Hey everyone, it’s Jake from [Your Landing Gear Co.]—those of you who’ve followed our work know we’re not just a supplier of landing gear for commercial jets and cargo planes; we’re the team that’s spent 15+ years refining gear for high-stakes, extreme landing conditions. Today, I’m pulling back the curtain on a topic I get asked about all the time from ski pilots, backcountry operators, and even small bush plane enthusiasts: How the hell do you properly use and maintain your landing gear when you’re landing on snow? This isn’t just “don’t break it”—it’s a science, rooted in terrain, snow density, and how your gear interacts with something way less predictable than asphalt or tarmac. I’m writing this because last month, I got a call from a friend who runs a small ski flight operation in Montana. He’d just trashed his left gear on a soft powder landing, and when we tore it apart, it wasn’t a manufacturing flaw—it was a pilot using gear the same way he would on a runway. That’s the mistake, and that’s what I’m here to fix. Landing Gear
First, let’s get one critical fact straight: not all snow landings are the same, and your landing gear’s “rules” change with every type of snow you’re hitting. Let’s break this down by snow type, because if you’re trying to operate on a glacial ice crust, you’re not using the same technique as you would on fresh, untracked powder. That friend of mine? He’d been landing on dense, wind-packed snow from last winter for months, got complacent, and when he tried to set down on 12 inches of fresh powder, he locked his gear too early, and the nose gear punched through the snow layer and hit a hidden rock hard pan below. It’s a common error, and it starts with understanding how each snow type behaves under a landing gear load.
Fresh powder, for example, isn’t a surface—it’s a suspension. When fresh powder is 18 inches or more, your gear doesn’t need to be fully extended on touchdown. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but hear me out: when you lower the landing gear 10 to 15 degrees earlier than you would on pavement, and keep it partially retracted for the first 2 to 3 seconds of contact, you distribute the plane’s weight over a larger area of snow. A fully extended gear acts like a spike on fresh powder—if the snow’s deep enough, it will punch through the top layer, and that’s when you get that sudden, jarring jolt that bends struts or damages wheel bearings. Last year, we worked with the University of Alaska’s aviation research team to run 47 test landings on varying snow depths, and we found that partial gear extension cut gear stress by 28% on powder deeper than 12 inches. That’s not an opinion—that’s data we got from gear load sensors mounted directly to struts on a de Havilland Beaver, the workhorse of ski flight operations.
Now, what about wind-packed snow? That’s the kind you find on established ski strips, where the wind has crusted the top layer so it’s hard enough to walk on without sinking. Here, the opposite is true: extend your gear fully, and lock it in place. Wind-packed snow is dense, so it doesn’t have the “give” of powder, and a fully extended gear distributes weight evenly across the struts, preventing the plane from tipping sideways if you hit a small rutted section. I learned this the hard way in 2018, when I was flying a Cessna 185 into a backcountry strip in Wyoming that had been packed by snowmobiles. I took off too quickly, forgot to lock my gear, and as soon as I touched down, the gear retracted 2 inches, throwing the nose of the plane down and scuffing the wheel rim so bad we had to replace it before our next flight. That’s the kind of small mistake that adds up over time, and it’s exactly why we’ve developed a modified gear lockout system specifically for ski aircraft—no more accidental partial extension on packed snow.
Glacial ice and frozen tundra? That’s a whole other animal. These surfaces are harder than tarmac, and the risk here isn’t punching through—it’s sliding. On ice, you want to extend your gear, but make sure the wheel brakes are lightly engaged before touchdown. Wait, brakes? On snow landings? Yeah, this is another trick most pilots miss. Ice has almost no friction, so if you just set down and let the plane roll, the wheels will spin faster than the plane is moving, and the gear will take on side loads that can crack struts. Lightly tapping the brakes (10 to 15 psi, not full force) before touchdown lets the wheel match the plane’s speed, so when you hit the ice, you stay in control. We tested this with a Canadian operator who runs ski flights in the Yukon, and they reported a 40% drop in side gear damage after they started implementing this step. It’s small, but it’s game-changing.
But here’s the part no one talks about: landing gear maintenance when you’re working in snow. Snow and ice are brutal on gear components, and even the best extension/retraction techniques won’t save you if you’re not doing routine checks specific to ski operations. Last year, we supplied gear to a pilot in Idaho who thought “routine checks” meant the same thing he did for runway landings—weekly visual inspections, no grease, no part replacements for six months. When he brought his plane in for a overhaul, we found that the gear’s hydraulic lines had a buildup of ice crystals that were corroding the seals, and the strut pins had so much snow packed in them they were seizing. Ski operators tend to use the same maintenance schedule as those flying on runways, but snow is abrasive and retains moisture, so you need to check gear components every 10 flight hours, not every 50. And here’s a specific tip from our engineering team: after every flight, even if it’s just a short hop, spray your gear struts with a silicone-based lubricant. It melts any trapped snow and ice before it can cause corrosion, and it prevents the pins from seizing. We’ve had 12 operators switch to this and report zero strut pin seizing in 18 months— that’s a huge win for a part that costs $1,200 to replace.
