How to Ski Crud on Telemark Skis

Lumpy, chunky, bumpy snow is often called crud and is avoided by many telemark skiers; but skiing crud forces the telemark skier to develop advanced skills that can be neglected on powder or groomed slopes.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ski Clothing
• Telemark Ski Equipment

1. Start in a rock solid, balanced stance. Stand with the legs hip-width apart with a slight flex in the ankles, knees, hips and back.

2. Be prepared for the snow to grab or toss your skis forward, backward or to the side; be able to adjust your stance accordingly.

3. Vary the length of your turns according to the terrain.

4. Make short quick turns on steep terrain.

5. Make long turns on gentler terrain.

6. Steer into a turn and aggressively edge the lead and rear skis into the mountain.

7. Extend your body upward at the end of the turn and prepare for a new turn.

Tips & Warnings

• Edging your skis is key in crud snow. Think of putting your little toe into the snow on your uphill, bent leg. At the same time push your big toe into the snow on your downhill, lead leg.
• If you are having trouble with balance, gain some speed and then start turning.
• Get kneepads for falls on the crud snow.

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