Variable Conditions - Have a plan....
Sunday, March 29. 2009
Sorry for not posting recently. It's been a fantastic season so far and I've been busy Teaching, Skiing and having fun
I'm going to kick off my first post for a while with some thoughts on variable conditions. This time of year (March\April) conditions change massively between the first and last run of the day, and the techniques you use after breakfast may well trip you up just before tea.
Off piste skiing is a big favourite of mine and I've just counted at least 8 different ways I've used this week to make arcs. In a single run the snow can vary between wind blown crust, to powder, to slush and my skiing has to change as I adapt to the conditions under foot. The same applies when skiing on piste. As the aspect, width, steepness, altitude of the run varies the snow conditions will change. Other factors include the time of day, the weather and the amount of skier traffic.
Luckily from the moment your skis touch the snow (and often as soon as you glimpse the snow on the way to the lifts) you will be making a sub conscious evaluation of the snow conditions. It's helpful to make this a conscious thought process, especially if you are new to skiing.
The snow gives you a lot of clues to help you choose from your 'tool box' of techniques the best one(s) for a particular slope. On the approach to the start of the run:
Some of these clues might be scary - rattley ski's on a hard piste early in the morning can be intimidating. But forewarned is forearmed and by considering the conditions you can start each run with a clear idea of which technique you are going apply.
Sometimes it takes a couple of arcs to confirm your initial impressions, so be prepared to adjust your approach and you will need to keep adjusting as things change during your descent.
I'm going to kick off my first post for a while with some thoughts on variable conditions. This time of year (March\April) conditions change massively between the first and last run of the day, and the techniques you use after breakfast may well trip you up just before tea.
Off piste skiing is a big favourite of mine and I've just counted at least 8 different ways I've used this week to make arcs. In a single run the snow can vary between wind blown crust, to powder, to slush and my skiing has to change as I adapt to the conditions under foot. The same applies when skiing on piste. As the aspect, width, steepness, altitude of the run varies the snow conditions will change. Other factors include the time of day, the weather and the amount of skier traffic.
Luckily from the moment your skis touch the snow (and often as soon as you glimpse the snow on the way to the lifts) you will be making a sub conscious evaluation of the snow conditions. It's helpful to make this a conscious thought process, especially if you are new to skiing.
The snow gives you a lot of clues to help you choose from your 'tool box' of techniques the best one(s) for a particular slope. On the approach to the start of the run:
- Listen to your ski's ? Are they rattley or quiet ?
- Feel for the snow underfoot - Is it soft or hard, slushy or frozen ?
- Look at the snow - Is it lumpy, hard or soft, fresh, deep, pisted ?
- Texture is a good one - Is it pisted corduroy, Wind blown crust or soft slush.
Some of these clues might be scary - rattley ski's on a hard piste early in the morning can be intimidating. But forewarned is forearmed and by considering the conditions you can start each run with a clear idea of which technique you are going apply.
Sometimes it takes a couple of arcs to confirm your initial impressions, so be prepared to adjust your approach and you will need to keep adjusting as things change during your descent.
Having a wide repertoire of skiing techniques gives you the best chance of success on any given day. You'll have more choice from more ways to ski different conditions. It means that you can have more fun more of the time, and not have your day cut short should the snow conditions change !
Variable conditions can be tricky....
