Okay Pugski...choose a crudski

[Bobalooski]

Most of us give a lot of thought to choosing what we feel will be the right ski as a daily driver or a hard snow or powder ski. How many of us consider, whether we ski mostly on-piste or off, a ski's attributes for variable conditions? After all, more runs are often made after that champagne powder gets run out and turns to crud. What then? What makes a good crud ski and what characteristics do you look for in a ski for variable and cruddy conditions? Should it be wider or narrower, have metal, traditional camber or early rise, tip taper, be stiffer or more playful? What's your choice to click into when things are cruddy?

 

[PTskier]

With some of the new skis made of very light material, add lighter or heavier to your criteria. Some of the lightest skis for some skiers may feel like they're being thown around in the lumpy snow, especially it it's heavy or frozen lumpy snow.

 

[Rod9301]

Stiff, heavy, wide ski with metal.

 

[Josh Matta]

Pick your way though bumps and tree in tight places = Blizzard Brahma, Solly XDR 84,

Moderate Speed = Enforcer 93-100, Solly QST 99

High Speed = Blizzard Bonafide.

Mach Speed - Head monster 88/98, 4frnt Devastor

If your crud is deep and no hardness underneath = 4frnt Renegade

 

[Muleski]

Agree with Josh, on many of those.

I'm very happy with a 187cm Bonafide as my crud ski, East and West. I basically make it work just fine. Ideal, no. But then I think about when I get in crud, how many days, and it does work well. For me.

Kind of depends on what you consider to be "crud" as well. How deep, how cut up, how skied out, how much wind blown, the terrain, the space.....How ugly.

If I had to pick a purpose built crud ski, which, IMO was much more of a one trick pony that it was billed as, marketed as, and sold as.....the original no camber Blizz Cochise. Great crud ski. Anything else, not so great. Horrific powder ski, for example. I owned the ski, and sold it ski to a pro big mountain patroller friend as his work ski. He probably skied it for 400+ days. I just could not justify a crud only ski, for limited days/hours out West. But yeah, that would be my pic.

Though a Head Monster 98mm would be a more versatile and real close second for me.

 

[luliski]

As light as my Head Great Joys are, they are great in crud.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

This is right in my wheelhouse as I love burly crud busting skis. Last season I enjoyed the Renoun Endurance 98 but wondered if there was any other skis that combined lightweight and burly at the same time. As my age advances my charging desire remains high but body demands lightweight solutions. Enter the Faction Dictator 3.0 in 182 length. Love to ski the all steep technical lines here at Killington and boy these new boards love them also. If I were a Western based skier I would have gone with the Dictator 4.0 in 186 but went with slightly downsized version that works better at my East Coast home.This outlier of a ski is best suited to "maniacs and lunatics" according to Faction. They have been in trees for a couple of runs but they seem to nimble enough. They will be getting plenty of woods time so I will report on my findings later.

 

[Uncle-A]

I had a Volant shape ski in a 188 CM that was great in the crud, so I would have to say traditional camber, metal, and a little extra weight.

 

[Lorenzzo]

Last generation Stockli AX. Sorry...couldn't resist.

The Enforcer 100 is top notch in crud. Had mine out in the crud today. Such a blast. Hoping my new set of Blister Pro-s can compete with the Enforcers in crud and mixed conditions.

 

[Muleski]

Also, probably goes without saying that some of it is dependent a bit on how you ski, and on your size. Some of us, and our setups tend to be looking for a bulldozer. Minimal tip deflection, etc. Some want to skim through it, at times almost over it.

Funny, the only non cambered ski that I could really stand, and in really only in these specific conditions was the Cochise in serious crud. I skied it in a 185cm and a 193cm. I'm 5'10", 210lbs and "OK with my skiing...."

Great tool for that job.

