How do you snow ski on ice?

Answer 1

With sharp skis and a lot of practice. Seriously!

World Cup/ FIS race courses are prepared to give racers a base of practically sheet ice to ski on. Conditions and access to correct/ advanced equipment do not always allow for this but it is their aim.

Recreational skiing however we find the ice is there by 'chance' and by this I mean due to natural weather conditions (rain or sun and then re-freeze, wind, extreme cold) and/ or a lot of people skiing over the same area compressing the snow pack and scraping away the loose snow.

It is one thing to ski on ice and another thing do complete a proper carve turn on ice in which the ski/ skier does not skid at any point during the turn. This takes both training and depending how hard the snow truly is appropriate skis.

Torsionally rigid skis help a lot as they hold an edge on hard-pack, soft skis with lots of torsional flex do not bite into the snow/ ice. You see people in ski shops bending skis against the floor talking about it's flex but this is only part of the picture - torsional rigidity is how the ski twists along the axis which runs between its tip and tail.

Race skis eg. slalom and GS are built with this in mind, however there are recreational skis which will ski well on hard snow. You tend to find skis like these want to be skied fast as they turn better at medium to high speeds and/ or want to be skied on steep terrain and/ or by heavier people as all these factors help the ski to bend so as to be in the correct position or shape to bite the snow and produce an "actual" carve turn.

The sensation of skiing on ice on the right skis is amazing when you get the hang of it, it's like cornering on a rollercoaster which you have total control of.