turning once your skis are turned, but it is tricky to do that because there's all this weight there.... Yeah, my first 10 powder days skiing were on GS skis, so I know how it goes. I had been snowboarding in powder and was pretty disappointed since I saw everyone else floating and I was just sinking. It takes a lot of skill to ski pow on skinny skis. After 9 seasons on the west I have it sorted and will even do it on center mounted skis on occasion. I like to think of it as there's no bad equipment, just bad technique.

Anyway, powder on wide skis is something else. I've pretty much been ruined for everything else. When it's not deep, I pretty much just grab whatever skis that are the wrong skis for what I'll be doing and go ski moguls on powder skis or steeps on park skis... makes it more interesting.

Pole plants occasional help me get a better rhythm in the trees....helps me know when to turn, and maybe improve balance?

I the start of this season, the first freshies I skied were a little rough because every time I tried to turn I was having trouble getting my body centered again.

East coast park rat here, am currently on my way to telluride with 80mm center mounts, my only skis that haven't broken. This will be interesting haha

I'm just now getting decent at riding powder so from a fresh stand point this may help you, I had a hell of time fighting the turns trying to carve like groomers, dont. Think slow gradual movements pick a spot 30 feet ahead of you and gradually think about sweeping around it. When you go to swap to other edges, bob your knees a little to bounce you into the next turn, feet together and try to imagine you're skis are a snowboard moving together, feel the same way you'd carve your board but adapt it so you're only using your hips to turn your legs and skis, keep your arms forward I get a mellow reading news paper stance helps you keep from being back seat. The hardest thing for me was remembering to not press the turns like a groomer but to softly push into it and use the fall line of the hill to help you choose your line. And the last thing SPEED makes it 1000% easier and way more fun! Good luck man you'll love it I sold my powder board now that I can ski deep

When I see people struggle in powder they are always skiing WAY too slow and trying to turn way too much.

My best advice; fat rockered skis, a ton of speed , a steeper pitch , ride the terrain don't edge side to side . Straighter and faster with super wide long turns. Lots of rocker makes a huge difference too.

RparrEast coast park rat here, am currently on my way to telluride with 80mm center mounts, my only skis that haven't broken. This will be interesting haha

Why does everyone who comes out west think they will be skiing deep powder?

californiagrownWhy does everyone who comes out west think they will be skiing deep powder?

Yeah you're right, shouldn't be a problem unless we get dumped on there

People expect it to be easy and second nature, but it's a skill that needs to be learned like any other. If you ski it a lot you'll get better!

Focus on reaching downhill for your pole plant. This piece of advice made the single biggest difference to my pow skiing as a youngster.

eheathKeys to pow are getting it while its fresh (within 5 days of a storm or else anything untracked may/may not be sunbaked or very settled), steeper the slope the better (as long as its safe) and knowing how to ski pow. Its not the same as any other skiing, sure it takes plenty of practice to dial it in. The right equipment can help but if you have bad technique then itll still not be as fun as you're expecting.

I dont know much about mt shasta, but i would guess the snow was heavy as fuck and the slope was super flat. Maybe your lack of experience was a factor too, but go to a resort and ski pow or a more desireable BC area. I dont know really anyone that goes to mt shasta to ski pow...

Yeah, I didn't intend to go skiing there, I was seeing family and thought I'd give backcountry a go. Snow was really light, nothing like the heavy lake effect snow I'm used to. Shasta is basically one big Avalanche area if you get above the tree line and it has no lift acces

californiagrownhe was skiing bottomless pow, on skinny skis, on what equates to a mellow blue run. Thats the big reason he didnt like it haha.

Shasta is great for late spring and summer corn harvesting, but anything with pitch will have apocolyptic avalanche risk if skied when there is powder. Seriously... Think mt hood except twice as big.

Yeah the rentals were nice, they were 2016 mythics with kingpins. The waist is like 97 or something. We didn't want to go to high above the treeline cuz it's called Avalanche gulch for a reason, didn't want to take the risk with the weather we had

There's a number of things that could be going on in your case, but nevertheless I wouldn't give up on the west just yet. As a native of the Oregon/NorCal area, I can tell you that the pow can sometimes be a little hit or miss. You might have just caught an off day. Also, Shasta's not steep at all, which is a big part of it.

