Powder Day? Ride, Don’t Ski

Today I made the most stupid decision of the trip: I left my board in the hotel room and took my skis out into the powder.

When faced with the decision of whether to ride or ski today, I thought that it would be good to go back to skis, so I could join my father-in-law in any terrain he would choose to enjoy. Two days ago, when I went out on the board, I was still feeling my way around on a big mountain. I did not feel comfortable riding on anything but blue terrain, so I limited where he could ski. I did not want to do that today.

It would not have mattered; we never left blue terrain today anyway, so my riding would not have affect him at all.

Riding would have been a blast, though. I’ve ridden in a small powder dump in the Midwest, and it was indescribably superior to dealing with the packed powder and ice that is the norm. I could have had an opportunity to do that in the Rockies. And instead I struggled through it, on skis.

That’s because skiing in powder isn’t that good if you don’t have the right gear. I was on my usual skis. These narrow-waisted sticks are best for groomed slopes. As a result of that, and my relative inexperience in powder, I had to “work” all day. It eventually became enjoyable in its own way. But I suspect that riding would have been a more pleasurable experience.

Finally, I understood, through experience, something I have often read about snowboarding: it’s on your knees. As I skied through the mix of powder and chopped-up snow, my skis were prone to travel at different speeds–and even different directions. That, in turn, could easily lead to twisted knees. Ouch! But with a board, that’s not going to happen.

Conclusion of the day: when powder dumps, take the board.