 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
A few years ago I used to really enjoy skiing slush. More recently my technique has totally gone and I just seem to survive the experience rather than properly skiing the slope. I find myself getting thrown backwards in the stance and using a mix of short and long radius turns to just get down.
Would welcome any suggestions about techniques that I could look to employ to make the experience better.
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just turn your skis onto their edges even more (turn / your outside knee into the other one lots) and they will “float” , wait for the turn to the happen and just ride it. I think the latter seems to be very important. I love slush skiing (well to a certain extent) . Definitely longer radius turn. Good luck. Was the best thing I ever learned, meant I enjoyed poorer / warmer conditions much more
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I was never very keen on slush, too slow, sticky and porridgey. But Mr Flangesax gave me some valuable advice; stay on your edges all the time, keep turning edge to edge, long smooth turns. It works a treat. Plus they use a different sort of wax here later in the season which is designed to slide better on wetter snow. That helps too. I no longer fear the spring, other than it means the ski season is coming to an end...
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Slush? Or spring snow?
Bit like powder in some regards, e.g. slow everything down. Commit a bit more.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Oh and only post the same question once? That helps immensely... 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Point your skis at a nice mountaintop restaurant and glide directly to it. Decouple skis, order lunch and stay there till home time.
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Slushy pistes that are also quite steep (usually red or black) seem OK to me.
I struggle on slushy blue/green runs, especially on flatter sections, where speed is needed to reach the next decent downhill gradient.
That’s where I feel most at risk of a wipe out, even more so than on ice.
Any tips to cope better with less steep slushy pistes welcome.
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Speed is your friend. The faster you go the more your ski’s float and the easier it is. Don’t needto worry about going too fast as slush will act as a good brake when you put turns in.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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What @Csb123, says, don’t need to be skiing slush, unless it’s at the bottom station, if so straight line it and get straight on the lift back up high again.
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Thread been covered before. Three elements to steering. Edging, Rotation and Pressure. In slush pressure is your friend. Don't steer your skis by rotating your feet, use pressure to control the shape of your turn hence the comments about longer, smoother (not slower) turns that help the pressure to build up. Be aware that if you hit a slushy snow you might get pitched forward as your skis suddenly slow down, so keep your hips forward (core strength). I find a slightly narrower stance like when skiing powder can often help.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| under a new name wrote: |
Bit like powder in some regards, e.g. slow everything down. Commit a bit more. |
The last time I skied Slush, was 30 years ago on straight skis.
I seem to remember treating much as you've suggested - ie Ski it a bit like heavier Off Piste, with pronounced Up Unweighting, weight more evenly balanced between both feet (which are closer together) and a bit of speed to push through it.
With wider AM/Freeride skis, I suspect it's less effort and like the suggestion of using Pressure to bend the skis (and the Camber should then help lighten your skis for transition).
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Sun 23-02-20 16:29; edited 1 time in total
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Many years ago in Flaine was on a home run, saw slush in front which I'd never encountered before, continued to straightline, hit slush , the skis stuck, I didn't and ended up with bruised pride and wet gear. Have encountered slush near bottom of Gampen and did as Csb123 suggested and went to the Krazy Kanguruh.
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For most people the solution is to go faster and more direct. In instructor speak, your line should be long arc, short radius. So a long time on each edge but at a fairly flat angle so you don't actually go across the slope very much. The peddling analogy that is often used in skiing is very appropriate for slush as is "skiing in a corridor". You don't want any turn shapes with a transition phase where you're going across the slope because it will kill your momentum. Think of the shape of a snake slithering straight down the fall line as opposed to a bunch of linked semi-circles and definitely no Z shaped turns. Don't try to turn around slush bumps, use your momentum to ski straight through them and push the snow out of the way.
If you can genuinely carve, have suitable skis and big kahoonas then high speed long radius carved turns also work. 
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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With the way the planet is warming (Rain in Les Arcs at the start of Feb  ), looks like this is something I may need to get to grips with again.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I really enjoy skiing slush. For me things changed when I adopted the view that if you think of slush as moguls (even if you mounds are not really formed) that come at you a lot more slowly and need a little less precision it becomes a lot easier. It also helps if you carry a little more weight. If you hit slush hard (using weight or as others have suggested speed or a combination of the two) in the preparation of what we used to call a compression turn it tends to splatter out of the way; rather unlike a proper mogul, but at the same time gives you deceleration and thus control. If you then do this in a series of long arcs (as again others have suggested) you can flow down the mountain relatively smoothly.
Always remember to squeeze the snow and slush from the bottom of your salopetts at the end of the run, unless you need some weight training.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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it is probably not slush but thawed man made snow at the moment, it is harder to ski than traditional slush
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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As suggested above - Maybe also look at wax, to help with overcoming friction.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I find that “platforming” works well. Meaning, skis closer together than usual and less edge angle. Not all the way to monoski, but similar. Of course, if you try to ski this way first thing in the morning when that slush is bulletproof, you won’t like the results. In spring we have to adapt our technique all day long.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Very appropriate thread for today. Tropically warm and raining in St Anton.
Can I point out there is slush and then are other forms of slush? Slushy bumps, where the snow is quite granular, and the skis run freely, are fun to ski. There is then “Velcro” snow. The sort of very sticky, wet snow that brings you to a rapid halt, with a double-ejection always a possibility. That is no fun. We had both this morning in StA.
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Yes I agree @ulmerhutte, there is slush and there is slush.
I always felt quite comfortable skiing down the Folie Douce at 4pm in April in Val Thorens.
Just skis together and walk like an Egyptian or something like that.
But a couple of weeks ago that did not work, perhaps i was steeper, more or even less porridgy, I dunno.
It was just hard work and it did not follow the rules, or I had not read them properly 
I think with just about anything in skiing we have to find what works for us.
I'll admit when it's not too steep I love to lean back on the skis, feet, keep them close and direct the skis tilted up in a motor boat style.
It aint text book but it feels great and if it feels great, its going to look neat too.
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i enjoy most slush, i fund the harder/faster i ski in it the easier and more enjoyable it is.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Love slush - learnt to ski in the in the Pyrenees every Easter in the 70s... Hated the frozen early morning resulting rutted pistes, tho... No pistebashers back in the day!
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Start the day later, dodge the refrozen grey groomers and the coral reef, take fatter skis and spray 'n pray.
Simples
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