Skiing News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Photo: AscentXmedia/Getty Images

5 Essential Spring Skiing Tips Every Skier Should Know

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Mar 4, 2025 12:18 PM ET

Spring skiing: the best kind of skiing (behind bottomless powder, duh). It's like the sun comes out and the temperature hits 50 for the first time since October and suddenly, none of the simple things that apply the rest of the season matter anymore.

Layering? Outerwear? Gore-Tex? Forget it. You can ski in a costume without occasion, as long as it's spring. Break out the jorts, onesies, bikini tops, you name it. Safety? Just slap on a visor and some speedy sunglasses and you've got all the protection you need.

Proper sports fuel? Never heard of it. A hot dog cooked on someone's tailgate and three Busch Lights are all you need to get through eight hours of skiing. Modern ski technology? Why bother when you could just ski 200cm straight skis from 1984 or snow blades? It's a truly wild phenomenon; physicists should study it.

Just in case you have a tendency to fall victim to whatever this phenomenon is, here are a couple of quick reminders so you can have the best spring ever and not spend it with a savage sunburn or a torn ACL cause you forgot to wax your skis.

Want to keep up with the best stories and photos in skiing? Subscribe to the new Powder To The People newsletter for weekly updates.

1. Wear Sunscreen

Most of us associate sunburns with warm weather, so slathering on the SPF when there are only 4 inches of your face showing during ski season can feel a little silly. Even on cloudy days, UV rays are still present, but those sunny spring days can be ten times worse. Between the high elevation of most ski areas and the snow's reflective surface (which can reflect up to 90% of sunlight!), you might be more likely to get a bad burn spring skiing than at the beach.

While it might be tempting to live the 'suns out, guns out' lifestyle in the spring, if you do, make sure you're wearing sunscreen that's at least 40 SPF and reapply often.

Along with that 'hasn't seen the sun in seven months skin,' your eyes also need protection from UV rays. UV damage to your eyes can result in things like snow blindness and corneal sunburns (yes, you can sunburn your eyes). Make sure you're still wearing goggles or sunnies with at least a UV400 rating. Polarized lenses will also enhance the contrast of the snow's surface and make it easier to see in bright light.

2. Wear a Helmet, Even if It's Warm

When the sun comes out for the first time all winter, it can certainly be tempting to shed your layers and inhibitions. For whatever reason, it seems like the number of people wearing helmets on the mountain drops significantly as soon as the temperature rises. Unfortunately, blue skies and slushy snow don't make you a better skier or less likely to hit your head on something.

If anything, the three beers you drank while enjoying the sun on the lodge deck at lunch might make you more prone to crashing. So wear your helmet, even if you don't really want to.

Most helmets have vents or some kind to keep airflow moving through them and your head from getting too hot. Just because you're wearing a helmet also doesn't mean you have to wear a hat/balaclava under it, either. For spring skiing, my go-to is a flat-brim hat under my helmet to keep the sun off my face and a pair of fun sunglasses. If you do forego a buff of any kind, don't forget to put sunscreen on the back of your neck, as it's an easy spot to forget and get burnt on.

3. Wax Your Skis

Lots of folks think about waxing their skis at the beginning of the season when they're excited to get back on snow, but it's easy to fall off that regular maintenance routine by the time spring rolls around. However, freshly waxed skis can make all the difference in that slushy spring snow. As snow heats up, it can get sticky and tougher to ski.

While you might not need a full tune, a fresh layer of wax before those extra sticky spring days will ensure you're gliding over moguls and down wiggles with ease.

4. Drink Water

Honestly, this feels like a fair claim for a lot of people, whether it's spring or not. I'm probably dehydrated most of the time by virtue of the fact that I just don't like drinking water. Not to state the obvious here, but if you're sweating more than normal while skiing because it's suddenly 50 degrees on the mountain, you're also losing water more quickly.

Additionally, if you did actually drink the three beers I mentioned earlier, you're definitely dehydrated. If you've yet to drink those three beers but are planning on it during the time-honored spring skiing tradition of tailgating, you will be dehydrated soon.

Also, if you don't drink alcohol but had a cup of coffee this morning and then went skiing and haven't had any water, you're also probably dehydrated. Lastly, if you ignored tip #1 and are sunburnt, you are probably dehydrated.

Maybe everyone else is just better at drinking water than me, but the point is that it's pretty easy to get dehydrated quickly while skiing, especially in the spring. So make sure you remember to drink water, too (yes, there is water in beer; no, it doesn't count.)

5. Timing Is Everything

Unlike a powder day, where the goal is to 'get to the mountain before everyone else,' timing can be a bit tricky in the spring. You want to get to the mountain early enough that the snow isn't too soupy but late enough that it's had a chance to soften. This will depend on the mountain and the direction different slopes face so there's no universal formula.

To really nail it, keep an eye on hourly and overnight temperatures to see if things will re-freeze at all. It's also worth thinking about when the sun leaves certain slopes. Even if it feels like summer while you're skiing in the sun, things can get pretty chilly once they're in the shade again, and you don't want to get caught freezing your buns off while skiing down in jorts.

With a little research and trial and error, you're sure to figure out the sweet spot for slushy spring turns at whatever mountain you're soaking up some vitamin D at.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: