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Hi kids, today was my third day skiing in Niseko on my first trip here and was a powder day :) but I've never skied proper powder before.

 

I've skied a couple of times in NZ and Aus and on my last trip I stepped up from begginer runs to intermediate runs and now feel pretty comfortable on them (as long as it's a groomer).

 

I've managed to get my brain to believe that leaning forward down the hill on the hard packed runs gains control and let's you turn better but I noticed a school group being instructed to lean back a bit in the powder so I tried it and it seemed to work.

 

So am I on the right track and now I just need to practice the technique more?

 

Or am I way off?

 

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated :)

 

Oh and I love this place and this country, it's going to be hard to leave...

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yeah......best way I heard it explained was, groomer and hardpack is front wheel drive (lean on your front leg), but into powder and you gotta switch to rear wheel drive.....move the bindings back and keep your weight on the back of the board

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yeah......best way I heard it explained was, groomer and hardpack is front wheel drive (lean on your front leg), but into powder and you gotta switch to rear wheel drive.....move the bindings back and keep your weight on the back of the board

Thats my mantra also.

Especially when I am face with an icy black narrow piste... you can hear me muttering the whole way down "front wheel drive, front wheel drive"

Gotta totally switch that mindset in powder because front wheel drive tends to mean nose dive, and cartwheels.

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Skiing - Id try to avoid leaning back on your skis - maybe as you are moving from a tracked/groomed area into powder you might just lean back a bit as you enter to get the tips up but then just try to keep centered over the skis. Try to keep weight even on both skis, otherwise one will sink, and keep your skis fairly close together. On groomers and hard snow, you are trying to put some weight onto the front tips of the skis to get the edges to cut into the snow and give you grip, but on the powder its more about keeping an even platform with your bases. On your turns you want to try to unweight and weight both skis simultaneously in a kind of bouncy rhythm. If you are leaning back, you will be unbalanced, it will be hard work and your quads will be on fire in no time! If possible, try to get your first powder turns in something not too deep - a few inches and then get deeper as you get more comfortable. As on the groomers, keep your hands forward and dont let your shoulder drop back when things get a bit difficult. (I noticed myself doing this when I watched some of the videos I took of myself skiing! I think its a common mistake for people learning)

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Yep I'm a skier :) I tried boarding once and sucked at it so went back to the skis ;)

 

Thanks Gary and Quattro, looks like it'll be another powder day so I'll try out your suggestions this morning..

 

 

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Good advice from Gary and Quattro. Like skiing bumps well, skiing powder just takes time. As an intermediate skier your goal on groomers is to be in a stance with an imaginary straight line from toe-knee-nose and later you can extend it to.. front of binding-knee-nose. This stance puts you in an agressive well balanced position.

 

In powder however, you are going to want to change things up a bit. Do this right now.....stand with your toes-knees-nose lined up. Now, pull your upper body back a bit so your nose is more in line with the top of your knee cap ..your butt will stick out just a tiny, tiny bit. You are now a giant piston. This is the centered position Gary was talking about. Notice your knees are still in line with your toes. Sitting back though or straightening up will cause you lose your centered position and you'll be in the back seat and you are then at the mercy of the skis.

 

REMEMBER....you control the skis...they don't control you...sounds simple, right?

 

AND... like Ry Cooder once sang....Get rhythm!! straight lines in powder is a no-no. Like Gary said, you gotta get a bouncy rhythm.

 

And MOST important...you have to hoot and holler to the powder gods. :thumbsup:

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Ah. Ok. Ignore Tubby and I then.

I know NOTHING about skiing.

Oh my god... Just made arrangements to take a snow virgin for a girls trip. She is going to ski. So guess who is going to do all the lessons with her!!!

 

Finally!

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Made some progress this morning but a blizzard has set in now and visibility is down to about ten meters so having a break for a bit. Also ate it pretty hard on the last time down, funny how I can get from the top to almost the bottom without incident then hit a green run and total myself ;)

 

On another note, tried Hirafu today but it was super busy compared to niseko village so I think I'll check out hanazono and annupurri next...

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Good advice from Gary and Quattro. Like skiing bumps well, skiing powder just takes time. As an intermediate skier your goal on groomers is to be in a stance with an imaginary straight line from toe-knee-nose and later you can extend it to.. front of binding-knee-nose. This stance puts you in an agressive well balanced position.

 

In powder however, you are going to want to change things up a bit. Do this right now.....stand with your toes-knees-nose lined up. Now, pull your upper body back a bit so your nose is more in line with the top of your knee cap ..your butt will stick out just a tiny, tiny bit. You are now a giant piston. This is the centered position Gary was talking about. Notice your knees are still in line with your toes. Sitting back though or straightening up will cause you lose your centered position and you'll be in the back seat and you are then at the mercy of the skis.

 

REMEMBER....you control the skis...they don't control you...sounds simple, right?

 

AND... like Ry Cooder once sang....Get rhythm!! straight lines in powder is a no-no. Like Gary said, you gotta get a bouncy rhythm.

 

And MOST important...you have to hoot and holler to the powder gods. :thumbsup:

 

Awesome advice. Powder skis also help massively for staying afloat, but these are usually aimed at the advanced skier.

I personally find it is more tiring on the quads when the hill isn't step enough, because in pow speed is your friend. Experience is the best teacher I found.

 

I recomend that skiers shouldn't go anywhere near powder

 

Very dangerous :p

 

Seemore

I recommend spelling class :p , but that aside.

I just think anyone who can't attack the fall line, be that on a board or skis, has no place in the powder. That is too say people putting in horizontal lines across a powder field should be put in stocks and have rotten fruit thrown at them, IMO. Like all other trails, if you need to stop please do so to the side of the trail and where people from above can see you.

 

And once you figure it out, you may just spend a good portion of the rest of your life chasing powder snow.

Edited by sand
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Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated :)

 

Take a lesson

 

Always a good option Mike but this trip I just had so much fun I didn't get around to it.

 

Looks like I'll just have to come back! ;)

 

Thanks for the other advice though guys I think I have a few things to work on still but have had the best trip!

 

Got the day tomorrow for some rest and recuperation and maybe some snow-mobiling and then off to Kyoto and Osaka next :)

 

Have I said yet how much fun I've had :) love this country!

 

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