Truth About Powder Skis

schubwa":3fxjjybs said:
PS: Was I the last guy since February 18th who got to go skiing/riding?
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I've been wondering the same thing. I'm still on my new baby excuse so only getting the occasional ski day this season. But the utards should have had some good pow days in the last week +. You'll just have to suffice with the suddenly very numerous threads posted in the eastern forum in the past couple of weeks. Something or other about a snow storm over that way or something... :wink:
 
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/5987841/

(Comments below were regarding video above, from Schubwa's original post)

Since I've only boarded a couple of days, neither of which were powder days, I haven't really experienced snowboarding in powder. However, if this animated video's point is true, perhaps it's time for boarders to reconsider powder skis, as they (apparently) finally achieve the (deep snow) float, control, etc., previously reserved for boarding, but still retain inherent ski advantages:

1) No need to detach one foot when getting on a lift.
2) Poles available for navigating through flat traverses, etc.
3) No need for a split board setup for backcountry climbs.
4) Two edges available for the occasional exposed/icy patches.

Just a slightly different conclusion drawn from a different perspective. :wink:
 
schubwa":1rqe1xmx said:
PS: Was I the last guy since February 18th who got to go skiing/riding?
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I managed to stop hacking long enough last Sunday to get out one day (which was supposed to be four days, if I wasn't laying horizontal with the flu for three of them through my vacation days). By the time I was ready to write it up it was old news. I got out today, but now I'm beat and will just roll it into a single report with tomorrow.
 
If I heard a friend of mine refer to skiing powder as "shredding the gnar" I might just punch them in the face and tell them to grow up and use adult words.
 
rfarren":3fwkhjnq said:
If I heard a friend of mine refer to skiing powder as "shredding the gnar" I might just punch them in the face and tell them to grow up and use adult words.
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+5
At least they're not using asinine baby talk, like the execrable "pow-pow".
 
What I found interesting here in the east these last few day was that boarders and skiers where both falling all over the place. The only ones not falling in all this deep stuff had fat skis or really knew how to deal with this amount of snow. The boarders where taking more chances and going faster but flipping when they went toeside. The skiers where just yardsaling no matter what they tried. A tough few days!!
 
kingslug":335byrl8 said:
What I found interesting here in the east these last few day was that boarders and skiers where both falling all over the place. The only ones not falling in all this deep stuff had fat skis or really knew how to deal with this amount of snow. The boarders where taking more chances and going faster but flipping when they went toeside. The skiers where just yardsaling no matter what they tried. A tough few days!!
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Sounds like hypergnar to me. :wink:
 
That video is comedy. I was hoping the skinny guy would punch the other guy in the face at the end.

kingslug":2ev2kvne said:
What I found interesting here in the east these last few day was that boarders and skiers where both falling all over the place. The only ones not falling in all this deep stuff had fat skis or really knew how to deal with this amount of snow. The boarders where taking more chances and going faster but flipping when they went toeside. The skiers where just yardsaling no matter what they tried. A tough few days!!
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I admit I have little powder experience. What was the water content of the snow that fell in the cats? It was probably as high as you can get and still be considered snow. While nobody that I saw had the gear to handle 5 feet of snow, I think even with super fat skiis it would be hard.

At one point at Plattekill James was watching me cruise down the side of Freefall. I was jumping in and out from the groomer (maybe 15 inches deep) into the ungroomed edge (maybe 30 inches) and I came to a complete stop. (To my credit without falling over!) You could hear him chuckling across the hill.

I did promise that I would publicly apologize for saying that Telejon needed to put more weight on his back foot. No easy task in snow that deep!

:bow:
 
Harvey44":38sq4e9x said:
I admit I have little powder experience. What was the water content of the snow that fell in the cats? It was probably as high as you can get and still be considered snow. While nobody that I saw had the gear to handle 5 feet of snow, I think even with super fat skiis it would be hard.

At one point at Plattekill James was watching me cruise down the side of Freefall. I was jumping in and out from the groomer (maybe 15 inches deep) into the ungroomed edge (maybe 30 inches) and I came to a complete stop. (To my credit without falling over!) You could hear him chuckling across the hill.

I did promise that I would publicly apologize for saying that Telejon needed to put more weight on his back foot. No easy task in snow that deep!

:bow:
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Between last season and the beginning of this season I literally had a powder 8 out of 10 days. The snow in Colorado was very dry and easy on the legs. The wind packed powder in whistler was tough while the more protected aspects were denser than CO or UT, but still not too bad. This past storm had some very very very dense snow. Stratton was very dense in the woods. It was tough on my legs and I'm pretty comfortable in powder. It was the type of snow that when you grabbed a handful it became a hard snowball.
 
Harvey44":177sunc9 said:
I did promise that I would publicly apologize for saying that Telejon needed to put more weight on his back foot. No easy task in snow that deep!
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No way!! Tele Jon provides endless hours of entertainment when he's too light on his back foot, sinks a tip and flails. :lol:
 
IMHO, the truth about powder skis for those of us who came of age on skinny skis, is that they do feel like cheating, and . . . that they are a whole lot of fun.

After years of skiing stiff, demanding skis as a quiver-of-one, I knuckled under in January and picked up a pair of soft-condition specialty skis. I settled on a pair of 185 BD Justices, mostly because the price was right (I was miraculously able to score a pair for just a little over cost), and put a pair of Hammerheads on them. With moderate early rise, little-to-no camber, soft tips and tails, and 115mm under foot, I plan to use them only on days where soft conditions will predominate. Last weekend in UT, we skied predominately untracked for 3 out of 4 days. Over the 3 bell-to-bell days I skied the Justices, I had a couple of righteous wipe outs, but never once hooked a tip in powder, chowder, or crud. I'd very much like to think my tele technique and stamina has improved that much over the course of this winter, but I don't believe that for a second. The characteristics of the ski simply make it much easier to handle in the deep.

Oh yeah, and when I look back at my tracks on an otherwise blank-canvass pitch of untracked, they are not entirely unlike the wake left by a snowboard.
 

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I agree with flyover's comments. I do think that most skis do fine when the powder is of high quality. But often it's variable, or it's good for part of the run but a lot of work for another part. If you want to go bell-to-bell on a powder day most of us will find it much easier on fat skis. There will always be the elite handful whose technique and conditioning are so high it doesn't matter what they are skiing. I make no such claims and will gladly accept any equipment assistance I can get.
 
Well I've been proving one thing this weekend...you can ski fat boards on eastern hardpack and moguls. There wasn't anyone at either Hunter or Plattekille that had anything like my s3's this weekend, and all the stares I got kind of proved it. The best was one kid as I was carrying them in the lodge..something like WOW those are cool..what are they. Anyway..they can rip through moguls, handle hardpack, just not ice. And they're a blast. Yes they do chatter all over the place but i can bounce around and off anything, and they truck!! I'm going to use them all spring and whenever else I can. I am going to pick up something a littl less though, thinking of K2 extremes.
 
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