Modern technique, if you read the ski magazines, is all about taking advantage of the carving capabilities of newer deep-sidecut skis to make powerful arced turns. And carving is unquestionably a very effective technique on smooth packed snow and supportable crud. But everything has its limits- try carving round arcs through Hangman’s or down a tight line through the trees.
As skiers at the bigger resorts have increasingly turned to fat skis for their floatation and stability in soft snow, the perceptive ones have re-discovered that high-speed drifting- long, drawn-out sideways skids down the fall-line- can be the most efficient way to ski the steeps. This technique is really effective on pitches that are too steep or narrow to make round carved turns, but roomy enough that short hop turns are a waste of energy- areas like the Paranoids, or the Avvy Chutes.
Shane McConkey, a professional freeskier from Squaw Valley, was the first to articulate that in powder, sidecut and carving are actually counter-productive. He felt that sidecut interfered with skiing in soft snow, causing instability and unwanted hooking when he tried to skid or go straight in powder. Shane put his money where his mouth was: he had his ski sponsor, Volant, build him a ski that worked like a surfboard, with reverse sidecut and camber- and the result was the Spatula, the anti-carving ski.
The Spatula worked as advertised, and McConkey was able to exploit its shape and skidding capabilities to ski very fast and fluidly in soft snow with less effort. Unfortunately, the ski is terrible on packed snow, so it remains a specialty tool- but the point was proved: the new crop of fat skis all feature more moderate shapes that are more conductive to skidding, and skiers that are ahead of the curve are skidding more in steeps, using the McConkey approach to gobble up big chunks of terrain in a few smooth turns.
This technique is really useful in big terrain, but it can be applied anywhere. The advantages on snow become obvious quickly- you can ski faster through sections with less turns, expending less energy. In soft snow, skidding keeps your skis floating on top of the snow so it’s easier to pivot and turn when you need to. Drifting also allows you to change direction while continuing to move down the fall-line, especially useful in chutes.
The safety factor is less obvious, but ultimately just as cool: while carving can force you into highly angulated, vulnerable body positions (imagine the position of a ski racer laid out in the middle of a turn), drifting allows you to stand tall in a stable and powerful position with your skeleton supporting your weight. Because the drifting turn is far less dynamic (you really just kind of stand there), you can focus your attention further down the hill, instead of right in front of you.
Carving is a crucial skill, but when you’re off the groomer, sometimes it’s best to just let ‘em drift
