How to ski tracked out powder/mixed snow

[SierraLuLu]

Hello divas!

Last weekend I found myself in a position where I felt like I had no control, following some friends down a wide, medium-grade treeless hills filled with 2-day-old knee-deep, heavily tracked, choppy powder.

Any tips?

 

[newboots]

Hmm. I have no idea, but I'll bet adding the temperature and a description of your skis might help someone answer this question.

 

[SierraLuLu]

Hmm. I have no idea, but I'll bet adding the temperature and a description of your skis might help someone answer this question.

~32 degrees and skiing on Nordica Santa Ana 93s

 

[snoWYmonkey]

Were you falling and truly off balance or just feeling out of control? Chopped, refrozen, half thawed snow, will never make us feel in control no katter how perfectly we ski it.

What was taking place that made you feel not quite right? Did your friends exhibit or state they were having the same issues?

 

[SierraLuLu]

Were you falling and truly off balance or just feeling out of control? Chopped, refrozen, half thawed snow, will never make us feel in control no katter how perfectly we ski it.

What was taking place that made you feel not quite right? Did your friends exhibit or state they were having the same issues?

I wasn’t wiping out, and I got down in one piece, but it was awkward and scary. I didn’t know how to keep balance and I felt like if there had been anything in the way to run into I would have run into it. I did fall gently a few times.

It was hard snow, and I’m not sure there’s really a good answer, but the folks I went down with got down a lot faster than I did, and with less falling.

 

[nopoleskier]

Chopped "3D" snow is weird and can be very tough to ski in.. It can be like riding a bunking bronco! It's usually not a smooth ride- in trees is tough especially if tight trees- you're limited to your turn radius.

Balance and how you weight your skis I think is very important-I find it easier to think of my skis as 1 unit- instead of 2- I try to keep my weight/pressure more 50-50 than the usual 90/10 70/30 etc. I pretend I'm on a surfboard/snow board vs 2 skis especially when making the turn, keeping my knees/legs/feet close together. I don't know if this does anything but I Lift my toes in my boots when I'm in crud/gack snow.

It does take time to get used to skiing deep snow- 2 Feet is A LOT! And at 32Degrees had to be getting thicker.

 

[vickie]

Thanks for that description, @nopoleskier. I'm working on 3D snow now ... yes, to the bronco and yes, to lifting the toes. I find I lift the toes of my uphill ski/foot to reduce tip lead and try to create that single platform with the 2 skis.