You mentioned feeling slow as well, so next time you find yourself balls deep in pow, imagine your skis as the middle of a protractor (the things you measure angles with) and your skis are at 90 degrees when straight down the hill. If you're skiing somewhere not steep, you only really want to turn your skis about 45 degrees max, so thats like halfway to completely sideways.

Also, you'll want to try and keep your weight not quite backseat but almost there. Like shoulders in front of hips but weight still in your heels; remember that the ultimate goal is to keep your skis floating above the snow, so do what you must. Hope that helps :)

it's probably a mix of things. the first being that everyone sucks at skiing pow their first time. maybe the snow was heavy or old and you had nothing to compare it to. and you said it was slow and kinda flat. the steeper the better.

if you get a day to ski steep terrain with some drops in waist deep champagne you'll change your tone

I took my friend into like a foot of fresh snow the other day and he had such a hard time because he's never done it before. I was confused why he sucked so much because he's a pretty good skier. I guess you just have to learn to turn without edges which may be tougher for some people.

The first time i skied pow with rockered 120 underfoot skis my life changed.

Also make sure to tell your friends that pow is overrated and they should just ride park

It takes time to learn how to turn in deep powder. The best way to get a better enjoyment is to ski bumps and master them. Im not kidding, skied competitive moguls for 6 years and transferred to pow without a hitch.

Racers tend to have the biggest struggle. Powder snow doesnt react at all like groomed, man made hard pack ice. When they hit pow, sitting on their heels seems easier. Racing ice changes so little, every turn becomes identical, but in deep snow, you are constantly adjusting your motion to the changing and unpredictable terrain. Its just like watching them ski moguls...

You also found it boring because you did not huck anything.

freestyler540It takes time to learn how to turn in deep powder. The best way to get a better enjoyment is to ski bumps and master them. Im not kidding, skied competitive moguls for 6 years and transferred to pow without a hitch.

Racers tend to have the biggest struggle. Powder snow doesnt react at all like groomed, man made hard pack ice. When they hit pow, sitting on their heels seems easier. Racing ice changes so little, every turn becomes identical, but in deep snow, you are constantly adjusting your motion to the changing and unpredictable terrain. Its just like watching them ski moguls...

You also found it boring because you did not huck anything.

Completely false. Racers have better form than the vast majority of skiers period. OP's problem isn't his skis are "skinny" (which they really aren't relative to 10 years ago when peopel shred pow on 90mm skis)....his problem is that honestly he probably sucks at actual skiing. If you only rode in the midwest your whole life obviously pow will be very hard.

Slope has a lot to do with it. I never understood all the hype behind powder skiing until I got out of the Midwest and skied some vertical slopes that allowed you to get the speed you need in order to turn and slash.

KravtZCompletely false. Racers have better form than the vast majority of skiers period. OP's problem isn't his skis are "skinny" (which they really aren't relative to 10 years ago when peopel shred pow on 90mm skis)....his problem is that honestly he probably sucks at actual skiing. If you only rode in the midwest your whole life obviously pow will be very hard.

Toaster-TonySlope has a lot to do with it. I never understood all the hype behind powder skiing until I got out of the Midwest and skied some vertical slopes that allowed you to get the speed you need in order to turn and slash.

Like most things in life the problem likely wasn't caused by just 1 thing.

BUT, just knowing Shasta, I'd put the most blame on the flat ass slope he was skiing. Idc who you are, riding heavy, bottomless pow on a mellow blue slope with relatively skinny skis is going to give you a meh experience. I'm talking the kind of pitch and snow where you normally straight line because turning kills your speed so much you fear getting stuck haha.

Swandog7Dynasty Mythic 184 - it was near the top of the thread, not trying to be an ass

Well theres your problem, those skis are only 97 underfoot. I wouldn't be able to turn for shit either, especially if the terrain wasn't that steep. Get some wider skis man 97 is as wide as my park skis. I think if you were on some fattys (~120 underfoot) you would have had a much better time

freestyler540It takes time to learn how to turn in deep powder. The best way to get a better enjoyment is to ski bumps and master them. Im not kidding, skied competitive moguls for 6 years and transferred to pow without a hitch.

