I LOVE skiing breakable crust....

A snowHead

...provided you have the right skis, and decent visibility.

I've had plenty of practice of this over the last 10 days, as sastrugi and windcrust was pretty much all the off-piste was in Zermatt. But as the cover was excellent, and the rocks few and far between that was way better than I was expecting when I booked up a few months ago. The most windblown sections were aboslutely solid and really horrible filling shakers to ski, but where it was soft enough to break through it became great skiing. My definition of "great" here is that it's tough enough to test your technique, will punish you when you get it wrong, but will reward you in spades when you get it right.

Top tips (most pretty much general principles for all skiing, but come to the fore here):
1) fattish skis - I was awful at crust until I got my current skis (95mm underfoot, 25m radius), but these really do make this stuff fun
2) feet pretty close together - minimise the chances for each to develop a mind of its own
3) speed is your friend - go too slowly and the crust will grab you and do its best to trip you up; the faster you go the more natural it is to punch though it
4) if do have to go fairly slowly, make your transitions with a jump: two-footed edge change above the snow - but with minimal turn, just enough to give you a small initial steering angle - and then land back with bending knees so you can control the pressure as you make the initial break, and push out to bend the skis and develop the turn
5) when starting out, a small counter-turn on that awkward first turn gives you the spring to make that first jumped edge change
6) bend ze knees - make sure you have loads of room to absorb the pressure changes when the snow density changes, or push out if you need to punch through more, and it gives you plenty of space to jump out of the snow for the edge change
7) DONT TURN TOO TIGHTLY - this is definitely the time for biiiiiiiig freeride turns, not the tidy little powder Ss. I guess that's more trickly for breakable in couloirs, but we didn't do any of those Wink

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8) Keep a really strong core, as a good centre from which to make rapid leg extension and balance adjustments as required by the variations in the snow texture. What seems to be the BASI mantra - "Relaxed, Alert, Responsive"* - could never be more apposite.
9) look ahead and be ready to change route if terrain/conditions change under you - in order to maintain as constant a speed as possible. You really don't want to be stopping every few turns to reassess if you can possibly avoid it.

9's a bit difficult in flat light, as you can't see the contours in the terrain in front of you, so that was less successful - with a few crashes resulting when unable to absorb the sudden hillocks or dropoffs suddenly encountered. In decent visibility though, I had a ball, and the feeling of each block of crust shattering under the ski bases was (I'm sorry, but I have to use the word) awesome. There was a great slope below the Gant-Hohtaelli cable car which we did a few times, and I wish we'd done more. The last time around, we just let the skis run and enjoyed the moment - resulting in probably some of the most flowing skiing I've ever done, and a positively orgasmic experience. Even better than the deepest powder I've skied in? - maybe not, on a par but different, but certainly more rewarding because of the greater challenge. And without thinking about it only missed getting back on the same car we'd just got out of at the top of the slope.

The only problem is finding others who want to ski the stuff with you. Surely I'm not THAT perverse Wink

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[* rob@rar is pretty much Mr BASI-man here there days, so doesn't the fact that the mantra is encoded in his name just show he was born to the role Wink

]

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

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What about skiing breakable crust switch, any tips for that? Smile

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Gsyfreerider, since my attempts at skiing mere pistes switch are laughable, I wouldn't listen myself to any such tips!

rob@rar, that mantra appears several times on the new DVDs Sean L has made for BASI and the SCGB. (BTW, they're cheaper from the SCGB site if you're a member, than mere BASI associates get from the BASI site; not sure about how it works out the other way around).

You'll need to Register first of course.

Is there a consenus on how to ski crust? I've been under the impression that the idea was to not break through it, and no less a man than Remy Lecluse once shouted at me for doing slow speed jump turns Puzzled

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Yoda, Should have just slapped his silly face.

After all it is free

Yoda, my take is that it depends on how solid the crust is. If you can stay on the top reliably, then do so. Some will be better at this that others, either because of weight/ski area factors or because of better sensitivity in controlling their edges. Some pitches last week met that criterion for me, but I'd generally only ski those very slowly because it can change in a metre. The important word here though is "reliably". If despite your best efforts you're going to break through unpredictably (and particularly if one ski does and the other doesn't) I'd say you're better off breaking through and then skiing trhough the crust. One of the nice things I've found about these fatter skis is that it feels like you frequently only drop partly through, so you still have a bit of a hard platform to ski against. That then really requires conscious effort to keep both feet working as one unit, but you feel the pressure very much weighted on the outer ski (i.e. the one cutting through the crust).

Thanks for those tips, GrahamN,. Even after all the years here, breakable crust is still a bit of a mystery. Pity tomorrow will be thigh high powder here, or I would have tried them out! wink

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

My experience is that you either want to be on the breakable crust or in the breakable crust. It's the transition that kills you and is what you want to avoid at all costs.

(GrahamN - you're sick dude!)

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

We had sheet ice on top of deep powder a few years back in the pyrenees. Only two ways to ski it that worked, either jump turn out of it or stem turn.
Tried the jump turns but was not up to the job, I've never fallen so many times in one day.
The most depressing days skiing I've ever had but learned some valuable lessons.

Character building I guess.

snow reports

GrahamN, I enjoy it too ! Your comments most aposite.

GrahamN, yes indeed, the old "one ski under the crust" technique is always good for a lacerated face or two wink

Despite admonishments to "be light on your skis" Laughing

So enjoying it is the way forward.....

You know it makes sense.

Any skis will do.

Just hop and lean a little to initiate each turn.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

GrahamN, Weirdo!!

A snowHead

Anyone else like the old (pre-2000) pointy long triangular ski tips in crust, like little icebreakers cruising up front?

A snowHead

reverse/reverse skis - make windslab/crust/cement fun and effortless Wink

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

GrahamN, there is satisfaction to be obtained from skiing breakable crust well, but yes, you are perverse.

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akshowally, had quite a fun time on it too (skiing mostly the same pitches as GrahamN).

On my 69mm underfoot 175 volkls it was 'interesting' skiing. On the 96mm 177 Volkl Mantras, it was indeed good.

96mm underfoot in mougls the size and shape of Matterhorns was more tricky...

Help!!

I LOVE skiing breakable crust....

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