Skiing / riding styles creating hazards?

not sure if the equipment argument makes sense, but we all intuitively ski/ride "light" sometimes.  For instance when I approach a convex roll I definitely lay off a lot.

That said, laying trenches and riding with a power-style is by far the most fun!  Much more satisfying than a sprightly, "flicky," finesse riding style.  This holds true for all board sports I think.  Surfers past the age of puberty who glide and flick are duly razzed for it (and in tougher spots can get sent in for it).  To my eye (and feel) skiers/boarders who glide and flick look silly (and dated) compared to the guys (and women) who powerfully blast in and out of the white room.

So regardless of equipment barge when you can, back off when you have to I say.  Of course I'm relatively big, and maybe not super-fast twitch, so take the bias toward ape-shot-out-of-a-cannon aesthetics with a grain of snow.

Edit: come to think of it, fatter and shaped skis have made the power-style available to the masses right?  Seems so much easier to lean in and carve hard nowadays (wouldn't know personally -- haven't skied since 1983).  Before the this innovation most skiers did a lot more of that wanky swivel from the hips and schuss type movement.  So maybe OP is right ....

Right, I won't make dynamic cross-under turns or wedeln, which make me feel alive, in control, and put a grin on my face - because someone would think I'm 'dated'... hahaha

Reality check: in the most gnar snow spots, even JJ and similar don't power through - they hop turn. Yeah, Javier straightlined the ice sheet, but that wasn't power either.

I enjoy loading some Gs. I love throwing a method off a powder-covered stump much more. One of my best bc moments was when I came across a broken flagged tree, hit it, and slid the entire length - on the spur of the moment, without scouting, preparation, and sessions.

To answer the original question: I am convinced that big airs should be avoided in avy terrain and conditions because they create hazards.

Cheers
Ivo

Good responses ! So as to clarify a bit, we would admit, wider, floatier skis let us cover a lot more ground and a lot faster. Reasonably, this exposes the rider to more potential pockets & areas that may be suspect. Skis that make deeper snow appealing to a greater number of skiers, long, fast turns crossing larger lateral areas of slope coupled with the bigger vertical you can do in a day is the increased hazard I refer to. Really just in the math. Probably no disagreement on this, if you touch something that's trigger happy, doesn't matter whether you are on a board, telemark, straight sticks or fatties.

This was posted over in CascadeClimbers.com a few days ago (and probably a lot of other places):



Interesting that the slope released after a number of similar tracks were already laid on it.

I think if a slope isn't stable enough to withstand a "yard sale" type fall without fracturing -- it is cutting too close to the edge for my tastes.

That avalanche was surprisingly large and after a number of riders had been chewing the slope up at that. Strong and convincing evidence that shocks and disturbances can occasionally resonate far enough to destabilize something. There's sure a lesson or two in that video. Thanks for linking it.