Dealing with Thaw/Freeze

[hammer]

Maybe I should have asked this earlier in the season since we've had a number of these situations...:-?

How does everyone deal with a thaw/freeze cycle? Do you not bother to go out skiing/riding or do you just go anyway? Does it still make sense to head out early in the day? Do you head to the sunny spots or the shady spots?

I wish I didn't have to ask...

 

[riverc0il]

really varies on so many factors. how cold was it the night before, how cold in the AM, how hot are things suppose to get, where is the mountain, which direction do most of the trails face, etc. as a general rule of thumb, i would get a slightly later start than usual (9-9:30 which may be regular time for some people). the goal is to get turns in just when things start to soften up but before they get sloppy mashed potatos. you want corn vs the sloppy seconds that come later in the day.. harvest the corn! hit the trails that get sun light first and the head for the shaddy areas later when the early areas start glopping up. essentially, i go and i don't really change my skiing patterns much except i start an hour early and rarely ski till close when things get really wet.

the problem we could face this weekend is the snow will be saturated and rotting and then freeze hard when the temps drop. hope for some fresh snow cause that isn't an ideal corn setup.

 

[freeheelwilly]

I didn't read this as a "how to time the corn cycle" question which would be a "thaw-freeze-thaw" situation (although if I had, I would generally agree with your comments). I read it more as what he said: "thaw-freeze" - with no re-thaw. And my answer would be - very carefully. Those type conditions can be some of the worst you will encounter. Definitely try to hit the sunny trails - at least then you've got a chance that the surface might soften a little. This time a year, with the sun's angle gettin' a bit higher, that might make the difference. Sharpen your edges and go for it but be wary - especially of skiing into shady areas that have yet to receive any of the sun's warmth.

BTW, if you were talkin' corn - why the long face? Of course you "bother" going. Corn snow is second only to powder in my book. And if you're skiin' corn - it's warm by necessity and possibly sunny as well. Good stuff!

 

[hammer]

Any advice on how to best harvest corn is good...

The only problem is that I'm not sure I could identify corn snow if I saw it. :dunce:

 

[loafer89]

I skied Blue Mountain in January the day after a drastic freeze over and they did a great job with grooming and snowmaking. The bad things about skiing at Blue that day where that it was:

1) Butt cold outside, about 15F or less.

2) Extemely windy, with a nasty windchill that cut right through me.

The Mid-Atlantic ski areas are more accustomed to this type of weather and are probably the best at recovering in the area, they have to be to survive. Strong snowmaking and grooming are a must, or forget about skiing for a few days or so.

This was one of those days that tested the determination of an eastern skier, but my son and I still had fun.

 

[freeheelwilly]

Any advice on how to best harvest corn is good...

The only problem is that I'm not sure I could identify corn snow if I saw it. :dunce:

You've seen it. You know that rotten, crappy snow that's all crusty and worthless? When temps rise above freezing, that stuff begins to soften from the top down and that softened layer of kinda slush-puppie stuff is called "corn". It's super fun to ski. But as the day wears on and the thaw goes deeper into the snow pack - that's mashed potatos. In the Spring, with cold nights and warm days we get what's called the "corn cycle"; the snow pack cycles from frozen super-crust, to corn, to mashed potatoes and finally at night (hopefully) back to frozen super crust. You actually want it to freeze again to preserve the snow and to allow the corn to redevelop the next day (or the next thaw). The whole cycle starts over again in the morning. You need to time it right to hit the corn. Too early and you're skatin' around on the rotten crust and maybe bustin' through and bendin' at the waist in a "door-hinge" face plant. Too late and you're into (literally) heavy mash potatos. Exactly when the snow pack "corns up" is a function of temp, sun and exposure. But when you're skiin' it, you know it and it's niiiiice! That's "corn" and it is good.

 

[skibum1321]

I actually don't mind the mashed potatoes. That's when you hit the super steep bump runs and just rock the zipperline all afternoon.