I knew it was bad when I skied off the lift and sank up to my ankles

[Serafina]

I'm not sure if this is a gear-thing or a skill-thing. Ordinarily, I assume that any difficulty I have is due to a personal skill or technique issue, but given that I sank in over my ankles getting off the lift, I am thinking this *might* be a gear issue. Or at least, I am open to resolving this via gear or technique.

I found out what my Really Truly Least Favorite Conditions are today. We went to a hill I don't tend to go to much, because I think the grooming and conditions are usually better at my home mountain. But we had free lift tickets today at Other Hill.

It was 60 degrees, 3pm on St. Patrick's Day, and the runs were covered with about 8" of...slush. I can think of no better term for this. I suppose it might have been considered Loose Gran, but it was a helluva lot wetter than anything I've met on that front so far. There were obviously wet spots on the runs that sent up a spray when I hit them. The spots that weren't obviously wet, the ones covered in the massive slush, were so rutted up by other skiers that it looked like an ill-used motocross track on a bad day.

Skiing this **************** was impossible. My skis might as well have been 30 lb square concrete blocks for all the maneuverability I had from them. Skiing them flat wasn't an option, either - I did keep my balance fore-and-aft/side-to-side centered, based on some recent advice from MSL on skiing mashed potatoes. But when I did that, they just...sank. Keeping my weight a little back kept the tips out, but caused the tails to bog. Keeping my weight forward didn't cause the tips to sink much, I think b/c the shovels are 128, but it was still next to impossible to steer. Flat pivots didn't work, because I was sinking too much. Edging......if I wanted to send a huge spray of wet crystalline nastiness in, edging was a good idea. But it did NOT offer a lot in the way of control, because I'd find myself just scraping down and moving a pile of slush down the slope.

Getting down the hill had a lot more in common with wading than with skiing. One of these was more than enough for me - the skis needed to go to the shop and pick up a wax, and it seemed like this was the perfect time to do that.

So. Technique? Or gear? My skis are very heavy and very stiff, and they are not particularly fat under foot. 95% of the time they are exactly what I want. Today, they were not my friends.

Problem is, I don't know if there *are* skis that would have been my friends. I'm thinking, kind of, that this is a situation that might call for a fat ski, something I could sort of surf or float on.

In a turn of events that was, to me, truly bizarre, by the time I got toward the end of the run, I started to hit some boilerplate where the slush had been scraped away.

AND I WAS GLAD about that. I'm like "Oh! Yay! Ice! I *know* how to handle this! I can *ski* on this!" I was never in my life so glad to hit icy patches.

This is not the first time since we started getting "spring" conditions that I have felt that my skis were not giving me...I don't know what to call it...loft? float? Letting me get up and on top of the surface to ski it.

 

[Kimmyt]

I skied conditions very similar to these today, and wore my powder skis. They worked aces, floating over the wet slushy stuff and big and powerful enough to push the piles of wet snow around.

I think it is very much similar to powder skiing, in that your weight needs to stay centered over your skis but your tips need to stay up over the snow. The difference, I think, was that I could use my edges quite a bit more. I could really dig them into that slushy snow, push it around, use it to slow me down.

So I guess I'm thinking that its maybe partly your technique, since you mention you prefer groomed over ungroomed, so you probably don't have your technique perfected on the ungroomed. But also its the skis. A big fat ski can go over stuff like this, surf on it like water, instead of getting tossed around by every pile you come across like a skinnier ski would. FWIW, I used to hate the stuff with my old 70-waisted carving skis. But with my big fatties? Loved it. Giggling like a school girl and ripping down double black mogul runs yelling, 'it's like I'm suuuuuuurfing!'. So maybe it's more the equipment for you than the technique.

 

[Jilly]

Both - spring slush you need almost powder skis and also you need to know how to handle variable snow.

This time of year can be fun if you're ready for it. Wider skis float and edging isn't needed in slush. The technique is similar to powder skiing. Equal weight on both skis. Steer and go.

 

[Serafina]

Thanks, ladies.

Yes, I do prefer groomers (and so do my skis). But I've been seeing a pretty wide range of interesting surface in the last few weeks, and it's looking to me like the ski I want for Dec/Jan/Feb may not be the ski I want for Mar/Apr. I've been very comfortable on the loose gran and even the mashed potatoes I've seen, up until today. But this stuff - oy! Come to think on the matter, my instructor on Tuesday was definitely sporting a mid-fat to a fat. I asked him about them - I think he said they were 95s underfoot. Now I know why...

With any luck we'll have spring conditions when I go this weekend, and I can demo some fatter skis out of the shop. I just learned I get a 20% discount (beyond any sale markdown) on gear with my new season pass. It may be time to consider expanding the quiver.

