 Poster: A snowHead
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Does anyone use the tin-opener technique to 'carve' in not so nice snow? I find it effective but not very pretty.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tin-opener technique?
Please explain more - I may do it, but not by that name!
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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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yes - i'm intrigued!
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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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I learnt the technique from a guide in VDI a fortnight ago while skiing breakable crust off piste- she was supposed to find untracked powder! The name probably has French origins and relates to the breaking through of the crust by the downhill ski in an old-fashioned tin-opener sort of action. It involves a series of bunny-hopping movements to carve your way around an arc. It's not pretty- you normally see ski school teaching this technique on the piste to help the snow-ploughers unweight.
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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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Whatever works and gets you down safely without endangering others is a good technique, style on the other hand is something similar but not quite the same 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Kit, I still don't quite understand your Tin-opener. I met off-piste "crust" for the first time this weekend at Courmayeur on the run down from Cresta d'Arp. I got down but made a real mess of it. Any other techniques for dealing with this awful stuff?
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If the pitch is not too steep, the most common technique to ski breakable crust is to ski as gently as possible, trying not to break through the crust-on eggshells is the term used- with skis as flat as possible and using very little edge. A similar technique can be used for hard crust if it has not been tracked out too much. If it has, then you're in for a knee juddering, teeth chattering time.
Any other offers?
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I've heard it said that if that it is sometimes possible to just power through crust, although at times even the tips of your skis will stay under the crust.
Easier said than done for mere mortals though 
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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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AB Ski, watch out! That stuff can mess up your legs pretty good if you either go to fast or it's too sharp!
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Agree with ssh on this one go for the balistic nylon ski trousers before trying that, I can get away with it because 1. I always go through the crust cos of my weight, 2. I have good tough ski trousers and 3. because I have legs like small tree trunks.
I still don't like it though, mind you I'm not sure weather I prefer it to really heavy wet snow or vice versa
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Well, having skied a lot of breakable crust in Flaine last week, I can safely say that this technique does not work on all breakable crusts! The same old advice from the guide was to keep skis tight together and as flat as possible, no up or down movements to unweight(!!), and jump turn if it is steep. Skiing this stuff well IMHO is the mark of a very good skier(not me!)
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Welcome back Kit Wong, and glad you are still still in one piece after tackling all that Crust.
I wonder if boarders find this stuff easier - any of you up yet? 
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You know it makes sense.
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| Kit Wong wrote: |
| The same old advice from the guide was to keep skis tight together and as flat as possible, no up or down movements to unweight(!!), and jump turn if it is steep. |
I'm not sure I understand, a jump turn is an extreme form of unweighting, was he suggesting using two completely opposed techniques depending on conditions?
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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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Cedric- my fault. Opposed technique depending on steepness i.e flat skis, no crust breaking, and no up or down unweighting if it's not too steep;or jump turn and crash through the crust if it is steep. With the latter it is important to break through the crust to give you a firm and uniform platform to start the next turn. Any comments welcome from virtuosos of breakable crust.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
I wonder if boarders find this stuff easier - any of you up yet?
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Yes, crust is pretty easy on a board. Biggest issue is if it takes you by surprise in variable conditions.
Having attempted to ski crust a couple of times this year, there's definitely no comparison!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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horizon,
I think that is exactly right! THe thing with crust is that you have got to be sensative to whether you CAN stay on top of it. If you can by being delicate then that is best. If the crust is too feable then you have no real alternative but to do the exact opposite and get a bit thuggish with it. Obviously it gets most "entertaining" and "character building" when conditions keep changing and you have to swap from one approach to the other and back...
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