 

[colospgmike]

Bibby pro

 

[jmeb]

- Metal
- Or lots of fiberglass
- Semi wide, 1-0-something is sweet spot if not skiing crud bumps.
- Camber underfoot, slight tail rise, tip rocker (long, not too much splay)
- Long sidecut, like 30m or more.
- semi traditional mount point, like minus 7-8 from cord center.
- a bit of tip taper and a slight pintail.

 

[Daves not here]

Bonafide. Crud performance was the deciding factor.

 

[Tricia]

What's your choice to click into when things are cruddy?

Renoun Z-90

 

[David Chaus]

Solly QST 99, Volkl 90Eight. Fischer Motive 95 (in 180, of course) was a nice blend of crud ski and whippy quick mogul ski.

That said, the best crud ski I tried was a ON3P Billygoat. For 116cm wide, it’s amazingly quick and agile (in shorter lengths, like 179/184) but very stable, and the tail releases nicely in heavy crud.

 

[Ken_R]

Most of us give a lot of thought to choosing what we feel will be the right ski as a daily driver or a hard snow or powder ski. How many of us consider, whether we ski mostly on-piste or off, a ski's attributes for variable conditions? After all, more runs are often made after that champagne powder gets run out and turns to crud. What then? What makes a good crud ski and what characteristics do you look for in a ski for variable and cruddy conditions? Should it be wider or narrower, have metal, traditional camber or early rise, tip taper, be stiffer or more playful? What's your choice to click into when things are cruddy?

My 2 skis are pretty good in crud. If its shallow (less than 6") my 184cm Monster 88's are awesome. for deeper crud my 190cm Moment Deathwish rule.

Of the skis I have tried I would say the Bonafides are awesome, The monster 98's for sure, Dynastar X106's, the Kastle BMW 105's and the Black Crows Corvus. I suspect the Blizzard Cochise as well.

 

[Eric267]

^^
Agree on3p makes the best crud/chop ski I've been on.
I ski the 2016 on3p Jeffery 114 at 191cm as my daily driver here in Tahoe. It's heavy, crazy stiff, and has a lot of rocker (same rocker tip and tail) with traditional camber under foot. It's a lot of ski that needs a ton of power to drive and wants to go fast. At the same time all the rocker makes it fairly nimble and keeps it stable flying through the chop. It's not really a powder ski per se but it's good for fresh Sierra cement. If we get real pow I bust out my praxis Ullr 125x194cm which is great for soft snow but makes me check my speed when things get chopped up (compared to the on3p).

That being said they stopped making the Jeffery last year but the kartel took its place making a 108 and 116 instead. Praxis gpo is another good choice.

I'm interested to try the new dynistar legend pro 106. It looks like it could be a good choice for a daily driver/chop ski here in Tahoe.

 

[François Pugh]

Stiff,, long, heavy, long turn radius and traditional camber works well for me in crud.

 

[cantunamunch]

Mad Russian MR95 - tougher and bustier *grin* than a Monster 88. Two layers of carbon, no metal.

 

[Tom K.]

How many of us consider, whether we ski mostly on-piste or off, a ski's attributes for variable conditions?

Subscribed, as this is my #1 criteria in a ski.

The Enforcer 100 is top notch in crud. Had mine out in the crud today. Such a blast. Hoping my new set of Blister Pro-s can compete with the Enforcers in crud and mixed conditions.

Will be interested in your observations on the Blister Pro. I've tip-toed around this one a few times, but shy away because I think the Blister guys' "style" (read speed) is a bit different from mine these days.

For me, so far, my best crud and all around ski is the Fischer Motive 95. The crud ski conundrum I have is that while I understand the attraction of a longer sidecut, I simply DESPISE any ski that doesn't give a good carved crank on the groomed. And honestly, I like a kind of carvy feel in crud and pow. For instance, I find my Head Titans to be a fairly good crud ski. Not great, but not bad, either.

So I prefer a radius around 20, and am hoping the new Enforcers waiting for me upon return from the annual Christmas Tour of the In-Laws fit this bill -- because the Motives have earned a well-deserved retirement!