The dreaded traverse

[Wasatchman]

I'm out with whiplash (car related) and on a roll with ski school so here's another topic.

The dreaded traverse! This can often be more hair-raising than the drop-in with little margin for error on the challenging ones that have rocks, big rollers, and adjacent to cliffs, etc. The ones where you need enough speed to clear the uphill portion of a roller but not so much speed where you fear losing control on the way down with more big rollers ahead.

What are the techniques people use?

One good point that I received at Crested Butte last year on the guide of the extremes was I wasn't keeping my hands forward enough on the actual traverse.

What are other useful pointers/techniques people use on those hairy traverses?

At top of roller, slightly pivot skis to scrub a bit of speed before sliding down the backside of the roller? If you are needing to pole, a little more weight on the pole closest to downhill edge?

 

[Andy Mink]

There is a fun little run at Mt. Rose that requires a traverse. The traverse is all that you mentioned: rollers, rocks, steep into trees, etc. There isn't much room to check your speed as the traverse is maybe a foot or two wide but if you don't you'll be either running over exposed rocks or maybe shooting off into the trees (which can be fun IF you're ready for them). I use the "poles out front" method to just go slowly the whole way. Note: as @AKMINK found out yesterday, if you have LEKI poles with the release, release first so you can get your hands on the top of the grips. I have a little tip edge work to do...

 

[bbinder]

As a long time Alta skier (Another Long Traverse Ahead), I have some strategies. Relaxed lower body so ready to absorb the woop-de-doos. Upper body and hands held in position as if I am going to turn downhill. Eyes far ahead so I can anticipate the terrain. Scrub excess speed with very slight skids/turns uphill. Breathe.

 

[crgildart]

Push down on the back side of rollers and unweight just before the front side of them.

 

[tromano]

A few techniques that help: Never stop on the traverse and always be aware if people behind you can see you. Don't follow too closely. If another skier is too close/out of control behind you, pull over above traverse to avoid them.

Use bumps and pump to control speed. Find the smooth spots and link them together. Absorb/pivot and make shallow turns down the back of a roller to slow down when needed. Stop by going up hill above the traverse, also aids in starting again.

Pole "parking brake" also can help if you have to stop on a traverse. The only reasons you should stop on the traverse is if some one is stopped ahead of you preventing further progress. And if you are smart you will step uphill off the traverse.

But if you need to stop on a slope and cannot put skis across the slope. 1. Plant poles lightly between legs. 2. Angle poles outward so that poles touch the boots. 3. Pull back on pole handles. 4. Pole tips wedge into slope and act as a parking brake. Works both as a forward or backward brake if you need to stop on a slope and have nowhere to go. Also Very helpful in steeper lift lines.

If the traverse is truly that harry, 1 foot wide between a cliff and a rock wall, consider boot packing it. But for the love of all that is holy do not boot pack on the traverse.

 

[Plai]

One the foot wide traverses, I'm on the downhill side pointing the skis slightly uphill. And like @bbinder , relaxed lower body absorbing as much I can. Unlike @Andy Mink, don't yet enjoy shooting out into the trees. Guess I'm either more of a whimp or not quite as familiar with said (same) trail(s) and it's consequences.

 

[cantunamunch]

So none of you do the BTE/LTE/BTE pump on the footwides?

 

[Wasatchman]

So none of you do the BTE/LTE/BTE pump on the footwides?

What's that?

 

[Sheena]

 

[Andy Mink]

Unlike @Andy Mink, don't yet enjoy shooting out into the trees.

There is no shooting into the trees with me, at least not on purpose! It is always a long stop and ponder. The little traverse I mentioned is at the top of Upper Ramseys heading over to Wildcard which then takes you down to Around the World. There is no going to the upper side of the traverse due to stumps, trees, and rocks. It's definitely a challenge. You also end up lifting one foot or the other to miss rocks. Some would say wait for more snow.

 

[Crank]

My pointer is have a thick skin and go at a pace you are comfortable with.

The above comes from the first few times I took the traverse out to the 'the bench", or the Angel Food and beyond OB terrain at Stowe. A powder day with plenty of guys blasting down that traverse and lots of whoopdidoos I was unfamiliar with. I will pull over, but, I refuse to speed when I have no idea what is coming up around the next tree.

I will not breathe down your neck. Please don't breathe down mine. We will all get there in the end.

 

[Prosper]

Like others have said, absorb the bumps with loose legs and push the tips down the backside to maintain ski-snow contact. I received a helpful tip during a Crested Butte lesson a number of years back. When on a traverse and needing to control speed move your uphill shoulder in the direction of your downhill ski tip while skidding your skis in the uphill direction. This makes continuous skidding and speed control easier to accomplish.

 

[cantunamunch]

What's that?

Using your abductors (BTE) to push ski edges out and adductors (LTE) to pull them back in, depending on the timing you can use it as a brake or an accelerator.

You can sometimes see someone using the move get caught out on the timing - they will be in a slight wedge but stepping the wedge outwards one ski at a time to stop their tips crossing.

 

[mdf]

My pointer is have a thick skin and go at a pace you are comfortable with.
...
I will not breathe down your neck. Please don't breathe down mine. We will all get there in the end.

The self-appointed traverse police can be annoying. Especially when they are giving a canned response with no thought behind it.

