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Where to Learn to Ski Deep Powder?

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smackboy1:
I have a desire to go heli skiing but my lack of any powder experience is a bit of an impediment  :-[

I see operations like CMH have Powder 101 trips for the powder challenged. http://www.canadianmountainholidays.com/heli-skiing/firsttime It looks great but it seems a bit of a waste to drop that kind of coin on a learning trip.  The other thing is that I don't want to end up stuck in a lodge in the boonies because bad weather has the helicopters grounded. So I'm thinking cat skiing might be a better way. Anybody have any tips or recommendations where to go and which operator to go with?

I consider myself an fairly advanced northeast skier and I'm pretty comfortable anywhere inbounds. Steep boilerplate ice? No problemo. The light white bottomless fluffy stuff? Not a clue.

HighAngles:
If you can manage an unplanned/spur of the moment trip in your work schedule, I recommend heading to SLC when the snow is falling.  The SLC area has the most convenient access combined with incredible mountains with great deep snow skiing.  I've done this often myself since the trip is so easy (it's also fairly inexpensive).  You can stay down in SLC at the foot of Little Cottonwood Canyon and ski Alta or Snowbird (and Solitude and Brighton are fun too).

Also, it's not like the Northeast never gets deep snow - you just have to be willing to time it right and go where it's snowing.  Watch the snowfall predictions and make it your mission to get some. but I have to admit that even though I skied the NE for 12 years I don't think I ever found more than 6" due to my ability to time storms and actually get out to ski.  In my first trip out West I hit 2.5' of the deep stuff at Alta.  Once I experienced that I realized that there was a whole "other" sport I was missing.

I agree that "dropping coin" on a big heli trip, if you've never really skied in deep snow, is definitely a bit risky.

bushwacka:
the thing is learning to ski deep powder is a catch 22 in so many ways.

I have never met anyone who has ever been taught how to ski deep powder, not that I do not think it can be done its just the people that learn to ski deep powder are generally doers and have done everything in their power to ski deep powder, whether or not is was skipping,working school, hiking/skinning for it, getting the right ski, waking up early to get first chair they have done everything in their power to ski deep powder and over the years have learned to ski it.

First thing what ever is stopping you from skiing powder is actually a flaw in your everyday skiing! "its not that you can not ski the powder, its that you cant ski and the powder proves it". If powder gives you problems your trying to twist a ski to much, or are just entirely off balance some way. If you have an video of you skiing I can tell you exactly why its happening.

now on to where. It really doesnt matter where it does matter when.  big storm cycle about to hit SLC? drop everything and get out there and ski brighton/solitude? wyoming about to get hit? get to Grand Targhee as fast as possible. North Easter coming up the cost? Pick a small mountain in its path and get there. Lake Effect coming of lake champlain? get your ass to stowe and enjoy snow while no one in the north east even knows its snowing...

HighAngles last year was a bad year but if you drove to stowe every weekend and skied saturday/sunday you would have powder many days including one day that was absurdly deep.

these pictures were taken at 3pm on saturday at stowe mountain resort. Inbounds lighter snow that could ever been found in utah....





this was taken the next day just out of bounds at about noon



everywhere in the northeast got this storm. There was really no valid excuse IMO to miss it. I talk to several western who were at stowe that day just to ski powder.

Stowe on average has more powder days than snowbird they just generally are not as deep and more of the public misses it since the lifts open at 7:30.... and they open at 7:30 so the locals can ski its out before the tourist can wake up;)

LivingProof:
Check out the Revelstoke Mountain area of British Columbia where there are a few powdercat ski week services. Seems to be a reasonable blend of good powder plus terrain to enable learning to ski in deep, untracked, freshies. Steamboat also has good powdercat services.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCZsx93MWss

But, as Bushwacker states, if you want to ski powder, it has to become your prime goal. On the east coast, that means watching for storms and being there while it's coming down. First chairs are sooo important. Last year, I was in NY with Gary and we got 6-9 inches overnight, and, Gary had us at the mountain early enough for him to be first in line. That was hero snow that most can do very well in while on groomed.

My experiences when in big mountains during major drops are very mixed. I was totally unprepared for the deeper, heavier snow I experienced in Tahoe last year. There is a learning curve and there are a lot of variables.

bushwacka:
Livingproof I would have struggled on a 94mm waisted ski in sierra cement.

I would rather hit the easy button and be able to float on less than Ideal powder. getting stuck in heavy snow or crust is not my idea of fun.

with that said floating on true powder is impossible even a on the biggest powder skis. Just look at my pictures and realize everyone was skiing 185cm + 110mm+ skis. The idea of skiing 'on powder" is purely a myth perpetuated by people who simply have never actually skied powder on fat skis before.

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