Serafina
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
From OP: "snows over night and by the time i get there the new snow has been skied over".
Ungroomed powder that has been skied up. Crud.
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My husband can't be right!! can he??
- Thread starter canadianjem
- Start date
From OP: "snows over night and by the time i get there the new snow has been skied over".
Ungroomed powder that has been skied up. Crud.
snow addict
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
From wikipedia: "Crud
This covers varieties of snow that all but advanced skiers find impassable. Subtypes are (a) windblown powder with irregularly shaped crust patches and ridges, (b) heavy tracked spring snow re-frozen to leave a deeply rutted surface strewn with loose blocks, (c) a deep layer of heavy snow saturated by rain (although this may go by another term). Crud is negotiated with an even weighting along the length of the skis, and smooth radius turns started, if necessary, with a pop or jump. When an advanced skier falls over on crud, it is probably because it is 'heavy crud.'
I don't think what OP describes classifies as crud. Real crud is usually found off piste, out of bounds or inbounds on runs that don't see any grooming. Chop on groomers after a snowfall can be challenging too. I find it easier to ski with bigger turns as the less I turn the smaller is the chance of tips or tails hooking, but turns have to be finished and strong. "ski like you mean it" I was told.
This covers varieties of snow that all but advanced skiers find impassable. Subtypes are (a) windblown powder with irregularly shaped crust patches and ridges, (b) heavy tracked spring snow re-frozen to leave a deeply rutted surface strewn with loose blocks, (c) a deep layer of heavy snow saturated by rain (although this may go by another term). Crud is negotiated with an even weighting along the length of the skis, and smooth radius turns started, if necessary, with a pop or jump. When an advanced skier falls over on crud, it is probably because it is 'heavy crud.'
I don't think what OP describes classifies as crud. Real crud is usually found off piste, out of bounds or inbounds on runs that don't see any grooming. Chop on groomers after a snowfall can be challenging too. I find it easier to ski with bigger turns as the less I turn the smaller is the chance of tips or tails hooking, but turns have to be finished and strong. "ski like you mean it" I was told.
In any case, if you don't feel comfortable turning, going straight definitely is not the answer!
I'm not a fan of crud, but my new skis seem to handle it much better than my beginner skis did. I am actually wanting a day with some crud on my favorite hills that I am most comfortable on so I can practice skiing it and start to get over my fear of crud, most likely with a lesson first to get some proper techniques established.
I'm not a fan of crud, but my new skis seem to handle it much better than my beginner skis did. I am actually wanting a day with some crud on my favorite hills that I am most comfortable on so I can practice skiing it and start to get over my fear of crud, most likely with a lesson first to get some proper techniques established.
Hi Canadianjem,
No, your husband is not right. Learning to ski crud is a challenge. My husband also tells me my legs are not in shape, and to "point and shoot". Sometimes I feel like removing one of my skis and whacking him in the head with it. Pointing and shooting through conditions you are not comfortable with is never a good idea...but you know that already. Skiing all different conditions comes with experience, lessons, and time on the hill. As you progress in your skiing, you will also start to notice how your equipment feels in different conditions-and what a difference the type of ski you are on, boot fit, etc. can make, too. You may decide you need a different ski that works in crud better for you. I have gotten pretty good in crud, but I freak in any kind of ice or hardpack condition...I just can't stand it. I tense up, ski great big "Z" turns, skid across the trail feeling as if I am not in good control, and generally just fight myself. I always feel like the trail is skiing me rather than me skiing the trail..I don't have anything to dig my edge into. I feel like I can't keep my speed at a comfortable level...I don't like to ski super fast. It is exhausting. I used to do that with crud. I fought myself alot. Now I love it. You'll get there. It's scary to feel as if you are being thrown around, and can't turn when and where you want to.
My advice is to continue "not" listening to your husband.... I usually do better when it comes to skiing by not listening to mine, LOL!!
No, your husband is not right. Learning to ski crud is a challenge. My husband also tells me my legs are not in shape, and to "point and shoot". Sometimes I feel like removing one of my skis and whacking him in the head with it. Pointing and shooting through conditions you are not comfortable with is never a good idea...but you know that already. Skiing all different conditions comes with experience, lessons, and time on the hill. As you progress in your skiing, you will also start to notice how your equipment feels in different conditions-and what a difference the type of ski you are on, boot fit, etc. can make, too. You may decide you need a different ski that works in crud better for you. I have gotten pretty good in crud, but I freak in any kind of ice or hardpack condition...I just can't stand it. I tense up, ski great big "Z" turns, skid across the trail feeling as if I am not in good control, and generally just fight myself. I always feel like the trail is skiing me rather than me skiing the trail..I don't have anything to dig my edge into. I feel like I can't keep my speed at a comfortable level...I don't like to ski super fast. It is exhausting. I used to do that with crud. I fought myself alot. Now I love it. You'll get there. It's scary to feel as if you are being thrown around, and can't turn when and where you want to.