Racers tend to have the biggest struggle. Powder snow doesnt react at all like groomed, man made hard pack ice. When they hit pow, sitting on their heels seems easier. Racing ice changes so little, every turn becomes identical, but in deep snow, you are constantly adjusting your motion to the changing and unpredictable terrain. Its just like watching them ski moguls...

You also found it boring because you did not huck anything.

To be honest there was not anything to huck. I sorta came off of a fallen tree onto a pillow line but that was it. I'll post picture for reference.

That's more or less what the terrain looked like. Sometimes steeper if you went into the trees. We didn't go all the way up to the bowl due to Avalanche risk

KravtZCompletely false. Racers have better form than the vast majority of skiers period. OP's problem isn't his skis are "skinny" (which they really aren't relative to 10 years ago when peopel shred pow on 90mm skis)....his problem is that honestly he probably sucks at actual skiing. If you only rode in the midwest your whole life obviously pow will be very hard.

I guess that depends on what your definition of actual skiing is. I never said I was great but I have good form and a decent amount of experience. I'm definitely more all mountain than park rat if that's what you're saying. I've had some 3ft deep tree days (lake effect so it's pretty heavy) and did just fine with hellbents and had a blast.

kung_powpowWell theres your problem, those skis are only 97 underfoot. I wouldn't be able to turn for shit either, especially if the terrain wasn't that steep. Get some wider skis man 97 is as wide as my park skis. I think if you were on some fattys (~120 underfoot) you would have had a much better time

Dude shut the fuck up.

THat isn't that skinny of a ski and this dude does NOT hit pow often enough to be on anything fatter. 184 length skis that are pretty sidecut but still 97 underfoot are all mountain skis designed for some pow.

And 10 years ago (not 20 I mean 9-10) this is was the fattest ski on the line. OP won't have time to go purchasing or renting a pow specific ski if he only hits the stuff once in a while.

Now the ski is slightly skinny enough to slow you down in pow OP so you want to go straight and pick up speed and momentum before you think of doing anything.

Your problem is that you were not prepared for how different skiing pow is. Everything you ever learned racing you want to do the opposite in pow. Don't feel bad I first got my exposure to it with no warning and the same shit happened.

Skiing pow is like taking a shit in a toilet people have pissed all over the seat. Imagine yourself crouching over the bowl but not letting your ass cheeks hit the seat while you take a dump. This is proper pow stance and how you want to distribute your weight.

Get up to speed and then get in that shitting crouched over a dirty toilet bowl stance and keep your weight back and lean into the turns think of it like riding a motorcycle at speed when you turn but you lean back not forward like racing.

PeppermillRenoDude shut the fuck up.

THat isn't that skinny of a ski and this dude does NOT hit pow often enough to be on anything fatter. 184 length skis that are pretty sidecut but still 97 underfoot are all mountain skis designed for some pow.

yeah the length definitely helps but that ski isn't gonna float in "4-5 ft of powder". I'd be backseat on the struggle bus trying to get speed

PeppermillRenoDude shut the fuck up.

THat isn't that skinny of a ski and this dude does NOT hit pow often enough to be on anything fatter. 184 length skis that are pretty sidecut but still 97 underfoot are all mountain skis designed for some pow.

And 10 years ago (not 20 I mean 9-10) this is was the fattest ski on the line. OP won't have time to go purchasing or renting a pow specific ski if he only hits the stuff once in a while.

Now the ski is slightly skinny enough to slow you down in pow OP so you want to go straight and pick up speed and momentum before you think of doing anything.

Your problem is that you were not prepared for how different skiing pow is. Everything you ever learned racing you want to do the opposite in pow. Don't feel bad I first got my exposure to it with no warning and the same shit happened.

Skiing pow is like taking a shit in a toilet people have pissed all over the seat. Imagine yourself crouching over the bowl but not letting your ass cheeks hit the seat while you take a dump. This is proper pow stance and how you want to distribute your weight.

Get up to speed and then get in that shitting crouched over a dirty toilet bowl stance and keep your weight back and lean into the turns think of it like riding a motorcycle at speed when you turn but you lean back not forward like racing.

