Spring Skiing?

[WillowKat]

When skiing relatively slowly in unfamiliar snow conditions, best to know how to try to avoid a knee injury. I've watched someone let themselves fall backwards when going quite slow while traversing to figure out where to turn next . . . and they popped an ACL. I re-read this article at the start of every season.

Tips For Knee-Friendly Skiing » Vermont Ski Safety

There are many ways in which knee injuries can occur in skiing, we concentrate on the two most common scenarios, the Phantom Foot and the Boot induced. Avoid high risk behavior Routinely correct poor skiing technique Recognize and Respond quickly and effectively to potentially dangerous...

vermontskisafety.com

I fell backwards on January 15, on relatively flat terrain. Bruised a rib and my chest hurt A LoT!!! Dont know how the hell it happened. Turned out my boots were in "walk" mode, so maybe that had some affect. Who knows.

 

[jt10000]

Please explain how the snow would be different in each situation.

Air temperature changes more rapidly than ground temperature.

With a low of 34 the snow would be soft/wet at the start of the day and super wet when temps peaked. With an overnight low of 20, it would be firmer when temps peaked.

Heck, if it's been super cold for a couple weeks (say overnight lows in single digits and highs in the 20s) then stayed in the 20s one night before rising to 40F the snow might be still firm at 40. The cold mass of the ground would prevent the snow from melting.

 

[WillowKat]

Air temperature changes more rapidly than ground temperature.

With a low of 34 the snow would be soft/wet at the start of the day and super wet when temps peaked. With an overnight low of 20, it would be firmer when temps peaked.

Heck, if it's been super cold for a couple weeks (say overnight lows in single digits and highs in the 20s) then stayed in the 20s one night before rising to 40F the snow might be still firm at 40. The cold mass of the ground would prevent the snow from melting.

gotcha!!

 

[Bandit]

There have been some great responses in this thread. I’ll reiterate that carrying some speed and carving through the soft stuff is much easier than trying to push it around.

 

[wonderpony]

There is always the bunny slope to work on your turns. I have a theory that the best snow is on the bunny slope.

The key things are to watch the hourly temperature forecast and plan your attack, watching for shade and knowing where will it will soften up first.

My favorite (closing ) day was when we got a low near 20 with a high in the 60s. I got in six great runs in the morning and then came home, put on shorts and hung up my hammock for the season.

 

[gorgonzola]

Embrace the spring, I think of it as second season, some years better than the first. My job does not allow me to storm chase mid week so I get more spring corn snow days (and nights) than pow days. Love slurfing and slush bumps!

 

[JTG]

gotcha!!

I could be wrong, but this seems like an opportune time to talk about the “corn” cycle. Corn is one of the most glorious, skier friendly surfaces that exists in all of skiing, and it only happens in the spring.

Generally speaking, in response to your query, warm on warm is bad. Above freezing temps (say 45) during the day followed by above freezing temps at night (say 35) equals wet snow, snow that stays wet and only gets wetter and stickier the next day. While such ‘slush’ conditions can be fun, they can present challenges for beginner/ntermediate skiers.

Contrast that with above freezing temps during the day (same 45), followed by below freezing temps at night. What happens there is the wet snow during the day gets re-frozen overnight, but not into the typical crystalline snow structure you’d expect of winter. Rather, what happens during that thaw-freeze cycle of spring is that the snow re-freezes into roller-balls, not crystals. This rounded structure of the re-frozen snow make for a “hero” surface that is both smooth and creamy. The dreamy corn of spring. THAT is what you want of spring. THAT is what we ALL want of spring.

I hope that helps clarify how the difference in nighttime temps can be crucial to spring skiing surfaces.

 

[tirolski]

All the above ^^^is good & correct but it ain’t roller balls (might feel like it) but H2O can just make larger crystals in freeze-thaw cycles. Timing & temperature are critical parameters.

If H2O is frozen, it is crystalline. If it melts it's liquid. If it vaporizes it’s a dang gas.

More on corn.

Mammoth Bound’s Guide to Skiing and Snowboarding Corn Snow - Mammoth Bound

If you’ve skied or snowboarded during spring then you probably know how difficult it is to ride on slushy snow and ice. Ice is too hard to hold an edge on and slush will grip your skis or board and prevent you from having a smooth ride, which is why corn is so popular.

mammothbound.com

 

[JTG]

Thanks Bill!

Listen, I ain’t no Science Guy. Be it ‘roller balls’ or ‘clumps’, it seems the spring structure of re-frozen snow differs from the typical angular crystalline structure of winter snow. My layman’s take is that the less angular structure of re-frozen snow (as opposed to typical snow “flakes”) is what contributes to the spring surface we all love. Wrong as it may be, that’s my answer and I’m sticking to it!

 

[Bandit]

Embrace the spring, I think of it as second season, some years better than the first. My job does not allow me to storm chase mid week so I get more spring corn snow days (and nights) than pow days. Love slurfing and slush bumps!

For sure. It doesn’t always snow when we want it to in the winter but spring always comes.