There is nothing like riding through Deep powder you seem to feel like your floating, its exciting. So here are some tips to help you handle the deep powdery snow.

Mind over Matter - If your not very experienced alot of it is mental, keep in mind powder is your friend, its meant to be fun not scary. Powder is what snowboarding is about, you can wipe out all day in deep snow without getting hurt as long as snow is all you hit, there is no better day to try and spin trick off a cat track into deep powder

Gear up - Not every board is designed to work well with deep powder, A powder specific board has a tapered, narrow tail and often is talked about as being a Fish. It helps having it narrow so you can sink the tail in. This saves you having to lean back all day long and cramp up your quad.

Split tail boards with long noses are great for the deep stuff but a board with a mellow taper is so much more versatile and easier to turn in tight situations.
Your short park board will work better in deep snow if you get rid of the centered stance and move both those bindings back at least a couple of inches.
Also a jacket with a powder skirt built in will keep snow where it belongs under your board instead of down your butt crack.. plus get good googles..

Take chances and Go fast - The best advice for dealing with powder is to just point it, Dont go to slow just go for it, and remember throwing the board sideways allows you to stop on a dime, You really will need extra speed to make it through despressions of snow or flat spots where the snows super deep, Just dont go to fast you dont want to hit a tree.

Get up - Many powder beginners get lustered from a wipeout recovery than from actually riding, When you are riding deep snow you are going to wipe out, its just a given, but if you use the follow technique you will save a lot more energy riding. When you bail, spin the nose of your board so it faces downhill, Lean back with your board directly under neath you and no on either edge, otherwise you will sink like your in quick sand. Use the tail of your buried board as a platform to push yourself up with your back hand and then if you can clear some of the snow of the nose of your board. Lean back do a shuffle movement to get moving again and away you go.

Heads up - Riding deep snow can be really enjoyable but you dont want to die over it. Ride with a guide if your going to do it in the backcountry and make sure your equipped with avalanche transceiver shovel and probe setup. If your shredding the trees stick to the buddy system , keep an eye on your partner at all times and keep him or her within five to six turns to make sure nobody falls into a tree well and suffocates. You can alternate or Rochambeau for who gets first tracks.

Photo Finish - Lend your camera or video to a buddy so you have proof of your riding on deep snow, hey come on now you have to have something to show the fans!

Share This