Skiing On Hard Pack

What

Skiing on hard pack or ice provides less friction, less edge penetration for the ski and refers to firmly compacted snow.

Why

Skiing on ice is unavoidable at times and a good challenge for skiers to test their skills.

How

Depending on the sharpness of the skier’s edges and their confidence there are two ways to ski on ice: 1) an aggressive carving performance, similar to that of a world cup skier skiing on ice, or 2) a defensive skidded performance, steering the skis and taking it slowly down the ice.

Skills

Situational Understanding

• Develop an awareness of how friction changes between the skis and hard pack snow
• Read ski area signage, avoid icy slopes that are too challenging for skiers
• Using a wider ski will make it very challenging to develop any grip in icy conditions
• Sharp edges will help the ski grip and penetrate the snow

Active Stance & Balance

• Develop a lower stance with controlled vertical movement, this will help the skier remain stable should the skis begin to slide sideways during the turn

Outside Ski Balance

• Develop a wider base of support. This creates more of a 50/50 weight distribution between the skis, providing the skier with a sense of stability

Edging

• Develop a wider base of support, this means the CoG won’t need to move inside of the BoS to create grip, allowing lateral movements of the legs to develop edging throughout the turn

Steering

• Due to the reduced friction between the skis and the snow, develop a smooth and consistent rate of steering throughout the turn

Ski Snow Interaction

• The steering angles will increase gradually throughout the top half of the turn, then maintain until the start of the next turn
• The edge angle of both skis will increase throughout the turn and release simultaneously
• The platform angle will reach near 90 degrees at the end of the control phase; however, due to the tough-to-penetrate snow conditions, it will most likely not be achieved

Terrain

Terrain and speed are important considerations when teaching on hard pack. Select terrain that skiers are comfortable with.

Class Handling

Be especially mindful when starting and stopping students. Grip is at a premium when stopping and changing direction is challenged, so be mindful of each other and other slope users. It will be safer to start off on easier slopes when the conditions are firm; even students with a good skill level may have psychological reactions to the hard snow.