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I’m rarely surprised by the ski internet these days, but I came across a pretty wild video by pro skier Jackson Hole local Madison Rose Ostergren recently. In it, she detailed the extended adventure of losing her ski sending a 40-foot cliff and then the four offseason trips it took to finally retrieve her single Volkl Shiro months later.
Strangely, it actually reminded me of another friend who’d told me about a similar recovery mission he’d been on earlier this month, and I suddenly remembered a few other ski buds who’d gone through a similar ordeal. Most of them were jumping off something, lost a ski, and spent the better part of an hour digging for their gear in vain. They all took the schuss of shame out on one foot (some from pretty deep in the backcountry) and decided to wait for warmer temps and lower snowpacks to attempt a recovery mission. In short, big bummer, and even bigger logistical headache.
Given our technological advancements in avalanche and other safety tech, it feels a little crazy that we haven’t found a better ski location method (integrated Airtag anyone?). I mean, Ostergren was legitimately on hill with a metal detector—I feel like we can do better here. Well, while we wait for the tech overlords to computer chip our skis, what if the answer is hidden somewhere in the ’80s? That’s right, I say screw the metal detector, it’s time to bring back the powder cord.
Not to be confused with the powder leash, a boot-to-ski tether designed to keep skis close in a fall, but actually turning them into whirling deathtraps, the powder cord is a simple contraption with a simple mission: Make your skis visible wherever they land. Powder cords are attached to ski bindings and get a little too sendy and kick a shoe, the spooled-up ribbon unfurls and creates a long, bright neon snake easily visible from the snow (and maybe from space).
Could there be a more ‘80s invention? Probably not. Do they kind of sort of work? I mean, it sure beats the alternative. Light, compact, and obnoxiously bright, this functional fashion is sure to kick up a story or two and might save your ski day. Plus, they’re $20 on the web. Again, cheaper and easier than an echolocation apparatus or whatever else you had planned for that next deep punt gone awry. Plus, everybody loves an accessory, right?
