Powder skiing is often described as a spiritual experience, and it's no wonder. Regardless of your theology, to dance with gravity while engulfed by swirling snow is a bit like heaven on earth, wouldn't you say?

Thousands of skiers in search of this experience make regular pilgrimage to Alta, Utah, an area graced with more than its fair share of the light, fluffy stuff. There they learn the nuances of powder skiing at the Alf Engen Ski School, named after a man so powder-proficient that his contemporaries in the 1940s christened him "The Father of Powder Skiing Technique." True to Engen's legacy, Alta has a long, distinguished history of sharing the joys and sensations of powder skiing with its guests.

At Alta, we regard skiing powder as somewhat of an art form, and the ski school is always looking for new and improved ways to teach this skill. As the training director for the ski school, I decided to scrutinize our approach a couple of years ago, engaging instructors from throughout the school in lively discussion, evaluation, and on-snow clinics to put every element of our powder instruction to the test. All in all--after fine-tuning and formalizing techniques based on the teaching concepts that have proven successful for many years--we think Alf would have approved of our effort and its result. What follows is a synopsis of our system.

The Graduated Width Method

The growing popularity of "fat" skis has radically changed deep snow skiing and instruction. The original powder ski, the Miller Soft, designed by Earl Miller in the early 1970s, was created with the light, deep snow of Utah's Wasatch Mountains in mind. While a few deep-snow enthusiasts enjoyed the easy-turning, better-floating properties of the bright orange Miller Soft, the masses didn't take to powder skis until just recently. (At first, only timid or beginning skiers used wide skis for deep snow.) Today virtually all the local rippers in Little Cottonwood Canyon have switched to fat skis. Big, fast turns, huge air, or no turns at all are definitely the trends.

Wide skis have been a boon to the instruction business at Alta. Clients who would tire quickly or not ski at all on big snow days now pray for dumps and ski more hours in the day with their powder skis. I've discovered that I can take relatively inexperienced powder skiers on adventure tours in powder snow that would be unthinkable for these students on narrow skis. This has definitely boosted the fun meter for many skiers and it keeps them coming back for more.

At Alta we use a strategic approach called the Graduated Width Method to help create successful experiences for our guests. From a variety of powder skis and shaped skis, we recommend a ski width and type based on the student's general skiing ability, physical fitness, and level of confidence as well as the anticipated depth and density of the snow. Depending on these factors, the student usually starts on wide skis, gradually moving toward narrower skis--if he or she so desires--as skills and confidence progress.

We introduce students to powder skiing on very wide skis--85 mm + under the foot--because they provide such a broad platform for balancing and therefore forgive many mistakes. (I've had many students experience the thrills of powder for the first time and never take a fall in the process.) Timid or unfit skiers seem to do well on the wide skis also. Strong, hardsnow skiers are usually better suited to a narrower ski in the 70-80 mm range under the foot. For the experienced skier, the narrower, more shaped powder ski feels more familiar but still makes deep snow skiing much easier to learn.

Skiing in Rhythm with the Snow

Powder skiing is difficult to break down into parts because turning in deep snow requires momentum, and momentum can be gained only through rhythmic, fluid skiing. The depth and density of the snow--combined with the slope's pitch, the skier's speed, the skis' width, and even the skier's weight--are all variables in what I refer to as the rhythm formula.

Students must understand that they cannot turn as quickly in powder as they can on packed snow. Furthermore, they need to learn that different deep-snow situations require turning movements that consist of different tempos, intensities, and duration.

The key to learning the rhythms of snow is in feeling through the feet and legs the resistance of the snow against the skis. The goal is to adjust the intensity and duration of the turning movements to keep the skis gliding cleanly and smoothly through the snow.

Communicating the concept of skiing in rhythm with the snow is essential, so be sure to discuss these principles with the students first, then give them lots of time for practice. It's important to provide feedback oriented toward each person's turning tempo as well as his or her movement intensity and duration. This will speed up the group's process of experimentation and lead more quickly to success.

The Ready Pole

The "ready pole" is a classic deep-snow technique first taught by Engen and Eddie Morris, another well-known instructor at Alta, in the 1960s. This concept refers to an early pole swing with the new outside hand as the skier initiates a turn. In other words, as soon as the skier plants the pole with the downhill hand, he or she swings the opposite pole with the new outside hand. The skier then holds the tip of this pole forward and pointed down the hill while completing the turn.

This early pole swing generates the body's forward momentum, which aids in unweighting the skis in the turn transition to facilitate edge change. This movement down the hill also helps the skier maintain balance over the feet. Many skiers become tentative in deep snow, which compromises their ability to guide the skis and link turns. The ready pole seems to put the powder skier in a more offensive mindset, and the body moves more fluidly and deliberately as a result.

Holding the pole tip forward through the last half of the turn helps the skier stay centered over the skis. Pointing the pole tip down the hill also keeps the torso directed toward the upcoming turn. The benefit of a stable torso is that the skier can work the legs effectively to guide the skis and regulate pressure from the snow.

