breakable crust - ski/ski tune question

This past year I've mostly been skiing a pair of 1st generation Shuksans (the green ones) and for the most part the ski works just fine for me. The only downside is they seem to be more short turn oriented than I am used to and they seem to be easy to hook a tip, especially when getting a bit tired and especially when it comes to breakable crust.

I am not a ski tuning expert at all and wondering if there is a way to detune or work the shovel edge to make it more neutral or less hooky if that makes sense.

I never seemed to run into this issue w/ some of the other skis I've used (kailas, janik, anti-piste) - I think because they have longer turning radius.

any info/insight/suggestions appreciated.

thanks

I'm guessing it has very little to do with either tuning or turn radius and more to do with the fact that the first gen Shuksan is a floppy ski that feels awkward at speed.

In breakable crust with some sort of fresh underneath, tuning and sidecut scarcely come into play - you might notice a horrible tune or really small turn radius on hard groomers, but neither will be too noticeable in typical winter BC conditions. Stoutness, dampness and stability (yes, heavier can be better) at speed make quite a bit of difference; momentum is your friend when dealing with crust.

It probably has something to do with surface area as well - you may be experiencing one ski submarining under the crust and pulling you off balance or pulling your skis apart due to extra snow resistance. The other skis you mention are also wider than the Shuksans, which can help mitigate this.

thanks for the reply and feedback Greg.  I mentioned the side cut really based on some info I read in one of Martin V's books.  The book was pretty specific that the more side cut there is, the more issues you could potentially get in crusty snow conditions.  I'm not saying he knows all but I would consider him a trustworthy source.

Since I've owned the skis I've never had them tuned and they are due for some base repair so figured if there was something which could be addressed tuning wise I could ask the shop to do it.  Based on what you're saying that's probably not a route worth pursuing.

Again, thanks for the reply and info.  Maybe I just need to find a different ski (any suggestions of ski with relatively similar dimensions/weight appreciated) or I just deal with it for now and make the best of it.

The best skis I've used in breakable crust have the least sidecut, so I definitely agree that there's something to that. Tuning, not so much. A fairly stiff ski that doesn't get kicked around, plus some momentum as Greg mentions, will go a long way in breakable crust.

If you can afford it, there are skiis about twice as wide as the Shuksan and with early tip rise that make skiing breakable crust almost fun.  Voile Charger and Drifter are examples.

Working with what you have -- I would reccommend detuning the edges out at the tip and tail and keeping them sharp in the center.

If you are handy in the workshop and a little bit crazy it's possible to add a bit of tip rise to all fiberglass skiis (no metal layer) with some blocks of wood, C-clamps and a heat gun. I did this to a pair of Black Diamond Machines recently and it significantly improved how this fairly narrow and stiff ski performs in soft/deep snow. Since I picked these skiis up for free (because they are way too stiff people under 225lbs) I wasn't too worried about destroying them I've got three days on them since the modification -- so it's a bit early to tell if the DIY deformation will result in delamination..

Breakable crust ski form helps as well. Core muscles tight , think holding a ball between your knees as you ski.Practice keeping both skis at same edge angle and distributing weight evenly.All of which I fail to do myself at times.

Detune tips with stone at 45 deg  along edge from effective contact point but I don't think thats your problem.
Frankly those skis will never perform well in breakable crust.
As Randy says, I have Drifters( very little sidecut, 120 mm wide)Charges have quite a bit of sidecut actually  They float above it all and handle breakable crust well despite their lightness. They are also stiff, especially in the tail.

However all that being said , it still comes down to form( it always comes down to form unfortunately) Even with Drifters I struggle in breakable crust compared to a true expert skier who can ski breakable crust with skinny assed slalom skis with grace because of good form.

So my 2 cents, concentrate on good form and get different skis.