Exactly my point. Kids today think they can't ski pow on anything under 100mm...yea it helps having a fat ski. But ultimately good form/technique and speed is your friend. You can ski pow just fine especially on the EC or midwest where pow days are few and far between on a 90mm just fine if you are a strong enough skier.

Same thing as driving a car. Mario Andretti could probably beat you in a honda civic around a track if you were driving somethign nice. Its not the skis as much as it is the person who is riding them

kung_powpowyeah the length definitely helps but that ski isn't gonna float in "4-5 ft of powder". I'd be backseat on the struggle bus trying to get speed

He has to be well over 200 pounds for that to be the case its a pretty wide and fat all rounder. If OP isn't heavy its not a good idea to get wider skis unless hes going on a heli trip.

Ive made the mistake of taking a 99mm ski instead of 120mm on a trip and hit epic pow and it was still wide enough even though I wished I had the other.

But honestly I googled a TGR recent 2015 discussion of my ski the Shiro and it was full of fucking idiots calling a 119 ski a piste ski and 40 and 50 year old men saying they mount them 4cms forward so they can land it fuckin switch so what do I know when you come across that kind of stupidity and everyone is agreeing with each other on it....

LonelyTo be honest there was not anything to huck. I sorta came off of a fallen tree onto a pillow line but that was it. I'll post picture for reference.

That's more or less what the terrain looked like. Sometimes steeper if you went into the trees. We didn't go all the way up to the bowl due to Avalanche risk

The terrain doesnt look that bad, but its flat. Its a good place to start to get a feel for it. Wait until the next foot deep dump and try something bigger.

KravtZCompletely false. Racers have better form than the vast majority of skiers period. OP's problem isn't his skis are "skinny" (which they really aren't relative to 10 years ago when peopel shred pow on 90mm skis)....his problem is that honestly he probably sucks at actual skiing. If you only rode in the midwest your whole life obviously pow will be very hard.

I struck a sensibility?

No really, I lived in Quebec and Ontario for over 20 years skiing icy bumps. Le Relais back then would even groom the powder to please the old farts. The only thing going for it was the park. In Ontario, things are much worse...2008 total annual snowfall at Collingwood was 15cm. Thats were I found the love of the turn. Got some good turn skis and had fun keeping an edge at high speed when the park was too windy to ride.

Moving back to Quebec, I took up ski instructing until I found out the alliance are a bunch of douchbags. Racing for ski instructing is like Tom Wallish is to park rats. However, their carving technique is worth fuck all in soft pow... but still claim their technique is 100% infallible. I got into an argument with them and rage quit. Fuck them, Im out.

Now I live in BC for the last 4 year. man, and I could not be more stoked. Deep powder is a joke when you apply the competitive mogul technique in it. I can follow fall line without breaking form, ski tree couloirs as wide as 2 meters and stop on a dime. Most friend I have can ski powder, but have to traverse the hill until they slow down. There is no control in what they do and only prefer to ski wide open terrain...only to get rocked by tracked out hard pack bumps.

Learn to ski moguls like a boss=hardest powder line become simple and bumps dont hurt anymore

kung_powpowWell theres your problem, those skis are only 97 underfoot. I wouldn't be able to turn for shit either, especially if the terrain wasn't that steep. Get some wider skis man 97 is as wide as my park skis. I think if you were on some fattys (~120 underfoot) you would have had a much better time

I got faceshots today on skis 102 mm underfoot. It's technique, not the skis.

RudyGarmischI got faceshots today on skis 102 mm underfoot. It's technique, not the skis.

Fuck yeah! I hadn't had to opportunity to ski pow much the last few years(3 in Tahoe and last year in WA) so when it was soft I'd be skiing my big skiis and charging hard.

Last week at alpental I was just riding sir Francis bacons and when I'd hit some bottomless areas, holy full body trenching! Skinnier skis have a smaller sweet spot, but hot damn its fun to get deep sometimes instead of floating on the surface haha.

Now it's time to rip bumps for the next two months in preparation for the storm door opening in early March!

freestyler540The terrain doesnt look that bad, but its flat. Its a good place to start to get a feel for it. Wait until the next foot deep dump and try something bigger.

