How to ski on ice: 5 quick tips to be «ice-ready»

Really good skiers can rip in any condition… that’s a fact. But skiing on transparent see-through (AKA “blue”) ice can be quite challenging for most of snow enthusiasts. Finding a grip on “boilerplate” icy conditions is really difficult for the vast majority, which tends to catch lots of speed with a lack of control. Unfortunately for some, icy conditions are pretty common on the ski resorts worldwide, but particularly on the North East US ski resorts (AKA the “ice coast”) and in the Alps. The «Eastern Firm» is just the opposite to the “hero snow” * found on the Rocky Mountains resort.
We have to mention though one big advantage of icy conditions: the runs get much less crowded. And that’s because the average skier prefers just not to ski on ice.
This post is a summary of what I consider the best tips for skiing safely and actually enjoying this type of surface.

* Hero snow: snow that is simply easy to ski, so you can “look like a hero” even with flaws in technique. For most skiers, this translates into forgiving soft snow that’s not too deep with a solid base underneath for making turns easily.

The 2 main icy runs scenarios

1) At the end of the day (pure artificial snow conditions): Towards the end of the day, the runs can get very icy, particularly if there hasn’t been snowfall for a while. Especially on weekends and the holiday weeks when traffic can scrape a slope clean. The light and fresh snow on top from last night’s grooming is pushed into sugary piles on the side of the slopes by skiers and riders, exposing the hard icy base below and revealing serious ice patches. As being said, this gets really amplified if there hasn’t been any natural snow in a while. So in these conditions, it is always a good tactic to hit the slopes in the early morning, when we have a much better surface. If not, it is better to ski near the edges of the runs; the loose snow pushed over there from the middle creates random piles of snow on the edges to work with. We can try to find a zipper line down the side where invariably the snow is more skiable than in the middle of the run.

2) At the beginning of the day (spring conditions): classic spring snow conditions mean bulletproof ice in the early morning and then the opposite, deep heavy slush in the afternoon. Contrary to popular belief, early morning frost in spring is not due to cold weather. The cause of this morning’s ice is, on the contrary, too warm weather during the previous day or afternoon. That heat causes the snow to melt quite a bit, getting a large component of liquid water, which with the cold of the night develops serious icy conditions.

The racing surface

It is true that racers ski ice all the time, and it doesn’t freak them out. They even prefer it over soft snow. A hard slick surface is something they really look forward to. While the rest of the mere mortals skid and scrape, they fly down, carving swooping turns like if the surface was butter. How come? Because they know how to ski it properly, and the firm surface lasts longer in an even condition. The Injected snow found on race courses is frozen snow that is white and opaque, very hard but carvable. It is very fun to carve on, just not very forgiving terrain with mistakes on a sharp and responsive SL ski. So WC racers ski on snow that’s been water-injected. It’s hard, it’s called ice, but it’s not transparent blue ice, which is much more difficult to ski on.

The type of ski recommended

Regarding the type of ski, narrow and stiff is the answer. It is strongly recommended to use a performance “race carver” or, even better, an FIS SL racing ski. This type of ski is very narrow at the waist, and longitudinally and torsionally stiff enough to cut and hold on the ice. On the contrary, fat skis are definitely unadvised. They “don’t like” being put on edge on a firm surface, as they tend to go flat again. Also, off-piste skis are too soft and too light to hold the strong carve as needed. Think about real ice skates, like the hockey ones. They are the narrowest possible, and for a reason.
A beginner on-piste ski will not hold on ice either because it is not torsionally rigid enough, so it is recommended to stay away from it as well.

Five tips to be ice-ready

1) SHARP EDGES: racers tune their skis religiously, and they do it for a reason. A good tune is your best defense against ice, so tune your skis regularly. A clean and sharp set of edges certainly makes it easier to hold an edge on firm snow. On the opposite, a dull edge will not interact much with the ice and the skier will just slide around the slopes. It is important to note that skiing on ice will dull the edges more quickly, so have them re-sharpened every other day at least. Another advice is switching skis left for right at the beginning of each day in order to have the best condition of the “working edges” available. The working edges are the inside edge of each outside ski, the ones that receive the most of the load/pressure while skiing.

Additionally to the sharpness, increasing the bevel or angle of the side edge makes it hold even better on ice. The downside of this setup is that a more beveled edge will dull faster, and will require more maintenance to stay sharp. I personally use 3 degrees (AKA 87°) side edge bevel and for me, it is the best combination of high performance and adequate sharpness durability.
More so, many SL racers tend to use 86 (4) degrees on the side edge angle, and sharp tip to tail. Some World Cup athletes may even have 83 (7-degree) side bevel setups. However, these extreme angles are unforgiving for mere mortals and sacrifice sharpness durability. But if we really want to carve on ice, nirvana…
It is important to mention that on these hard surfaces, the base edge bevel and even the plastic base of the ski (particularly in the area next to the edges) as well wears out with use. Thus, the base angle of the edge changes over time, and also the base of the ski becomes convex (thicker in the middle), instead of the normal flat. For this reason, it is advisable to do a base grind once in a while to get it all flat again, and change the base bevel angle to the desired amount again. 

