Winter Skiing Types and Tips

Hey STAG Family!

Happy holidays! Can you believe that we’re already to the end of the year? Time flashes by when you’re having fun!

That being said, we thought it would be a good idea to throw together a ski guide for this winter season. When it gets busy, it gets BUSY. Knowing the ski options of what to do, how to do it, and where to get it done can be extremely helpful. Below are a few things we’ll be doing this winter season and we invite you to as well!

Taking a Ski Trip

While it sounds simple enough, we thought we would break it down into the ‘how’ you can do this just in case we have some beginners reading, or if it’s been awhile since you’ve headed to the slopes.

What kind of riding will you be doing? There is powder, backcountry, park, and freeride. Let’s quickly dive into the different types and what each one means:

Powder Skiing 

If you haven’t ridden in powder yet, and there is a storm coming to your local mountain, make sure you take advantage and go riding! Powder riding happens when a mountain gets a healthy serving of snow (generally 4-5” and above of snowfall is considered a powder day. The more the merrier!) and it creates a ‘fluffy’ sensation while riding. It’s overall an extremely fun experience, as well as confidence inspiring! When you fall on normal snow, it can hurt depending on how icy the conditions are. While riding in powder, the snow is so soft that when you fall, you generally get up right away with a big smile on your face (and snow down your back). Now, the only downside to riding in powder is that YOU WILL BE TIRED. The soft snow means that you have to keep your speed up, and lean back - both of which will take a ton of energy and will be sure to wipe you out by the end of the day.

Backcountry Skiing

Now this is more of an advanced level activity to do… but man is it fun! If you are an experienced skier/ snowboarder, we couldn’t recommend doing some backcountry skiing enough. If you are wondering what to ask for this holiday season, a backcountry session could be just what you’re looking for. Various mountains can take you to untouched mountains via helicopter, cat tractor, or snowmobile. Again, this is for advanced riders only, but scoring untouched turn after untouched turn is one of the best experiences you’ll have on the mountain.

Park Skiing

Ahhh, nothing like a freshly groomed jump line that ends with a halfpipe (insert ‘heart eyes’ here). Jumps are something that intimidates a lot of skiers and boarders… but it doesn’t need to! What people see are advanced riders hitting huge jumps and throwing backflips and they think they need to be like that to enter into the terrain park - NOT TRUE! There are generally multiple terrain parks at every mountain: one for beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders. Yes, if you aren’t confident in your freestyle skills, maybe pass on the advanced terrain park (unless you are going to watch and learn from better riders. That is a GREAT idea! Just make sure you do not block the takeoff or landing of any jumps/ features as that can cause a hazard for both you and the other rider). “Okay, so why should I go into a terrain park?”, you might be asking yourself that question and there is a great answer why EVERYONE should take a few laps - experience! It’s critical to feel comfortable in all situations while on the mountain, and learning to jump/ navigate tricky features is a great way to do that. Once you feel comfortable in a terrain park, no choppy section, steep natural jump, or gap jump will be intimidating on the rest of the mountain. It’s all too easy to go to the mountain and stay inside your comfort zone, but it is always important to be learning and improving your skill set while on the mountain! 

Freeride Skiing

This is where most people will fall this winter season - freeride riding is where you just ride all over the mountain, wherever you please! This is fairly obvious, but if you are just riding all over the mountain, you might have an all-mountain board, or for that matter any kind of board. It’s less important the specific type of board you have while riding all over the mountain, especially on groomed runs. Some hardcore skiers don’t like to freeride, but if we’re being honest, it can be an amazing time! From side hits, bombing groomed runs, and exploring all over the mountain, it can be one of the best ways to bond with friends, family, and other mountain goers! 

STAG Ski Rack

Our ski rack is the perfect companion for your winter travels this season. Slap 4 boards, or 6 skis on top of your car, and get out on the road! Remember, our rack works on any car and takes less than 2 minutes to install. When not in use? Remove the rack in 30 seconds, and get on with your life: no reduction in MPG, no style change to your car, and no hassling with taking roof bars off. Check it out here.

Time to get out there! We hope you guys have a killer time getting out and adventuring the mountains. If you have any questions, our team here at STAG is very experienced in skiing and snowboarding and would be more than willing to help you with board/ ski selection, wax types, and general how-to’s when it comes to winter sports.

- Team STAG