Ski Tip: How to ski the sugar and mashed potatoes

This past weekend marked the end of the January thaw on the East Coast. Although a predictable annual occurence, this year we suffered through an entire week of warm weather that saw most of our base disappear down the river. Some of the hills in Collingwood, Ontario even suffered through a few mud slides on their steeper slopes.

Lucky for us, the short and long term forecast calls for colder weather and lots of snow.

Skiing this past weekend was similar to spring skiing -but without the sunshine… or the without the memories of another great season gone by.

It was like skiing in sugar and mashed potatoes.

It’s not exactly hero snow.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for the next time you encounter similar conditions:

1. Ski softer – you won’t be able to hold an edge like you can on typical east coast hard pack – so you need to be light on your edges and don’t apply pressure too hard or suddenly as you complete each turn. You’re not going to get high performance dynamic turns in the sugar and mashed potatoes
2. Narrow your stance – just like in powder, you want a mobile stance to stay reactive on your skis. A wide stance will be harder on your legs and the chances of you catching a ski under a sugar mound is higher
3. Ski a less rounded turn – it will be easier on your legs and it will be easier for you to float and stay soft on your skis 
4. Be aware, ski with some care. If you like skiing at mach 10 – you may want to turn it down to mach 7. Skiing in these types of conditions can be very unpredictable and the last thing you want to do is crash and burn as unlike powder snow, falling hurts. If falling in powder is like falling on cotton puffs, falling in sugar and mashed potatoes is like sliding across sand paper. Ouch.

Do you have tips or experiences from skiing in the sugar and mashed potatoes that you’d like to share? Email or comment on this post!