A key to success with the ready pole is a stable and forward inside hand and arm following the pole plant with that hand. Without this strong inside hand and arm, the skier will tend to rotate the upper body into the turn when making the early pole swing with the outside hand, and the result usually finds the instructor looking for the student's equipment in the snow.

There are numerous variations of the early pole swing technique. Back in Engen's era, when rotation of the upper body was regarded as a necessary turning force, skiers would swing the pole and hand in a roundabout way across the body. You still see this tactic now and then on the slopes. Some skiers use a punch-to-the-sky movement with the new outside hand and arm to generate a powerful unweighting action in the turn transition. Others focus on pointing the pole down the fall line, keeping the elbow close to the hip to emphasize angulation at the hips and the upper body facing the fall line for more powerful leg turning and counter-rotation. The more current technique of the ready pole--with the skier's arms a bit higher than they would be on groomed terrain--is far more subtle and effective with modern equipment, i.e., wider short skis that turn easier.

The ready pole is easy to teach and even easier to learn, often resulting in dramatic improvements in the skier's rhythm and flow of movement. Simple verbal instructions and maybe a demo on groomed terrain usually suffice in communicating this move to a student. I often provide a verbal cue to prompt the student's pole swing as I follow the person down the hill. I've also found that an early and flowing pole swing helps students on steep terrain and moguls. (I know I find it useful when the going gets tough.)

Floating

The Alf Engen Ski School emphasizes an unweighting action in the transition between turns in deep snow to facilitate an edge change. The techniques for accomplishing this "float" may vary according to a number of factors, including the depth and density of the snow, the pitch of the slope, the width of the skis, and the skier's speed--the number one influence on unweighting.

Beginning powder skiers usually ski somewhat slowly on a relatively flat pitch. Chances are that you will have brought these students to a part of the mountain with snow depth that's fairly shallow and with a smooth base underneath. In this instance, an up-unweighting movement to facilitate edge change between turns is the best floating technique for the entry-level powder hound. When up-unweighting, following a pole plant, the skier extends the legs to direct the body mass up and diagonally toward the new turn. This creates the float and contributes to the edge change between turns.

Most skiers are familiar with the concept of up-unweighting, and it's relatively easy for students to transfer this movement to powder. They can usually extend aggressively into the next turn if they're comfortable with the situation; if the students aren't confident, they won't extend down the hill across the skis into the new turn.

Neophyte powder skiers often fear the unknown under deep snow. To help these skiers build confidence, I often ski ahead of them, creating a "safe" path for them to follow. (I generally have them follow directly behind in my track or only ski a few turns ahead, never getting too far out in front.) A very wide ski (75 mm + under the foot) that stays on the surface of the snow may also help new powder skiers gain experience and comfort in deep snow conditions. Confidence makes for deliberate turn initiation movements, and that leads to success as well as fun in powder.

More advanced powder skiers (levels 8 and 9 with lots of deep snow experience) can use a variety of unweighting techniques to float the skis between turns in varying snow depths and densities. The advanced powder skier will move in and out of extension unweighting, retraction unweighting, and float unweighting depending primarily on the skier's speed and the depth of the snow. At high speeds and in deep snow, these skiers may retract their feet up toward their hips as the technique for facilitating edge change. The extension in up-unweighting may just sink the skis in very deep snow more or create too much bounce at higher speeds, launching the skier uncontrollably out of a turn. This may be a blast for athletic and gutsy powder skiers, but those who prefer smoother and more consistent skiing at speed in deep snow may want to use the more predictable retraction unweighting method. Most skiers seem to fall into the latter category, gravitating to movements that create smooth, flowing, and stylish skiing in the powder.

A good way to relate this retraction movement to skiers at this level is to have them imagine that they are pulling their feet up to absorb a mogul at the end of each turn As the feet rise, it's easy to tip them into the new turn.

In many deep-snow conditions the snow compresses under the skis, forming a pseudo bump that actually pushes the skis toward the surface of the snow. A gifted powder skier may simply relax the legs as the snow compresses under the skis to float them and change edge. This advanced technique is called "float unweighting." It demands a very tuned-in and poised skier who can feel the pressure building under the skis, time the relaxation just right, and maybe add a dash of active retraction if needed to effortlessly float the skis and guide them seamlessly through turns in deep snow.

The maestro powder skier moves in and out of unweignting techniques on the fly as the snow, speed, and terrain change. A skier at this level becomes an artist, stroking the canvas of powder with the skis leaving behind elegant curves.

Soft Carving

Carving is the buzzword in skiing today. And if you can carve in powder, you've attained one of the ultimate skiing experiences. Flat, unpressured skis wander uncontrollably in deep and varying snow conditions, but edged and pressured skis slice and swoop through even the nastiest of deep snow and cut-up powder.

Skiers accomplish round turns in deep snow by banking their skis through a curve as the snow compresses against the bottom of the skis. To do this, the skier must tip the skis on edge at the turn initiation and guide them from the legs into the turn. The tails of the skis must follow the path of the tips through an arc (more on this later). This "soft" carving provides a light and relaxed sensation compared with the firm response of skis carving on harder snow.

