Feed—or start—your ski streak.
Summer skiing can seem equal-parts intimidating, inaccessible, and just plain ugly. But ask around in skier circles and you may be surprised to discover how many people ski every month—for years on end. Powder7 skier Doug Evans’ streak sits at 247 months (and counting).
We asked Doug, and two other athletes you may have heard of, about their secrets to making turns in the warm months.
From Doug Evans (@dougtheskier)
“We ski all the time. We don’t summer ski all the time. Even the people skiing year-round—during summer, I’m skiing once a week. You’re not as practiced as during mid-season. Leave ego at home at stay humble out there.”
“Tone it back during those later months, August and September, when you haven’t skied for a few weeks. You haven’t been doing laps at the ski area. That first turn—take it slow. Most wrecks I’ve seen happen on the first turn. You’re stoked and you go in hot and the turn doesn’t feel like the snow you skied three or four weeks ago.”
“Check your gear. Summer skiing does take a toll on gear. Bindings break. Skis break. Snow is abrasive and tends to tear your bases up. I have a buddy who, when we were in our early twenties, had to go get his skis at his parents’ house. He drops in, and his dad had turned his bindings down for the summer. He ended up doing the slide for life down Skyscraper. We had to put his shoulder back in on the glacier and hike his gear out.”
“When you’re not using it every day, things can happen to your gear that you don’t notice. I’ve noticed a big crack in my shells during summer.”
“Keep an eye on the weather. Lightning doesn’t discriminate.”
“Think about time. Things always take twice as long to hike to in the summer.”
Read more tips and stories from Doug
From Veronica Paulsen (@veronicabelle)
“Get an early start, like really early. Besides getting the snow before it turns to sticky mush, you’ll also see the best sunrise of your life when you summit.”
“If you’re not sure, just pack the ice axe and crampons. You can thank me later.”
“When it gets too hot, don’t be afraid to cash in on some GNAR points with a BN!”
From Owen Leeper (@o_leeps)
“If you are looking for summer skiing without too much hiking, look for roads that access high mountain passes like Independence pass near Aspen, or jeep roads. When you can drive to 12,000 feet, you will have a much easier time finding snow.”
“If you don’t live near any high mountain roads, you should be prepared to hike a ways for some turns. It’s always best to go early before the snow becomes too soft and risk wet slides or sticky snow, which is no fun to ski. Once the snowpack has settled into summer snowpack and is fully consolidated, you can ski it any time of the day, and it will be about the same.
“You can test the snow by sticking your pole or foot into it, if you can push it down to the ground, it’s rotten and dangerous. If it’s hard and you can barely kick in, then it’s consolidated and good to ski anytime.”
“No matter when you go, be sure to put a good warm wax on so you can actually make some fun turns.”
Can’t find snow or sand (or don’t want to walk to it?)
Ski the Southern Hemisphere. That’s why you’re hoarding all those travel points, right?
Chasing endless winter south of the equator blends the inherent adventure of international travel with raw ski stoke. With international travel in play once again again, take advantage. Here’s where to go and when.
See the photo journal from our backcountry skiing trip in Patagonia with Owen Leeper
