Are you a 'powder snob?'

[Geoff]

Being based at Mt Sneaux it is imposible to be a powder snob as Just about everything has many tracks 15 min after the lifts open even midweek. But I do have my stashes that hold good snow for a few days.

Jeez. That's not my experience. I've driven down from Killington midweek several times when southern Vermont got more snow than farther north. The steeper stuff on the north face doesn't last long but with 12-14" on Snowdance and 90 mm waist heli-skis, you can do laps on cut-up powder and not hear any crunch noise until last chair.

 

[Bumpsis]

I absolutely love powder but I'm not a powder snob. Untracked, tracked, trees, trail edges, wherever I can get it.

Actually, to me it's more of a choice of natural or man made. I am, without a question a natural snow snob.

If there hasn't been much natural snow for a while and the cover is mainly man made - I don't bother skiing.
To me it's a crappy experience not worth the huge money that one pays for the lift ticket and related ski area rip offs (food, etc.)
I'll make exceptions for spring snow. In this case, man made or natural doesn't make much difference to me. Corn is corn.

 

[SkiDog]

OFFICIALLY...YES I AM....

See here...

http://forums.alpinezone.com/18942-sorry-again-day-two-alta-10-21-07-a.html

M

 

[riverc0il]

OFFICIALLY...YES I AM....

See here...

http://forums.alpinezone.com/18942-sorry-again-day-two-alta-10-21-07-a.html

M

I had come to the conclusion that snobbishness about powder is often a matter of relativity. Any one familiar with Admin's (from FTO) season last year can surely attest that a change in locales can substantially alter your perception of quality. Moving north and having a pass at Jay Peak certainly changed mine. I think SkiDog here can attest to that as well.

 

[Treeskier]

Yes I am......and a powder day is with snow depths over your knees. 6 inches is not a powder day. You need to feel the drag...have to make fluid turns. A powder day is like sex. It happens when she wants to....and you need to be there and ready to par take!

Started to do my snow dance!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

6 inches is definitely a powder day for me..in 6 inches you can get float..even on race skis..

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

6 inches is definitely a powder day for me..in 6 inches you can get float..even on race skis..

what do you weigh, 10 lbs? No, 6 inches makes for a nice day of fresh snow, but it is NOT a powder day...gotta have at least a foot before I'll call it a powder day.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

You powder snob case and point proven ...

Hahaha...I may resemble that remark. No, don't get me wrong, I'll take any day with six inches of fresh we can get, beats the hell out of the alternative, but it doesn't add up to a true powder day...it needs to be deep enough to float in, deep enough so its not scrubbed down to the hardpack in an hour...deep enough so some folks will start to flounder while others will flourish. Deep enough that the Dumass gang in the rear wheel drive with performance tires have trouble getting out of the driveway. Deep enough so GSS will admit his race skis suck in it. Deep enough that I leave the 84mm waisted skis in the car in favor of the 95mm ones. Then, its a powder day

So, if that makes me a powder snob, so be it, I'm a powder snob...bring on the powder.

 

[riverc0il]

what do you weigh, 10 lbs? No, 6 inches makes for a nice day of fresh snow, but it is NOT a powder day...gotta have at least a foot before I'll call it a powder day.

6" is a powder day. It isn't bottom less but c'mon... what do you call that 6"? A "fresh snow day"? I take my powder seriously and consistently evaluate relative quality levels of powder, but 6" is 6" and it is enough powder to get up over the boot buckles.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

I take my powder seriously and consistently evaluate relative quality levels of powder

Whoa, that's serious! My boot buckles must be higher...and I want it to be over the booster strap before I'll call it a powder day. Its like you said a few posts ago, perspective can change your definition. I'll call 6" freshies, nice new snow, a gift from ullr, icing on the cake...a great day on the hill.

 

[snoseek]

6 inches on a soft base is a powder day to me. soft base underneath is the key.

 

[JD]

plus good snow density, fat boardz, and some nice flowing, low angle terrain. It's bottomless if you don't touch bottom, just let 'em run a bit more to plane up.

 

[riverc0il]

Not sure what the bold in the quote was for, perhaps taken out of context, but I was just saying I am pretty serious about my powder but am not going to turn my nose up at 6". It is definitely relative, as you said that I said, but even on relative terms 6" untracked is a better than median average day out.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Not sure what the bold in the quote was for, perhaps taken out of context, but I was just saying I am pretty serious about my powder but am not going to turn my nose up at 6". It is definitely relative, as you said that I said, but even on relative terms 6" untracked is a better than median average day out.

The bold part was to highlight what I found pretty funny..."consistently evaluate relative quality levels of powder" sounds like something out of a job description for a Senior Powder Analyst on monster.com I never said I'd turn my nose up at 6" of fresh, I'll take 6" of new snow anytime I can get it, just saying that I don't call it a powder day...we've all got our thresholds, you've picked 6 inches as yours I've picked a foot as mine. What if there's 4 inches...do you call that a powder day? 2 inches? At some point you'll stop calling it a powder day.

 

[tjf67]

The bold part was to highlight what I found pretty funny..."consistently evaluate relative quality levels of powder" sounds like something out of a job description for a Senior Powder Analyst on monster.com I never said I'd turn my nose up at 6" of fresh, I'll take 6" of new snow anytime I can get it, just saying that I don't call it a powder day...we've all got our thresholds, you've picked 6 inches as yours I've picked a foot as mine. What if there's 4 inches...do you call that a powder day? 2 inches? At some point you'll stop calling it a powder day.

Many a days I have been out on 6 inches of freshies and did not have a good time. When it is boiler plate underneath the snow you can not consider that a powder day. All you do is slip out. You are better off waiting till the end of the morning when the snow begins to mealt into the boiler plate so you can catch an edge when you sink through it.

If there is six inches on soft snow underneath then it can be considered a powder day.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

6 inches of powder over boilerplate is still mad steezy....and definitely a powder day..

 

[2knees]

6" over boilerplate can lead to some highlight reel wipeouts.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

What people at Jackson hole call dust on crust...I call...deep heavenly untracked Poe...it's mad steezy looking back and seeing your tracks..even if you felt some refrozen crud underneath....That's why I need to get me some of dem dere Pontoons...I can float on 3 inches..lol

 

[Kerovick]

If it snowing at all, I call it a powder day. But of course I live in MD.