 

[2ski2moro]

Serafina, demo the Kenjas and tell me what you think. They ABSOLUTELY handled Spring conditions better than anything I have ever tried. I also liked the Lotta Luvs, but like the Kenja better. They are great for ice and firm snow, but I cannot ski them in the crud. They keep kicking me around. Kenjas changed my life.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Both - spring slush you need almost powder skis and also you need to know how to handle variable snow.

This time of year can be fun if you're ready for it. Wider skis float and edging isn't needed in slush. The technique is similar to powder skiing. Equal weight on both skis. Steer and go.

+1.
Back in the dark ages, we used to refer to these kinds of conditions as "leg breaker snow."

Short of spending $ on wider and/or powder-specific skis just for a few weeks of spring conditions, here are some tips:
1. Plan on an EARLY start. In 60 degrees, at low elevation, at 3 p.m.? It's party time. Definitely slush conditions. Much different first thing in the a.m., could have even been "set up." Take a look at the night time temperatures where you're heading, to see what the actual or predicted overnight low temp will be.

2. Wait for the changeover. At a certain hour (which will vary depending on how quickly it warms up), the snow will start to soften, producing a crystalline condition known as CORN. Due to the east's low elevation and higher relative humidity, this will only last a very short time. Be there for it!

3. When it starts to get heavy, head for bumps! Small ones will form as soon as the snow softens. Turning on "slush bumps" is easy and fun, and the troughs in between will provide you with your hard pack "fix."

4. Plan on winding it down shortly after noon. When you are water-skiing more than snow skiing, it's time to quit, socialize and lather on the sun screen.

 

[Jilly]

+6 C here today, so the Conquer's are coming out for their first run of the season. 84 underfoot, compared to my Rossi 8's at 74.

I love this time of year. Little ice and slush bumps. But I don't ski too long at 2pm if its really slushy. Need my knees and legs.

 

[Serafina]

+1.
Back in the dark ages, we used to refer to these kinds of conditions as "leg breaker snow."

No kidding! I saw Ski Patrol hauling more than one loaded sled off the hill while I was on the lift up. A quarter of the way down the run - I usually start with a green if I'm not sure what to expect from the snow - I decided that this stuff was actively *dangerous* and that when I got to the bottom, I'd be sending the skis for a wax and sending myself to the pub. Mr. Serafina wanted a few more runs...I kept a tight eye on him on the way down and his endless tiny flat wedge christies seemed to be working with that rubbish better than anything I wanted to do with my skis, so I warned him to watch out for catching an edge and advised him to just fall over if it felt like he was getting out of control.

I'd say that half the people in the pub were getting supplied with ice packs. The woman sitting next to me with her leg propped on an adjacent stool told me she'd fallen many times and that the last one was bad enough that the patrol had to extract her from the run. Said he leg hurt from ankle to knee and had swollen immediately once they took off her boot.

I usually can resist the urge to come over all "mom" like on perfect strangers, but this was just too much for me.
I recommended she get that looked at by a doctor. She didn't want to fuss with the emergency room. I managed to limit myself to suggesting that if it was only a bad sprain, they'd give her crutches and put a brace on it, both of which would help with the pain, and that it if it was broken, the earlier it got seen to, the better.

She was getting frequent visitors while parked at the bar, and it looked like the buddies she came with were stopping by once in a while to say "hi" but that it hadn't occurred to anyone that this *really* needed prompt medical attention. I could totally understand this if they were college students, but every one of them was somewhere between 35 and 50.

So, yeah. Leg-breaker snow. Definitely.

 

[volklgirl]

Yow!

The biggest thing I've found with spring conditions (besides going fatter.....much, much fatter!) is to never try to "twist" or turn the skis in any way. Just ski slightly tamer terrain at faster speeds and have the patience to let the skis do the work. "Tip and Rip" is the key for spring crud!

Have I mentioned I LOVE that crap???? The deeper, wetter, and slushier the better. :D

 

[Stowski]

Seraphina, I skied today in the slush and puddles. It was 65 degrees out. The Tierras were great! No edges through the slush. They cut through the mashed potatoes like butter. Just let your skis coast and enjoy the ride. Don't try to turn in the grey snow. Look for the white stuff and the bumps! They've finally thawed and are very fun! Everyone was complaining and falling and I was giggling. They thought I was crazy. Just keep your skis flat. You'll get it! Please tell me that the "other hill" doesn't begin and end in an "o"!

