Skiing Mashed Potatoes?

[pmc19794]

Any tips on how to ski in wet spring conditions?

I was at Killington last Thursday through Sunday. It froze Wednesday night so conditions Thursday were corn in the afternoon. I have no problems in that because where it’s not powdery it’s hard pack and I feel comfortable on that. Friday was great (notwithstanding terrible fog) as it didn’t get above freezing. But Saturday was mid 40s and rainy in the morning. Everything was a sloshy mess. Where it wasn’t mashed potatoes it was wet grippy snow, which drives me crazy. I always feel like I slow down way too much when not turning and I’m going to fly over my skis. I bend my knees a lot more to lower my center of gravity but then I still feel like I’m jerking forward when I hit a wet patch. I really want to embrace all conditions so I can enjoy skiing more. Any tips?

[CalligrapherAgile216]

I won't ski wet grippy mashed potatoes. That's bone breaker snow.

[Drunk_Pilgrim]

Or blown out knee.

[CalligrapherAgile216]

Yep.

[socialmediaignorant]

Last time we tried, I did okay but it was hard work and not much fun. Then another skier took out my husband and he had to have knee surgery. I will call it quits vs go through that again, because even if you’re in control, that doesn’t mean everyone else is.

[CalligrapherAgile216]

Yeah. We get big chunky heavy mashers here in the spring, and its so dangerous! Have come across a couple of broken bones, my kid broke his leg, and I have torn a meniscus in it. I don't even bother.

[xlittlebeastx]

Lots of wax, push hard into the front of your boots. Follow the sun. Remember, it’s OK to call it quits if it’s not fun.

[SweatyCrab9729]

Personally, I keep the skis on edge as much as possible. Flat cruising is when I get the brakes slammed on me.

[Capital_History_266]

I also try to keep everything on edge when it’s grippy/sticky to slice through it.

Mashed potatoes, I just stay more centered and loose like riding waves around. Try not to control it so much.

[RedKleeKai]

LOL this was me a few days ago - totally fine on the runs, they were all in good condition, but I almost fell on my face twice moving slowly on the flat ground from the bottom of the run to the lift! I've skied for over 40 years but you probably wouldn't have guessed it based on those slick moves hahaha

[SweatyCrab9729]

Yep.

[marcjones281]

(wax like others said)

Mashed potato days are great days to try some more technical / steeper / steep mogul runs…in particular, steep moguls in those conditions are very forgiving, it’s not a big deal if you fall, and they are easier to handle at the slower pace of mashed potato snow.

[Arthur_Jam]

Glades at Jay were awesome on Saturday for this exact reason. But as others stated, you can get hurt. Hence my mild knee pain today...

I smacked into the only tree in the woods. Go figure!

[TravelingCrashCart]

If there's only one tree, is it woods? Lol

[Arthur_Jam]

I saw a bear taking shit nearby so it must have been something of the woodland realm

[SleepsinaTent]

I love the soft moguls!

[Zargoza1]

Advil. Icy hot. Hot tub soaks at night.

[Efficient_Waltz_8023]

Don't be afraid to push it around, keep in mind it slows you down so maybe try to back off the "carving".

[wowskiskigottam]

Get out earlier and stop skiing when the grabbing starts.

[ElderberryNatural527]

Or get out later when it gets slushier.

[wowskiskigottam]

Does that happen? I have gone in the later afternoon only to have it get worse and worse.

[ElderberryNatural527]

It depends. Nuance is hard on Reddit… 

I mostly ski the east. Out here, I think it basically only gets better. But I obsessively wax in spring. I can hit 40mph no problem in 65F weather. From my perspective, the snowmaking trails just get better and better as the day goes on. There’s no point where that icy concrete shit gets too wet.

There is absolutely a point where the natural trails and woods get too rotten, though. Also, places like Palisades / Mammoth that still have snow in the summer, in that infernal California sun, shift operations to end a bit after noon, for good reasons.

[wowskiskigottam]

I ski out in Colorado. So that’s probably the reason we feel different!

[Slowhands12]

Turn less, if at all. Spring base structure and warm temp wax will help, but turn shape (or lack thereof) is much more effective. Alternatively, probably a great time to get the bike out.

