How to Ski Slush Without Getting Stuck Every Turn

Featured Image: Gabe Rovick

This season hasn’t been a “walk in the park” as some might say. From low snowpack to above-average temperatures, it is no lie that if someone is committed to skiing this year, they have to become adaptable to rapidly changing conditions.

The western resorts have basically skipped over winter and headed straight for spring. But now, spring is quickly transitioning into summer. You know what that means? Time to get slushy.

Slush skiing has a love-hate relationship with many people. I have heard people say they love it and others say they hate it. While slush can be fun, it is true that skiing in slush can be difficult. Feeling like you are constantly getting grabbed by heavy snow underneath you is no one's idea of a good time. So how the heck do you ski slush? Well, there are a couple of steps involved.

Wax Your Skis

The first step to skiing slush doesn’t even start on the mountain; it starts at home or at your local tune shop. If you have skied in slush without proper wax on your skis, then I’m sure you’ve experienced the feeling of being tugged back and forth while trying to ski down. It sucks, but proper wax can help fix this. There are many types of waxes for your skis. Wax is usually characterized by temperature and composition. So, for slushy skiing conditions, you would want a wax better suited for warm temperatures. Hydrocarbon wax is used for most recreational skiers. You can find hydrocarbon warm-weather wax (usually red or yellow), which will help break that suction feeling and repel water.

Choose the Right Skis

Nope, don’t get on the mountain yet, the second step to skiing slush is finding the right ski before you go out. Most spring conditions will have firmer snow in the morning and then slushier snow in the afternoon. With that being said, you want a ski that can handle both. A race ski or powder ski is not the ski for slush; you want a ski with a good all-mountain width between 85 mm and 100 mm and some tip rocker. The width gives you edge-to-edge contact in the morning, and the tip rocker helps you float a bit easier in the slush.

How to Ski Slush

Finally, step three of skiing slush is getting on the mountain and maintaining a balanced turn shape and speed to ensure you ski smoothly through the slush. Leaning too far forward while skiing on slush can lead to disaster. You want to find a happy medium where you are not leaning forward too much, but also in the backseat of your skis. This balanced position will help keep your center of gravity over your skis without overdoing it. Finding a good turn shape is also super important when skiing slush. Instead of big parallel turns and over-edging, maintain a quicker, controlled turning tempo while keeping your skis facing down the fall line. This helps you maintain momentum, enabling better turns in slush.