 

[Liquid Yellow]

I am actually looking forward to trying the Rossis in the slush. My 68-waisted noodly carvers were terrible in the slush/porridge last time I experienced those conditions.

By all accounts the conditions in Europe are only going to get worse before I arrive, so my 86 waist has got to have an advantage! Just hope the bases don't get wrecked.

Think I might be doing a week's drinking with some skiing thrown in. Least Tignes has a glacier but it might be a bit crowded.

 

[bluebird]

We are use to this out west.. we call it sierra cement...I usually try to stay on top of it and not try to carve to much...kind of like smearing a bagel. Skiers in tahoe learn to ski all conditions because the temperature does crazy things here..wednesday dumped 2 feet of heavy powder..even the people on huge skis and snowboards had a tough time..i was done after 2 hours and felt exhausted and not that happy. Next day bluebird but temp dropped and the snow turned into incredible western pow..hero snow..light, easy to turn on...my skiing went from dull to fantastic! I was on short skis but i made them work because it is all i have.

 

[Jilly]

Great day today in this "crap" here at Tremblant. Had the Conquer's out for it. You just got to learn how to ski it. No edging, equal weight on both skis and some pivots with a little un weighting!

 

[Serafina]

@Stowski - no, this was at Jiminy Peak...

Upon reflection, I think this was mainly a gear issue. My skis are short for my height and weight. Partly because I like that maneuverability, and partly because any ski built for someone 5'10" and 190 lbs is a men's ski, not a women's ski. They just sank several inches into the slush, no matter what I did. Smeared turns, slips, pivot turns - all were impossible with 4" of slush loaded up on the topsheet. Carving just caused a wave of slush to spew up into the air.

The grey snow? heheehehehehehehe... I learned about that by making myself VERY unpopular with a snowboarder who was trying to squeak through tight on the outer edges of my turn. If I were a better person I'd be even a little bit sorry about that, but if that kid were a better person, he wouldn't have been buzzing me in the first place.

I'm definitely going to try out some fats or mid-fats...tomorrow they're forecasting frozen gran in the morning (aka: Tierra Time!) and spring conditions as the day goes on. Looks like a great opportunity to learn whether a fat ski will let me surf. Or at least, surf better than my all-mountains... it'll be a Two Ski Day!

 

[Serafina]

Great day today in this "crap" here at Tremblant. Had the Conquer's out for it. You just got to learn how to ski it. No edging, equal weight on both skis and some pivots with a little un weighting!

Jilly - those are mid-fats, right? 85 or so under-foot?

 

[MaineSkiLady]

(aside ^ yes, I believe that's about the Conquer waist width)

Just for contrast, consider this: it was +55 in the sun at my house today in the foothills of Maine mountains. By tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., it will be +15F at Sugarloaf. Might get to 32 by mid-day. Might not.

(I better go sharpen my edges....)

But---the sun will be out, and tomorrow is the Perigee Moon.
Bring on the boilerplate...

 

[Jilly]

84mm so mid fat by today's standard.

I did have them in Sugarloaf in the car. Decided that the conditions were such that the Rossi's were better. Today was their first time out this season. Suppose to freeze up overnight, so the 12's may come out tomorrow after the demo day.

 

[Stowski]

I'm definitely going to try out some fats or mid-fats...tomorrow they're forecasting frozen gran in the morning (aka: Tierra Time!) and spring conditions as the day goes on. Looks like a great opportunity to learn whether a fat ski will let me surf. Or at least, surf better than my all-mountains... it'll be a Two Ski Day!

Have fun! I'd love to hear how it went. I'm sitting at home staring at the last few feet of dirty shrinking snow. DH just took the Christmas lights off the front shrubs! LOL! I'm wishing for Vermont...6 more days!

 

[Serafina]

Yowch. Back to skiing ice. Today it was some pretty treacherous dust-on-crust - anything from big sheets of naked ice to 8" or more of pulverized loose gran sitting on big sheets of naked ice. And mashers at the very bottom...

If it's more "spring" like (and less glacial) I'm going to try out a Rossi S7W tomorrow. I LOVE the graphic on those skis, and I can't think of a ski less like the ones I ride normally than a big fat rockered and cambered twin-tip. The chop today was enough to make me consider trying those today, but I felt that they were unlikely to shine on the bare ice.

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Yowch. Back to skiing ice. Today it was some pretty treacherous dust-on-crust - anything from big sheets of naked ice to 8" or more of pulverized loose gran sitting on big sheets of naked ice. And mashers at the very bottom...

Yep. Sounds completely and totally typical for New England at this time of year. Same farther north, if perhaps more glacial and less mush, relative to one another. What a beauty of a day otherwise, though. Good luck with your demo!