Yeah I live in Michigan and was only out there for a few days so not much powder for me

PeppermillRenoBut honestly I googled a TGR recent 2015 discussion of my ski the Shiro and it was full of fucking idiots calling a 119 ski a piste ski and 40 and 50 year old men saying they mount them 4cms forward so they can land it fuckin switch so what do I know when you come across that kind of stupidity and everyone is agreeing with each other on it....

I would not call it a piste ski, but it is a ski that one could handle all over a good western mountain if there is good windbuff. My biggest ski is a 4frnt EHP in a 186 that is 116 underfoot. I ski it if there is any doubt about whether I should take it, or my 99 underfoot skinny skis, out for the day, with Mammoth being the mountain. I ski the EHP's in pow, cutup pow, and windbuff. If it has snowed within a week I take out the EHP's unless the snow has been completely fucked. If there is good windbuff I will take out the EHP's even if it has not snowed in several weeks. I also take them out in slush. Like I said, if there is any doubt I take the big skis out. I should also add that I am a socal weekender who skis 30-40 days a year, so I am not on my skis everyday, meaning if I can handle a ski like that for the days when there is no pow I am sure a local easily can. I see plenty of guys at Mammoth who take out skis that are 115+ on days when I ski my skinny skis, meaning that those guys definitely use the 115+ as a daily driver. I would not call the EHP's a piste ski, but I also would not classify them as a powder only ski. I can see why someone who regularly skis a big western mountain would call a Shiro something other than a pow ski, as some of those guys will ski it most of the time. I don't have any direct experience with the Shiro, but my EHP's are almost as wide and while I would not classify them as a piste ski I also would not classify them as a pure pow ski either, so I guess I see where the TGR guys are coming from even though I don't agree with them. As far as landing switch, I don't even know what to say about that. I would think Volkl has other skis which would be more in line with that type of skiing, as to my knowledge the Shiro is more of a directional ski.

go fast don't look back

Try and be light on your skis, relax and be patient through your turns. Everything takes longer when you ski pow so when you initiate your turn, remember its gonna take longer for it to come round than on hard pack.

The biggest thing though is it just takes time to get used to it! A few more days skiing pow and you'll realise why people say its better than sex!

Try and be light on your skis, relax and be patient through your turns. Everything takes longer when you ski pow so when you initiate your turn, remember its gonna take longer for it to come round than on hard pack.

The biggest thing though is it just takes time to get used to it! A few more days skiing pow and you'll realise why people say its better than sex!

Sounds like you need a pair of head supershapes

you'll learn how to ski it quickly, but its a new type of skiing, accept that it will take some practice. After a dozen or so powder days you'll figure it out. speed is your friend

Runs smoothly

What a throwback lol

No one asked, but I went to college and sorta learned how to ski pow. The thing in the U.P. is that even though we get dumped on there's not that much elevation so on deep days you are still pretty limited on how many pow turns you can get in a run. Need speed for snow like that. Real heavy and dense.

Didn't have my "holy fuck, skiing pow is like, fucking incredible holy shit" moment until my junior year. It finally clicked. I was out with the club at targhee and finally got some new, properly fitted boots, and we got 5-8 inches over night, with some much deeper pockets in some areas of the mountain. No foot pain, and a couple years of teaching lessons and getting taught by the old hardasses plus great conditions made it finally make sense.

The turny, surfy, kinda bouncing around aspect clicked- which is just a little different from skiing but was finally possible given all of the appropriate conditions. That and thinking about it like having two surfboards on your feet that you turn with pressure, rather than with your edge/sidecut.

Still live in the Midwest, so I'm not even remotely impressive when it gets deep but I'm much more stoked on it now and stoked to be out west this winter

**This post was edited on Aug 26th 2022 at 2:34:35pm

**This post was edited on Aug 26th 2022 at 2:35:40pm

KravtZCompletely false. Racers have better form than the vast majority of skiers period. OP's problem isn't his skis are "skinny" (which they really aren't relative to 10 years ago when peopel shred pow on 90mm skis)....his problem is that honestly he probably sucks at actual skiing. If you only rode in the midwest your whole life obviously pow will be very hard.

7 years later and this is the most accurate and response in this thread lol