Powder & Crud

There are two types of skiers when it comes to powder and cruddy conditions: those who love it and those who find it too challenging. If you’re the latter, hopefully these quick tips will turn you into a lover!

In powder, the first thing you can do to make your life easier is narrow your stance. By sliding with your skis closer together they will slice on a path through the deep stuff. This reduces the chances of one ski getting caught, spinning you around and taking you down. Additionally, surf the snow with a fatter ski with low edge angle. This will allow you to float more and reduce friction and the grabby sensation that is sometimes associated with it. Last but not least, slow down the rate at which you turn your skis.  Deep snow will cause a fair bit of drag, so you can achieve the same amount of speed control from a longer round turn.

When that powder gets skied up and turns to crud, stop trying to float and instead start carving through it. The flatter your skis are, the more you will get pushed around as you encounter variations in terrain and snow consistency.  Momentum is key here, so carving through crud will help you blast through soft mounds of snow, smoothing out the conditions and making them much more manageable and FUN! Remember, when the going gets tough, the tough get going! So get going!

Read the rest of the series:
Week 1 – Come prepared
Week 2 – Tune ups
Week 3 –  Early season conditions
Week 4 –  Skills not hills
Week 5 – Use the whole ski
Week 6 – Always be moving
Week 7 – Find your rhythm
Week 8 – Trust your outside ski
Week 9 – Like riding a bike
Week 10 – Carving and Steeps
Week 11 – Edge from your feet up
Week 12 – Enough is enough

Derek Althof has 16 years experience in the ski industry and is Deer Valley’s ski school training manager and an alpine examiner and clinic leader for the Professional Ski Instructors of America’s Central and Intermountain Divisions. Derek learned to ski at age 4 and has had a passion for good skiing ever since.

We hope you enjoy our weekly skiing tips. Please remember that they can help but will not eliminate risks, as skiing is a dynamic sport. These tips are meant to help you build skills  for a more enjoyable skiing experience.