Ski conditions definition...

better still, this is packed powder at 4000m, just passage of skiers making it packed :



On the same day around 3000m it turns to spring snow, see how the skier is on the surface and the skis haven't really cut into the snow, this is why we call it "hero snow" sometimes :-)

my physio has told me that spring snow is acl injury territory.
do you agree and, if you do, what's the reasoning?

Davidmpires,

As you can see from the comments here, views of specific conditions can be as varied as the conditions!

Go with Ise for the most accurate. Ise, you should not be showing these pictures with 3 months to go to the start of the season, (for most of us). If I didn't know you had a 3000m climb to do prior to taking the photos... That's a great pic of the guy with the white cap.

caron-a wrote

my physio has told me that spring snow is acl injury territory.
do you agree and, if you do, what's the reasoning?

There are a number of issues that all add in in the same unfortunately, wrong direction.

1. First thing in the morning, the snow will replicate the tracks left by the piste machines during the night, when the snow is still soft. The surface hardens significantly overnight, due to a temp change that might be + 10C to -10C. So you ski at 90 deg to frozen tracks. If you start off at the top with a hangover, it is gone by the time you reach the bottom.

2. Depending of the weather and slope direction, by mid-morning the snow is soft on a hard base, beautiful skiing, until lunchtime. Keep skiing, don't think about lunch, don't make any plans. Wait until the conditions change.

3.After the sun has hit the slope for several hours, the base starts to go soft. At the same time, the top layer goes very heavy, often referred to as porrage. This starts to present problems, particularly if you do not have strong thighs, or are recovering from injury.

3a. The reason that the condition change presents problems is partly real and partly psychological. Conditions 1 and 2 above, are both predictable, ie pretty uniform. However, in condition 3, the terrain affects the predictability. Where there is a bump in the slope, there is a sunny side, and a shadow. Yes, I know it may not be an actual shadow, but the suns heat cast upon the snow will vary with angle of the sun's rays upon the snow. So, where the sun is more direct, the snow is softer. Where the ray angle is more obtuse, the snow has started to crystalise.

Now, this is the condition for a "bump". But 99% of slopes are comprised of undulating slopes, in different direction, so I am not just talking about mogul fields, but all slopes.

Then of course, on the backs of bumps, the soft snow depth accumulates, but wipes off in front of the bump, creating more variation.

There is another aspect to this period. If you are in an area where you are skiing on pistes cut through trees, like many tyrolean resorts, in the sun, the snow is soft, in the trees, the snow remains crystalised.

Then occasionally, a small stream will run across the piste, and the skis will brake like crazy.

Hence you get an accumulation of variabilities, and on most days, by 1.00pm/2.00pm, the snow is quite unpredeictable. Hence, if you can ski "relaxed/strong". ie, ready to react, then it is difficult, but skiiable. This is the time to take lunch, enjoy the views, sort out the world's problems, da-di-da.

It can be extremely tiring to maintain a full days skiing in these conditions even, when strong and fully fit. But then, I am happy to finish at 3.00 pm. and go sit on the bacony and paint the views.....

Dave Mac wrote:

1. First thing in the morning, the snow will replicate the tracks left by the piste machines during the night, when the snow is still soft. The surface hardens significantly overnight,

We call this "setting up". The best carving is on snow that has "set up overnight". I very often check the web cam to see that the groomers are out in the late evening, so that the corderoy gets a good freezing overnight. If it has been a warm day, they might hold off grooming until the morning. In which case the groom breaks up quickly and doesn't carve so well after an hour of so of hard use.

The machine packed powder is the best for carving. As Ise suggest, it is lack of humidity that makes good packed powder (or just powder period for that matter). You can have a quite wet snow fall, and if the humidity then drops, the snow will actually dry out and turn to powder. Anyway, going back to treated artificial snow. It seems to me that it is far more humidity tolerant than real snow. My best seasons for carving conditions have been those where we had the least snowfall :lol:.

Trencher


Trencher

caron-a wrote:my physio has told me that spring snow is acl injury territory.
do you agree and, if you do, what's the reasoning?

He might mean the LGS (loose granular snow) which can make skiers make more twisting motions and you can get the ski breaking through the surface at times as well. Not a huge concern I'd say really.

What he ought to be talking about is falling better, has he mentioned this?

more snow conditions :

Steep and a bit icey :



Powder :

Soft spring snow, April 2006 Val d'Isere. Ise on slalom skis, pistes somewhere in the distance :D



Clearly you don't need fat skis to ski spring snow off piste, Stockli slalom skis will do just fine.

ise, that is a really excellent powder skiing photo. If you've not sold it to an agency already, consider it 8)