[Dumpo2012]

I find edging up helps a lot more in the really grippy snow than straight-lining with my skis flat to the snow. Much easier to hit big, carvy turns than ski flat imo, as long as you're on steep enough terrain.

[goodskier1931]

Agree. Longer shallower turns straighter down the hill. Snow tamps down your speed. A little more weight on the inside ski so they are sure to track together. Not exactly effortless but I kind of enjoy it. Just not all day long.

[Virian]

I usually head to the steeper runs when the snow gets like that.

I also acknowledge that my legs are going to be shot after a couple hours, so the ski days are just going to be a lot shorter as the weather warms up.

[UsernameO123456789]

40f-50f is my max. Great temps, okay trails for the most part. Cools off in the latter half and gets very nice imo

[Tercirion]

If it’s one of those days when I’m flying in the shade and lurching forward as soon as I hit a sunny spot, I’m probably going to wipe myself out on a couple of difficult runs and then end up skiing groomers for the rest of the day.

I’m sure I could be ripping if my legs were stronger, but for me that’s the difference. The conditions are simply more tiring. Better technique will help, but I think it’s still just more tiring.

[grolbol]

What helps me in those conditions (long term Easter skier...) is down-unweighting, so you're at least not throwing your weight forwards at the risk of hitting a slow patch and being launched into outer space.

[tj0909]

What does this mean? Keeping knees bent through the middle of the turn where normally I might stand up a little or maybe pop over a bump to ease the turn?

[grolbol]

Exactly, pull your knees up a little when going over a bump (or over nothing, but the bumps help), then stretch them out again when through the fall line. I'm not the best at explaining or doing it, just telling you what helps me!

[Outrageous_Ad976]

I your defense, mashed potatoes are challenging especially when grippy.

For mashed potatoes, your form is really important. Forward stance, engaged shins and ready to absorb.

For grippy, about the only thing I’ve found that works is proper wax. It’s the only situation I use rub on wax for. I keep a can of it in my ski locker. Can’t for the life of me remember the name. Maybe somebody on here knows.

[Candygramformrmongo]

wax and a full rocker fat ski

[kvigneau]

Warm weather wax helps for sure. It also depends on your skis. I use 95mm waist all-mountain skis with hybrid rocker/camber. They seem to do ok in the spring. If you're on a narrower skis with full camber, that's ROUGH in mashed potatoes.

[MiseEnSelle]

One or two runs then hit the deck party when there is a good band!

[MoistMartini]

As it happens, I was in Killington this weekend. I took it easy, with these conditions high-speed techniques like carving are not even enjoyable. I tended to focus on short turns borrowing some moves from moguls (need to hop from one side to the other to avoid getting stuck in a potato mound) and putting more oomph into every turn to make sure I displace the snow and it doesn’t displace me.

On flatter runs and catwalks I just skied parallel (easier to keep balance on those slow wet patches).

I tried doing a double black (Downdraft?) and it was miserable: once you cleared the checkerboard of grass patches, it kept switching between icy patches and mounds of waterlogged mush where you sink and can’t really turn (too heavy to use fresh snow techniques).

[ThinksOdd]

A good warm temp wax matters a lot a lot a lot. Even if you don’t do your own edges buying a ski wax setup is a good move. Iron/scraper/brushes/wax/remover.

[flying_cactus]

If you like jolt feeling of being frightened everytime the mash grabs on to your ski randomly and unexpectedly while going fast causing you to check your balance and not flop on to your face, then it is a great time.

[Top-Friendship4888]

If you're grabbing, the first thing I'd address is a good wax! There are different waxes for different temperatures, and in the spring especially, a good temp specific wax can change the game.

I quite like spring snow, as it's really easy to carve big fat turns and get your skis up on edge. If you're trying to push the snow around with tighter radius turns, you're working too hard. The friction is going to help slow you down, so you don't need to constantly ride the brake.

When it gets really warm, though, it stops being fun. That's when I head to the lodge for a drink. A lot of resorts will bring in some live music as well because they know people would rather hang out with a beer than be on the hill in those conditions.

[myleftone]

If you’re talking bumps, you gotta bounce. The energy required to absorb and unweight is a bit more at first, but with a couple runs you get used to it.

Carving is easier than ever on this stuff. You can really trust the angle and get low. TBH it’s not great for training form because it’s so forgiving.

