Duck stance: This is the best stance overall to have, but works especially well in powder as you can bend your knees further down. Duck stance is basically having your knees pointing outwards (same as ducks walk with their feet pointing out). For some of us this is more natural than for others. Its also been called "Cowboy stance" as you stand as if you're riding a horse. If you ride with the baby stance (knees facing inward) it's a lot harder to bend your knees and control your board.

Shock absorbers: Bend your knees. This cannot be stressed enough! The more bent your knees are, the easier it is to turn and to absorb any ruts that may form from heavy traffic. If you're not confident in the powder, lessons are probably your safest option on days like these as you're learning in the hands of a professional.

Sliding turns: Don't bother about carving or looking graceful on days like this. It's all about having fun, and trust me, everyone looks pretty bad on powder days as its hard to keep your balance perfectly centred. Leave style to the clear days on the groomed stuff. Dont be afraid to do surfing style turns and exaggerate your movements. But, don't cork your back leg out as you turn, just do normal sliding turns. Corking your back leg makes it harder to absorb the bumps as it straightens out and also introduces counter rotation which is a nasty little bugger.

Speed: While you don't want to be out of control, you need some speed on powder runs, otherwise you tend to sink. Keep facing down the fall line as you turn and look ahead. Determine your path before you get there so you don't lose control or get air of a bump when you least expect it. Jump turns are good if youre confident at your boarding and are capable of carving and black runs. Unlike skiers, its almost impossible for a boarder to turn around a mogul with a narrow path. Instead, come over the bump and as it drops away, turn and glide down the fall line. If you have enough room, by all means, go around. If you get really cocky (and can handle it), pop off the top of the mogul and do a 90 degree rotation.

Back seat it: You need to ride slightly back in your stance, placing a little (not much) pressure on your back foot. On groomers, keep centred. By riding slightly back in your stance you keep the nose of your board up out of the powder. Trust me, when you put too much pressure on your front foot the board sinks and you along with it. Its really hard to get up when youre buried under a foot of fresh powder.

Have fun: Powder days are the only days its perfectly alright to ditch your friends so you get first tracks. If you can handle them, they're the most fun you can have on a board. Just remember to take it easy and not try anything that is normally beyond your ability. If you've never tried a black or double black, now's not the day to try. It feels uncomfortable at first and you don't even feel like you're riding normally, but you get used to it. Oh, and if it gets hard on the legs have a break. If you keep going and get tired you can do yourself some damage.