Wait, let’s also address a myth I hear all the time: “I don’t need to use my anti-skid system on snow landings.” Anti-skid isn’t just for wet tarmac—it’s your best friend on ice, packed snow, and even firm powder. The anti-skid system keeps the wheels from locking up, which is critical because locked wheels dig into snow and ice, creating uneven pressure on the gear. We’ve designed our ski-specific landing gear with a modified anti-skid controller that’s calibrated for lower friction surfaces, so it doesn’t engage too aggressively on soft snow. That’s a custom feature we offer for all our ski aircraft clients, and it’s been a game-changer for reducing gear damage on those high-stakes landings.
I know some pilots out there are skeptical—they’ve been flying for 20+ years, and they’ve never had a problem with their gear on snow. Let me be clear: most of those pilots have gotten lucky. They’ve landed on the same kind of snow a hundred times, and they haven’t hit that one hard pan under powder, or that one icy strip that throws their plane off balance. The ski flight industry is growing fast—more people are booking backcountry ski trips, more operators are adding routes to remote areas—and with that growth comes more people who don’t have 20 years of experience flying in these conditions. That’s why we’re not just selling landing gear—we’re sharing the knowledge that we’ve gained from working with hundreds of ski operators across North America, Europe, and even New Zealand.
Let me walk through a real example from last winter, to make this concrete. Last January, we worked with a ski flight operator in Norway, who was seeing an average of one gear-related incident per month. They were landing on a mix of fresh powder, wind-packed strips, and glacial ice, and their pilots were using the same technique for all three. We walked them through our step-by-step process: 1) Assess the snow depth and type before landing (use a simple snow probe—most operators carry one for safety, and it’s perfect for checking how deep the powder is), 2) Adjust gear extension based on that assessment, 3) Engage light brakes or anti-skid if landing on ice, 4) Do a gear check after every flight. Within three months, their incident rate dropped to zero. That’s not luck—that’s applying the science of how landing gear interacts with snow.
Now, I want to talk about the big picture. Landing gear isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it component, especially when you’re operating in the backcountry. Ski pilots are out there in some of the most beautiful, remote places on Earth, but those places come with unique risks. Using your landing gear correctly isn’t just about protecting your gear—it’s about protecting the passengers, the plane, and having a safe flight. We’ve had operators tell us that following these steps has cut their maintenance costs by up to 30% per year, because they’re not having to replace struts, bearings, or hydraulic lines as often. That’s a huge savings for small operators, who are already operating on tight margins.
If you’re a ski pilot, or you work for a ski flight operation, I know you’ve got questions. You might be wondering how to adjust your gear on a specific snow type, or what kind of maintenance schedule works best for your fleet, or even if your current gear is designed for the conditions you’re flying in. At [Your Landing Gear Co.], we don’t just sell parts—we work with you to tailor your landing gear to your specific needs. We’ve got a team of engineers who specialize in extreme operating conditions, and we offer free gear assessments for all ski operators. We’ve modified gear for Beechcraft Bonanzas, Cessna Caravans, Twin Otters, and even small homebuilt planes, so no matter what you’re flying, we can help.
I’ll leave you with this: the best pilots I’ve met don’t just rely on experience—they rely on data, technique, and taking care of their equipment. Landing on snow isn’t about being tough or “knowing it all”—it’s about understanding how your gear works with the environment around you. If you’re ready to talk about upgrading your landing gear, getting a custom calibration for your anti-skid system, or learning more about our ski-specific maintenance programs, we’re here to help.
Don’t wait until you have a gear incident to make a change. Contact us today to schedule a consultation, and let’s make sure your next ski landing is as safe and smooth as it can be.
Tractor References
- Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 2021. Ski and Backcountry Operations Manual. U.S. Department of Transportation.
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Engineering and Mines. 2022. Extreme Landing Gear Performance in Arctic Snow Environments. Final Report for the Alaska Aviation Safety Program.
- Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA). 2023. Winter Flying and Landing Gear Maintenance Guide.
- International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations (IAOPA). 2022. Landing Gear Best Practices for Mountain and Ski Operations.
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