Let’s talk a little about edge bevels: 

Base bevel: affects how quickly the edges engage, or in other words the quickness of grip when tipped; so it determines the ski «responsiveness and forgiveness«. It primarily controls «predictability» and how far a ski must be tipped before the edge engages. The less base bevel, the slower the ski is to hook up and start carving, and the easier to smear or sideslip. Small changes in the base bevel contribute drastically to the skis on-snow feel, performance and ski-ability.

Side bevel: affects how well edges grip once they engage; it determines the amount of grip. The more bevel, the deeper the penetration on the snow, thus the more grip.

We have to mention that all these differences in angles are noticeable mainly on groomed slopes, and particularly on hard pack or icy snow. They are almost not perceptible on very soft snow conditions, like powder.

The best way to keep side edges always sharp is to use an edge grinder machine, like the French Snow Glide or the even better state-of-the-art Italian Ratte, which is made in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. The machines have a lot of advantages over manual tuning:
• way faster for sharpening the edge,
• produce a better and more consistent finish,
• cut off even less edge than manual sharpening with files.
In fact, it speaks volumes about the advantages of machine-based tuning in that race skis are delivered with a machine-finished edge. Having said that, it is important to note that all edge machines generate fine, metal particulate. Inhaling this particulate is a bad idea, so be sure to use a respirator mask or a painting mask when operating these machines.

2) 100% OUTSIDE SKI balance with Early Weight Transfer: being over the outside ski (regarding pressure or balance) increases the penetrating force and reduces lateral shear force on the edges. As already discussed thoroughly on this Ski Blog, balancing on the outside ski is very important in any situation or condition, but it becomes essential when the slope gets icy. Upper body angulation and some counter-rotation are mandatory to achieve that outside ski dominance and high edge angle. Early weight transfer means finding that new outside ski early, and balancing against it.
Technique mistakes like being on the inside ski or rotating the upper body into the turn produce an even more intense lack of control when skiing on ice. As you may note, on this kind of surface the technical fundamentals of skiing become increasingly important.

That’s why it is said that “the ice does the teaching for you” … And I completely agree. The ice requires a solid skiing technique. A much more  debatable quote goes: “It is not that you can’t ski on ice, it is that you can’t ski and the ice just proves it…”

3) EARLY EDGING and PROGRESSIVE edge angle build-up: this is getting the new outside ski on edge early, and having PATIENCE to let the skis engage. We should start tipping the outside ski on edge early, and once it engages, the edge angle should increase progressively throughout the turn until ¾ of it, when we start releasing the ski. A high edge angle makes the ski hold better, but we have to build it up gradually.

4) Pressure: Being SOFT and SMOOTH to build it up. Way too much pressure could cause loss of grip. Also, an abrupt pressure will only cause the edges to break loose. So be light on your feet, delicate. On ice, any suddenness of edge angle and/or pressure will more likely cause the skis to lose their grip. A good tip is to keep your legs relatively relaxed. Rigid legs will make the skis unhook and chatter. Skis on ice don’t like to be surprised, everything needs to be smooth, progressive, and continuous. Be patient and build up pressure smoothly. Don’t rush the turn, look for the flow, and always move. Avoid being static at all costs. The big trick to ice is a great technique of course, and to be smooth and soft. As we mentioned, smoothness matters a lot, any movement that is abrupt will break the skis away from their grip.

5) DYNAMIC skiing (continuous flow): avoid being static, and try to keep always moving/staying in constant motion. Gentle (not abrupt) movements. We have to make gradual, slow but continuous movements to achieve C-shaped turns under these conditions. One common mistake is staying static in a turn too long, especially if we start to skid.
Contrary to the common belief, we don’t need to go too fast to carve on ice. Actually quite the opposite. So keep your speed controlled through your line choice (a tactical choice), AKA “ski the slow line fast”. It is not the effective downhill travel speed, it is the speed we carry, doing complete turns with a lot of across-the-hill skiing that will help us carve safely in rock-solid ice.

A note on a common problem: ski chatter is that terrible sensation when the ski is bouncing across the snow sideways sending shuddering vibrations up your leg and knees. The only positive of chatter is that if it is happening, you know that your skis are somewhat sharp. Ski chatter usually comes from abruptly edging and loading a ski when it is pointing in a different direction to your direction of travel. To avoid this, try to edge early and progressive, and start building pressure on the ski before the fall line. Then release the pressure after the fall line and start to flex your legs to transition to the next turn.

Conclusion

I hope these quick tips help you really perform on ice. But if you’re not quite there yet, just be patient and try to embrace it and enjoy it. The ice is a bit harsh but an excellent teacher indeed, and it will definitely make you a better skier.

Keep ripping some arcs!