Spring skiing tips: How to navigate the soft snow safely

It can require an adjusted skill set to ski well in the soft spring snow. (Killington)

Any day on skis is a great day, but those sunny days in late March or early April when the snow is still abundant in the mountains and most flatlanders have turned their focus to warmer pursuits are in a class of their own.

There is a vibe to spring skiing that can’t be beat, and embracing that vibe can help make you a better skier when spring conditions turn, shall we say, variable.

The thought of getting the first chair is something that drives many of us during the winter months … the feeling of corduroy underfoot while the masses are slowly making their way over to the mountain.

But when the temperature goes through the freeze-thaw cycle, being the first one on the mountain isn’t nearly as fun as your teeth get rattled going over the frozen cord. Those runs during the late morning, however, are simply sublime.

“You have to be ready for anything in variable terrain, and that’s true any time conditions are changing, and in spring they can change a whole season’s worth in one day,” said Elaine Bello, a Professional Ski Instructors of America Level 2 instructor based in Plymouth, N.H., who spent 23 years teaching at Cannon Mountain. “January is like up until about 9, February is up until about 10 or 11, and then after that you get into spring and summer.

“You need to be able to vary your touch, and one of the things that I recommend when there are a lot of piles around is that you hop over the piles. You’re not actually hopping over them, but it ends up getting you light on your feet, and it gives you sort of an up momentum instead of a down where you sag and sink into the slop.

“If you sink into the slop, your skis are going to get stuck in a rut. And if you stay light on your feet and lift yourself up, sometimes it feels like you are suspending your body from your rib cage, you’re getting up and off your feet in more of an unweighting, and it happens repeatedly, and you can skim over the surfaces more easily.”

By staying light on your feet, it prevents you from sticking into heavier, wet snow.

Bello said because of the changing conditions throughout the mountain, it is even more important than usual to be balanced over your feet. Going from the shade, where the snow is more likely to be firm, to sun, where the snow is likely to have softened, can do a number on your hamstrings if you are not prepared for the change.

“Your knees have to be bent a little more. By the time the spring comes, you’ve had a chance to practice balance moves where if your feet are too far ahead of you, you can pull them in under you quickly,” Bello said. “Those things come a little more naturally in the spring, and they’re actually needed more in the spring.”

As the day wears on, the bumps start to show — and those bumps can get pretty big when heavily trafficked as people tend to work the troughs. Some go up and over, others will power through them or make their turns halfway down each mogul, and others bounce from bump to bump without any regard for their knees.

It’s not a place for the timid, according to Bello, who said that bold, small moves help maintain balance while navigating the moguls.

A big key to enjoying spring skiing is understanding how ground temperature and air temperature affect the snow.

Early in the spring, the ground is still cold and will refreeze, but deeper into April, the ground starts poking through and those patches of grass or rock retain the sun’s warmth better than the snowpack, and the snow around those spots melts faster.

When it comes to clothing, layering is even more important than during the winter, as the body does more work over the slower snow, and combined with the warmer temps, results in needing to peel off clothes throughout the day. Because the snow is typically melting, waterproof is a good route to take.

“Hydration is big in the spring,” said Bello, who also recommends more frequent breaks. “You sweat, the sun is on you and you are working harder — it’s a triple whammy.”

She also suggests being sure to enjoy winding down after the ski day to reflect on it with friends and fellow diehards.

“(It’s) the biggest reward of spring skiing that there is,” Bello said of the spring après scene. “Hanging around outside, waiting for alpenglow and sipping après beverages in the fresh air is just the most wonderful feeling.”

TV: How to enjoy spring skiing in New England