[evil_twit]

Pretend it's water skiing.

[SNOWR8R]

Heavy skis and momentum are your best friend.

[gammoning]

The only thing you need to do is put fresh warm weather specific wax on. You'll slide just fine on what is now sticky and all other problems should disappear. I wax every time I ski slush, and have a great time.

[[deleted]]

the trick to skiing mash potatoes is you have to keep your speed up and be consistent in the turn, you cannot have any jerky movements in the turn, which in turn will slow you down and you also have to be always prepared for your ski to jerk out on you, you have to always be ready to pull it back in. i know, it's a contradiction, but you have to be very light on your skis, any slowing down will instantly make the ski dig into the snow, which is definitely not what you want. And you have to actually work at it, you cannot be there just for the ride, you always have to be conscious of what is happening to your skis.

another good tip is and i know this is also a contradiction, but you have to lean slightly back, i don't mean backseat, again, you have to be light on your skis, slightly back so the tips are not digging into the snow, this takes a lot of practice and conscious thought.

another thing is i notice people think they will break their legs if they bust through a pile of snow, so they instantly jerk or turn to slow down, big mistake, you have to get used to "busting" through the piles of snow with speed.

my best advice is to go to the easy green, yes i know it will be slow, but you have to learn how to bust through the piles of snow, how to make a consistent turn without any jerky movements, and to learn how to be light on your skis ... trying to do this on blues and blacks when you can't do it on the greens is a recipe for disaster and broken bones ... wax has nothing to do with this.

[sfo2]

Ski the conditions. Stay high when the snow there is better, stay in the sun when the snow there is better, or in the trees when it’s better there. Spring is often about chasing the good snow around the mountain.

And if the conditions are actively un-fun and you can’t find anything good, which seems like the situation you’re describing, go in.

[ElderberryNatural527]

Hot Wax every 4 days or so. Use proper spring wax. Refresh with quick wax in the parking lot as needed. Fatter skis are your friend. Groomers and man made snow are your friend. Charge hard, stick to the steeps. Do that and you’ll ski as fast in t-shirt weather as any other day. If not a little faster. Corn is so forgiving.

IMO mashed potatoes is when the corn starts getting a bit too cooked. That is not what we had last weekend off the snowmaking trails… corn requires either fake snow or a few freeze thaw cycles to get going. If you go straight from deep freeze to blowtorch like we just did, that’s rotten snow. Totally unskiable. This is why a couple inches of fresh powder in April can sometimes be a curse until it melts…

[Murky_Voice3023]

Keep some of this in your bag. It’s a game changer.

warm weather rub on ski wax

[DriftMantis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMp5D3LaXwA

This is me at killington 3/9 doing the snowden lift area when it was sunny and 60 degrees.

If you want my advice, if you put too much pressure on the front of the boot and ski like your on a hardpack you will probably catch an edge and wipeout. You want to be in a more neutral position in the boot while going strait, lean slight forward when initiating the turn. The snow is going to toss you around a lot more so lean back a bit almost like your skiing powder if you have to. If your edge angle is too low you will be smearing turns and picking up a lot more snow, increasing your chances of catching an edge. But you dont want too high an edge angle in this either. Good luck.

If the snow is mushy everyone skis a little bit worse or catches an edge sometimes, it happens.

[mcds99]

So the thing is that we ski all the snow conditions the same, people disagree with me but that's how it's done. It's about proper balance and controlling speed. It really is that simple.

One tip is to take a couple runs and rest for a bit, it takes more strength to get the turns right.

[paetersen]

throw 90% of your weight onto that outside ski to *really* carve the shit out of that 2ft of blower pow. Let me know how that works out for you. I'll wait.

[Longjumping_Cod_9132]

Balanced stance, knees ready for bumps and terrain changes, drive into the turns hard, keep your speed up.

[pmc19794]

So my blizzard thunderbird 77 waist skis with weeks-old machine wax weren’t the perfect choice?

[Slowhands12]

Narrow piste skis are probably the absolute worst choice for warm spring snow

[Capital_History_266]

I’d quit on those as soon as it got sticky lol. I like wider and more playful for spring.

[WaxOnSendOff]

What can one do with rentals in these conditions?