Skiing in Changing Snow Conditions: Ice, Wet Snow and Soft Snow
As the snow changes, so does the technique. According to PSIA, the American ski instructors' association, skis offer very little resistance to turning on icy pistes, so over-rotating makes them skid; the answer is to increase the edge angle progressively and pressure the new outside ski early and decisively. In powder, the skis are kept more in the fall line, turns are made with strong, continuous and patient steering, and the skis stay relatively flat. In wet, sticky snow, as the New Zealand instructors' alliance (NZSIA) points out, the same turn takes more power; flowing, wide turns make it easier. In every condition the basic rule is the same: a centred stance and controlled speed.
According to PSIA, ice offers much less resistance to the turning movement of the skis, so the skier should put less effort into steering. Over-rotating and steering too much at the start of the turn lead to excessive skidding. PSIA's recommendations:
Increase the edge angle: Bring the edges into play by progressively tipping your legs inwards; an abrupt movement makes the edge let go of the snow.
Pressure early and decisively: Pressure the new outside ski decisively at the start of the turn.
Press on the big-toe side: Put pressure on the big-toe side of your downhill (outside) foot.
Sharp edges also make a difference on hard, icy pistes; for edge maintenance, ask at the rental shop or a ski shop. For steep, icy runs, see our guide Skiing Steep Slopes.
Powder
According to PSIA, fresh snow offers more resistance than a hard piste. In powder:
Keep your skis more in the fall line than you would on a hard piste; make your turns less closed.
Make the turn with strong, continuous steering and be patient at the start of the turn; the ski reacts later in the snow.
According to PSIA, the skis should stay relatively flat in natural snow such as powder.
Fresh snow on a marked piste soon gets packed down, while off-piste powder carries avalanche risk; for details, see our guide Avalanche Risks When Skiing Off-Piste. In deep snow it is also recommended to take your pole straps off your wrists.
Powder on a snowboard: According to NZSIA, small backward movements make the board float; but you should do this not by leaning back with your shoulders but by shifting your hips towards your back foot. Retracting your legs progressively during the edge change keeps the nose from diving; turns are kept slightly more open to maintain speed. Burton also says that a stance set back towards the tail (setback) makes it easier to shift your weight back, and that keeping your speed up takes a conscious effort.
Wet and heavy snow
In spring and on the afternoons of warm days, the snow gets heavy. According to NZSIA, the same turn takes more power in sticky, wet snow. Practical tips:
Make flowing, wide turns instead of abrupt movements.
Keep your speed up; slowing down too much makes the skis catch in the snow.
Stay centred and keep roughly even pressure on both skis.
Crud and mixed snow
On heavily used pistes, the snow piles up in places and hardens in others over the course of the day. We could not find a separate recipe for these conditions published by instructors' associations; the general advice from instructors is a centred, athletic stance, roughly even pressure on both skis, keeping your legs loose to absorb the impacts, and not sitting back. For stance, see our guide The Correct Basic Stance in Skiing.
Planning the day around the snow
The snow changes within the same day: hard and fast in the morning, soft on sunny slopes at midday, heavy and bumpy in places in the afternoon. On an activity holiday, the group leader plans the day accordingly: technique work in the morning, practice in the softened snow at midday. On Doğadayız winter programmes, skiing different kinds of snow with a group and talking through the day in the evening turns the programme into a social adventure holiday.
Doğadayız Packages
Doğadayız packages for your level
Winter activity holidays with accommodation, ski pass and equipment included, shared with a group.
The easiest way to learn to ski: a winter activity holiday
An activity holiday puts a sport at the heart of your trip: transport, accommodation and meals are planned, so you can focus on learning on the slopes. On Doğadayız winter activity holidays, accommodation, ski pass and ski or snowboard equipment are included in every package; course packages include basic lessons with instructors affiliated with the Turkish Ski Federation, while experience packages let you practise on the slopes at your own level.
What makes the programme different is the group: sharing the slopes with people at a similar level, dinners and nights out together, and a group leader by your side at all times. Solo travellers become part of this social adventure holiday from day one. That is why we describe our programmes as a social adventure holiday.
According to PSIA, skis turn easily on ice, but the edge struggles to grip. Don't over-rotate, increase the edge angle progressively, pressure the new outside ski early and decisively, and put pressure on the big-toe side of your outside foot.
How do you ski in powder?
Keep your skis more in the fall line than on a hard piste, make your turns with strong, continuous steering and be patient at the start of the turn. The skis should stay relatively flat.
How do you ski in wet, heavy snow?
Make flowing, wide turns, keep your speed up and stay centred. According to NZSIA, the same turn takes more power in sticky, wet snow; abrupt movements make the skis catch.
The snow on the slope is not the same every day. According to the definitions of MeteoSwiss, the Swiss meteorological office, powder is fresh snow that has not yet been compacted; hard snow is snow compacted by melting and refreezing or by wind, and its most extreme form is crust; corn (spring) snow is moist snow whose surface thaws in the daytime sun, typical in spring. Artificial snow (machine-made snow, the name scientists prefer), according to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), is much denser than natural snow (fresh natural snow averages ~100 kg/m³, dry machine-made snow ~400 kg/m³) and consists of small, round grains of 0.1–1 mm. That is why machine-made snow creates a more durable but harder slope.
On a steep slope, speed is controlled not by braking but by the shape of the turn. According to the American instructors' association PSIA, steep slopes call for more completed, rounder turns so you do not exceed your speed: after crossing the fall line, the skis keep turning back up towards the hill and the speed drops. PSIA recommends shorter turns on steep and icy slopes, because the skier spends less time in the fall line; a quick, decisive edge set at the end of the turn creates a solid platform. The skis turn with the legs while the upper body stays quiet; the pole plant gives you rhythm. When things get difficult, getting down safely by sideslipping and traversing is always an option.
Moguls are bumps that form on a slope over time as skiers turn in the same places; freestyle skiing also has an Olympic discipline of the same name. The key to skiing bumps is absorption and extension: according to the International Ski Federation's definition of the technique, the skier absorbs the impact by bending the knees from the base of the bump to its crest, extends the legs just after the crest, and in this way keeps the pressure between ski and snow constant. The head stays steady and faces down the valley, the hands are in front of the body, and the pole plant is light. For a beginner, the easiest approach is to choose a round line that goes around the bumps; the direct line, which runs straight down between the bumps, requires strong leg movements.