A few years ago a group of us were skiing the slope below the Alta High Traverse just before the turn with the mats. There was a small gap in the fence, and some junk sticking out of the snow just below the gap, so we had to go one at a time and pick our way through. Two of us were standing above the traverse and two of us were standing below the traverse waiting our turn. None of us were on the traverse. A skier comes by, ironically wearing a Snowbird instructor's jacket, and says "not a good place to stand."

Just last weekend I was stopped, standing above a traverse. Some bro flies by, saying "don't stop on the traverse." Did you hit me? No, because I was not on the traverse....

When there is a traffic jam ahead of me, I do stop on the traverse and wait for it to clear. You guys who have to pass me, where exactly do you think you are going to go? It's like the people who pass in the temporary extra lane at a traffic light and then immediately pull back into the line of traffic. Sheesh.

 

[Eric267]

One method is to get comfortable with putting all your weight on the outside edge of your uphill ski and using your downhill ski as your brake. It’s a little difficult to get at first since it’s one of the only instances in skiing you actually want your weight there. With all your weight uphill you can let your downhill ski kind of dangle off the edge of the traverse. When you need to speed check just angle the ski into the edge of the traverse and press down with the section under foot.

Another method is one that you need to carry a good amount to speed for it to be effective. As you need to speed check prepare to take a wide parallel stance and abruptly shoot up the hill and out of the traverse. As soon as you start losing momentum on the up cut bring your skis back to a shoulder width parallel and drift your edges back down into the path. This method works best on a few day old traverse since you won’t push a bunch of soft snow back down with you and you can easily grip the hill.

As far as choke points/no fall spots use the (shoulder/tip) method @Prosper described above and angle your skis directly into the downhill edge of the top of the drop for the first few feet for a speed check then point straight and let em rip. Just learning you might want to start with just a quick wedge of the downhill ski against the low edge of the traverse until you get comfortable

With the bumps work on staying light/keeping knees bent and do a quick heal to toe as you crest the roller. Once you get comfortable with that carry some speed and double them up where you can.

when I first moved to the mountains from PA traverses used to freak me out also!! You get used to them..

hope this helps

 

[Henry]

"I wasn't keeping my hands forward enough "
This thought works for some people, not for others. What really needs to be done is to get the body center of mass over the sweet spot on the skis--somewhere a bit forward of the toe bindings. Just sticking the hands out front often doesn't accomplish this. Find what trigger words work for you. Maybe, "get the head & shoulders forward by hinging forward at the ankles,"??? In any case having the weight back and the skis mainly engaged in the snow by their tails is doing things the hard way.

About rollers & control...a rule of thumb is that when the ski tips are in the air you have no control. When the ski tips are on the snow you have the opportunity for control. So--as your feet crest over the bump or roller pull your feet back to bring the tips down to the snow. As you get into the trough push your feet forward (I know, counter intuitive) to lighten the tips for the ride up the roller.

"slightly pivot skis to scrub a bit" is what you do whenever you want to scrub off some speed.

"needing to control speed move your uphill shoulder in the direction of your downhill ski tip while skidding your skis in the uphill direction." This sure sounds like plain old counter. It is one way to increase the skis' edge angle and increase the scrubbing effect to reduce speed.

Don'ts:
--Don't rotate your body toward the hill. Stay with the body countered, i.e., twisted toward the downhill side.
--Don't lean back toward the hill for that false sense of security. This flattens the skis and they want to run faster. Keep your head and shoulders over the skis which will feel like the head and shoulders are way out on the downhill side.
--Don't sit back on your heels. Keep balanced and centered over your skis and on the balls of your feet.
--Don't try to go too slowly. A bit of momentum is often needed. Don't scare yourself with speed, but do keep moving along.

 

[CalG]

Do look as far ahead as possible to see what is coming at you.

Don't look at the track right in front of your ski tips.
Don't look at the back of the skier ahead of you.

It gets easier on the second trip ;-)

 

[AmyPJ]

My pointer is have a thick skin and go at a pace you are comfortable with.

The above comes from the first few times I took the traverse out to the 'the bench", or the Angel Food and beyond OB terrain at Stowe. A powder day with plenty of guys blasting down that traverse and lots of whoopdidoos I was unfamiliar with. I will pull over, but, I refuse to speed when I have no idea what is coming up around the next tree.

I will not breathe down your neck. Please don't breathe down mine. We will all get there in the end.

I'm loving these tips as I am NOT good at traverses, but am getting better. There's a traverse at Snowbasin that gets to some really great medium angle off-piste terrain that is such great practice for me in crud, but I've avoided it due to the traverse and getting mowed down and yelled at. Would they rather I wipe out in front of them? To be fair, this traverse isn't particularly gnarly and it's easy to drop higher or lower to get around someone, but there are a few sections of whoop de doos that I do a major speed check for and sometimes stop to scout which line I want to take, as it changes with each storm.

I just can't fathom being a dick to someone ahead of me who is being cautious and tentative. We all have to dip our toes in the water at some point or another.

 

[Brad J]

I also just skied at Alta and I use the old fashion angulation position and a slight skid to control speed. this gives a much smoother ride and faster with more control.

 

[tromano]

Traverses, like all sking, are about going there. Most conflict on traverses happen when someone doesn't want to go there and many others do.