Many skiers mistakenly assume that you should always used edged skis on hard snow and flat skis on soft snow. Skiers get in trouble when they slam on their edges at the bottom of a turn in deep snow. The skis sink fast, which stops their glide, and the skier's momentum carries the person over the skis and sends them into a fall down the hill. Unfortunately, those who mostly ski on hard snow often have this movement pattern ingrained into their skiing. The solution is not to edge less but to edge earlier and more progressively through the turn. That way turns will have a smooth, crescent shape.

Skiers accomplish early edging by moving the feet, legs, and body mass diagonally (forward and lateral) toward the new turn. Several of the concepts discussed in this article help the powder skier in this respect. The ready pole technique prompts the skier to align the body for a diagonal movement into the turn transition. Unweighting and directing the body diagonally into the turn contribute to early edging in powder snow. The retraction and float unweighting techniques at higher speed often allow the body mass to simply fall across the skis in the turn transition, creating an early tipping of the skis. And none of these techniques are possible without the rhythm and momentum of linked turns, which means that you need to give students sufficient opportunity to incorporate the various move- ments into a seamless progression.

Now, back to the issue of "steering" turns. To shape turns in deep snow, the skier must steer the edged and pressured skis through the desired arcs by turning the legs against the skis. Skiing a relatively short, complete turn in deep snow may require an intense movement of long duration.

Most novice powder skiers use rotary movements that are too short-lived to guide the skis through a complete turn. They often give the skis a quick twist (as they probably do on packed snow), thinking that this is enough to turn the skis. But these skiers end up hanging out for a very long ride through a big radius turn. Even if a student can turn the legs, the long duration of turning movement required in powder is a new feeling for the inexperienced deep snow skier.

In the 1960s, Alta instructors advised using a "heel thrust" to turn long, stiff skis, but today we emphasize leg turning movements to guide or pilot our much shorter and softer skis. This emphasis on rotary movements may seem to contradict the soft carving concept, but the action of the ski deflecting in the snow and the skier's active turning movements complement each other to shape round, rhythmic turns in powder.

I have students focus on turning the feet against the pressured skis and feeling the resistance of the snow to shape the desired turn and control speed. They must be tuned into the pressure on their feet to feel how much and for how long to steer. This "feeling with the feet" ties into skiing in rhythm with the snow. It is the resistance of the snow that provides the skier with information about how hard and how long to turn the feet and legs, and the only way to learn this is to practice in the powder with this in mind.

Powder Playground

Flying through powder on skis is an incredibly exhilarating personal experience. And while challenging at times, when you share the thrill and joy of powder skiing with studentswhen you see their smiles and hear their whoops of delight once they've found their rhythm and put turns together in powder for the first time-you're reminded of how rewarding teaching can be. I have many such memories etched into my mind, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I've seen stressed-out businessmen forget all their worries and talk for a week about their first real adventure away from the groomed and into the deep snow. To me, that's what teaching skiing is all about.

The mechanics, like the techniques discussed here, are only a means to experiencing the wonderful sensations of skiing and being in the mountain environment. You can use the concepts in this article as a foundation for your deep-snow skiing and teaching, but remember to look for your success in your students' descriptions of their sensations on powder snow. Don't get too wrapped up in perfecting techniques; give students the moves in a basic sense and let them ski. And in powder skiing, as with any other type of skiing, fun-not perfection-is the goal. As Alf Engen used to say "By gosh, any turn made standing up is a good turn."

Scott Mathers is the training director for the Alf Engen Ski School at Alta, Utah. An instructor for 20 years, Mathers ha served on the PSIA Demonstration Team for 12 years and the PSIA Steering Committee for 4.

Note: The author wishes to thank the Alta Ski School staff for contributing the key elements of the Alta Powder Technique.

What's Your Stance -- To Weight the Outside or Both Skis?

When you're skiing powder, do you stand an the outside ski or equally weight both feet? There are compelling arguments for each technique, but I think both are basically correct.

One of the fundamentals of good skiing in all situations is that you direct your balance to the outside ski in a turn. This means aligning your body in a way that allows pressure to build more an the outside ski than on the inside ski.

On the other hand, good skiing is also characterized by an inside leg and ski that are tipped over at the same angle as the outside ski and steered parallel to that leg and ski.This allows the inside ski to be pressured and used as necessary to keep things flowing smoothly. Skilled skiers use the inside ski in all situations - not just powder.

At PSIA's 1999 National Academy at Snowbird, Utah, Bill Egan, the head coach of the Men's U.S. Ski Team, gave a presentation an a modern ski racing technique referred to as "The Turn." Egan described one of the elements of excellent racing technique as a "grounded inside ski." His point was that a skier may use an inside ski, working in harmony with the outside ski, to recover balance without disrupting the arc of a turn.

The characteristics of excellent skiing in the 1990s include skis and legs tipped over at the same angle, skis parallel, and balance directed to the outside ski in the turn. This applies to all situations, including deep snow.

What do you think? If you're looking for a way to create some lively locker room banter, just bring up this controversial powder skiing topic with your peers. If you felt strongly one way or the other before, you never know: once you've tried both approaches, you just may find yourself sitting an the fence next to me.

Scott Mathers