If you ski at places like Squaw Valley, Mammoth, Jackson Hole or just about anywhere in the PNW you’re going to run into crud. Crud can be a ton of fun to ski but you need to have the right tools for the job. Traditional powder skis are often to wide and soft for the task at hand. Hardpack snow or carvers are often too small underfoot and lack the proper shovel for busting through the crud. What you need to pick up are some stiff boards that are 100-110 underfoot. The stiffness will give you a solid platform to smash through the chucks and the width will allow you to roll over the terrain like a turbo charged steam roller. Add a little sidecut to assist in turning and voila, there you are.
The 5 Best Crud Busting Skis of 2015
Dynastar: Cham 107
Price: $699
Lengths: 166,175,184,190
Sidecut 137 – 107 – 122
Radius 18 m
Atomic: Ritual
Price: $699
Lengths: 174, 182, 190
Sidecut: 137.5/103/123.5
Radius: 18.5
Blizzard: Cochise
Price: $749
Lengths: 170, 177, 185, 193
Sidecut: 134/108/122
Radius 28.5
Stöckli: Stormrider 107
Price: $1,299
Lengths: 174, 183, 192
Sidecut: 135/107/127
Radius: 19.2
Folsom Custom: Primary
Price: $820
Lengths: 174, 182, 188, 192
Sidecut: 141-110-131
Radius: 25