My advice is to continue "not" listening to your husband.... I usually do better when it comes to skiing by not listening to mine, LOL!!
Not that there is anything wrong with working on increasing leg strength and endurance and whatnot, but I have to agree that the vast majority of the time when a guy is telling you that you need more muscle to accomplish something, whether it's on skis or a bike or whatever, chances are it's that they are doing it wrong (or at least inefficiently) themselves. I mean, you could force your skis to turn in powder (at great energy expense and risk to your joints once you run out of strength) or you can make smooth, graceful movements with your edges and shifts in weight that are more towards the "effortless" end of the spectrum. So yes - it's possible to muscle your way through various types of snow or yank the handlebars around with brute force, but this is not the kind of graceful movement we're generally hoping to accomplish. But I think it soothes the boys egos to remind you how they manage to muscle their way down everything and don't need to be bothered with working on skills, so you should just do the same. For example, for years, my husband tried to explain how to wheelie on a bike and that it just involved "pedaling really hard and lifting up on the bars". Not quite. It involves finding the right gear and speed and then timing just a solid pedal stroke with a weight shift and no pulling of the bars is required at all. Yes, I suppose you could just become some sort of powerlifter and mash away at it until it works, or you could take 20 minutes to learn the technique and make it 100 times easier on yourself!
GoingDownhillWeeeee!
Certified Ski Diva
This happens to me if my weight goes to my heels when I turn (the backseat, I assume?) Instead of getting on edge and slowing down, I feel like I'm pushing into the turn and end up accelerating. Which makes it harder to initiate a turn to go the other way, plus I'm going fast and that last turn made me go faster so why would want to turn again, then I get frustrated because I instinctively crouch/lean forward (a bit too much) but my dad keeps telling me to ski more upright and that's when this happens so what's wrong with my instinctive posture etc etc.
The big thing that helped me was finding the right balance between upright and forward. Also, just getting experience on the different types of snow. And experience getting out of that situation, realizing while I'm in the turn that I'm on heel and adjust. I still find myself on my heels every once in a while, but when I do it's no longer a "start getting out of control" type of event.
bounceswoosh
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I observed a dynamic between a couple this weekend. Thick, heavy, fresh snow, well over a foot, largely untracked. Dude's advice to wife: "Remember to lean back like I told you so that your tips come up." Wife to dude: "But my thighs are *so* sore." Me: firmly shuts mouth and skis off. Actually that guy did a bunch of things that kinda bugged me, but he also offered to carry my skis (and I took him up on it), so I can't be too down on him. Not a bad guy, but there was a lot of mansplaining going on, especially in his offer to ski sweep so that if she or I fell, we'd have someone to pick up the pieces. Note: he fell, too. This snow was thick and covered a lot of variable crud, rocks, logs, etc. But apparently men don't lose skis? /boggle
Well, until you get that "why didn't you tell me that?"!
That's what happened to me with I try NOT to teach my partner.
After all, what do I know about snowboarding? I'm just a skier...
volklgirl
Ski Diva Extraordinaire
There are 2 ways to ski that stuff, depending on your skills and the type of skis you're on, but both require staying solidly centered on your skis.
On fat, heavy, damp skis you can just plow through the piles of cut-up crud, but that requires a solid stance, big turns, and high speeds. Maintaining your balance while the skis speed up and slow down is key - bad boot fit will rear its ugly head quickly with this method!
On smaller, lighter skis, you need to dance around the crud making small, complete turns to keep your speed down. Keeping the pole plants coming is essential for this method - letting your hands drop will slow down your turns, and let your weight drift back making speed control difficult. The occasional "shopping for turns" may be necessary depending on the depth and cruddiness of the snow and the size of your skis as narrower/shorter skis will tend to sink to the solid stuff underneath the crud making it difficult to get them to turn (as you're going slowly enough that they can't use momentum to cruise through).
On fat, heavy, damp skis you can just plow through the piles of cut-up crud, but that requires a solid stance, big turns, and high speeds. Maintaining your balance while the skis speed up and slow down is key - bad boot fit will rear its ugly head quickly with this method!
On smaller, lighter skis, you need to dance around the crud making small, complete turns to keep your speed down. Keeping the pole plants coming is essential for this method - letting your hands drop will slow down your turns, and let your weight drift back making speed control difficult. The occasional "shopping for turns" may be necessary depending on the depth and cruddiness of the snow and the size of your skis as narrower/shorter skis will tend to sink to the solid stuff underneath the crud making it difficult to get them to turn (as you're going slowly enough that they can't use momentum to cruise through).
