How to make the most of spring skiing!
I had never been spring skiing before until recently, and I really didn’t know what to expect. How different could it be from regular skiing? What should I wear? Are there conditions to be wary of?
I went to Northstar (an Epic resort in north lake Tahoe), for their closing weekend April 30! It was my first time skiing in warm weather and here is everything to keep in mind when spring skiing—or even summer skiing with some Tahoe resorts open until (Palisades!)
Dress light, bring layers!
I started out wearing a long sleeve under a tee shirt. After my first run, that long sleeve had to come off! It was about ~60F which normally would have me wearing at least a sweatshirt, but don’t forget you will be working and you will warm up big time on the downhill! Whether it is winter skiing or spring time skiing, I like to judge what to wear by noting how I feel at the car. When I am getting ready and hanging out at the base, I aim to be chilly but not freezing. When I leave the car and am walking to the lifts, I want to make sure not to be sweating or I’ll definitely be too warm when skiing. If you are dressing light, keep in mind you won’t have your layers to protect you if you fall!
Sunscreen!
I always apply face sunscreen before skiing because the bright white snow will reflect the sunbeams up and you end up getting hit with double the beams (not a scientific telling, but more or less). When skiing in the spring time, you may have your arms or legs exposed. Because it is still snowy out on the ground, the UV radiation will still be reflected (UV is reflected by snow even more than water!) and the chances of sunburn are really high, so make sure to apply!
Beware of slush and sticky snow
Because the snow is in the midst of melting, there will be a lot of slush. Most of the times, this isn’t an issue but it may make the slopes more uneven and clumpy. Beyond that, sometimes you may hit a patch of sticky snow. These were a surprise to me and felt really awkward—your body wants to keep moving forward, but your skis are just no longer matching your speed! I won’t get too deep into the details, but this stickiness is from capillaries of water pretty much attaching to the base of your ski / board. Waxxing before hand will help and sticking towards the middle of the trail can also help (away from trees and where there is more snow). The Local Freshies have a good detailing for this specific spring skiing concern. Check it out!
Drink lots of water
You might not realize how much you are sweating while going down because of all the wind cooling you down, but don’t underestimate! When it is warm and you are skiing, you are working! I recommend bringing a bladder pack back pack so you have water easily accessibly. I drink a lot when I have the straw right next to me all day and ended up going through 4 liters!
I really like using my Camel Back whenever I go skiing (winter or spring). I don’t know the exact version, but it is about this size and works perfectly for resort ski days where all I need is water, a few snacks, my phone, and my walkie!
Park rat? Go early!
Because the shape of the snow is so important in the park, when it gets slushy, the park may close early (if it opens at all). So if you want to hit the park, go a little earlier than you usually would to make sure you have time!
Your feet my hurt more
Okay, this last one caught me most by surprise. I bought my ski boots from REI for super cheap from their garage sale (#humblebrag). BUT that also means they don’t fit 100% right, I’d say more like 95%…. The boots are just a tad too tight for me (they are a narrow fit and I probably would have gone for a regular fit if the narrow fit wasn’t ~$700 cheaper thanks to this sale…). My feet hurt way more during this ski trip than any other trip because of a few reasons:
Heat swells your feet. cold feet from the winter time will usually be smaller than hot feet from the summer time. This is because the heat causes blood vessels to expand which allow for more fluid to get into your foot. This is going to make an already tight boot feel even tighter
I hadn’t skied on slush before. This was my first time skiing in such slushy conditions. I hadn’t hit sticky snow before and I felt so unbalanced (and even a bit scared!) when I hit it for the first time that for every run thereafter, I was bracing my feet and legs to prepare myself to catch myself in case I hit the sticky snow again. This caused for weird pressure points and stressed muscles on and in my foot that I previously hadn’t really worked
