Riding in deep powder
Safety first. Deep snow means avalanche danger. Only ride powder inside the marked, open runs of the resort - never duck a rope or ride outside the marked zones. Ski patrol controls what's inside the ropes; nobody controls what's outside. Ride with a friend and keep each other in sight. If you're not sure a run is open, it isn't.
Powder is the best snow there is, and it rides completely differently from groomers. The board wants to sink, so the whole game is keeping it floating: keep your speed up, keep the nose out of the snow, and never turn the board fully sideways to slow down or you'll stop dead. You should already be comfortable in variable snow before dropping into a deep day.
Weight goes further back than usual. Stay centred over the board but put clearly more pressure on your back foot so the nose lifts. If the nose digs under, the snow grabs it and throws you over the front - it doesn't hurt, just roll onto your feet and go again. Turns are small and bouncy: little slashes rather than full carves. Bounce the board up between turns to break it free, and if you need to scrub speed, a quick slash with the tail does it.
Flat bits are the trap. In deep snow you can't push across a flat, so on traverses stay in other people's tracks and carry as much speed as you can into them. If you get stuck, leapfrog with a friend: one rides as far as they can, the next follows their track and goes further. Sometimes it's faster to just unstrap and walk.
Learn more here:
Video by Malcolm Moore
Key tips
- Never ride outside the marked, open runs. Powder days are avalanche days
- Ride with a friend and keep each other in sight, especially in the trees
- Speed is your friend. Slow down and you sink and stall
- More weight on the back foot so the nose stays above the snow
- Small, bouncy turns and slashes. Never a full sideways skid
- If the nose dives and you go over, roll to your feet and keep going
- Stay in existing tracks on traverses and flats. Fresh snow there means digging