How much fresh snow...

[JD]

How much fersh snow to call it POW?
I've enjoyed blasting down "cord" at 50 mph hovering on 3 inches of new snow. The asthetic is there and it feels like pow......until you turn.
I don't think you can say 12"=POW or 6", or 18"
I've skied 2 feet of snow on hardpack that's skied like crap, and I've skiied 10 inches on top of grass that's been one of the best runs down Nosedive I've ever had. It's all about density and pitch.
Match the right pitch to 4 inches of glop and surf's up, fur sure dude!
Go for something too steep in 20 inches of blower on top of ice, and you are skiing on the ice.
So I would say that when you can ski a whole run w/o feeling the firm base (can't remember the last time that happend up here) you are skiing POW.
Anytime you are bouncing off ice and hardpack, no matter how deep it is, dust on crust.
y'all?

 

[dmc]

Boot deep

 

[Greg]

I'm so not picky when it comes to my snow surface, it's not even funny. Provided it's a natural snow trail, or freshly made manmade base, I'm very happy with as little as 4" of new snow. In my experience, it seems the magic number where the surface become consistently good is 8".

 

[Warp Daddy]

3rd Buckle deep

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

It depends on the consistency..3 inches of fresh on a groomed surface is sublime..5 inches of fresh on solid crust is shitty..

 

[severine]

It depends on the consistency..3 inches of fresh on a groomed surface is sublime..5 inches of fresh on solid crust is shitty..

I'd say that's a good way of putting it. Though I'm no expert either, so take my opinion for what it's worth....

 

[snoseek]

It depends on the consistency..3 inches of fresh on a groomed surface is sublime..5 inches of fresh on solid crust is shitty..

I agree. it totally depends on whats underneath. I skied maybe 6 inches ( in spots) of nice wind deposited snow in the the B.C. today and it skied pretty damn nice considering it hasn't really snow in several days. Also I think a pair of fat skis helps keep me on top of the snow. I break mine out for the little storms too.

 

[riverc0il]

Some might say my measure is low, but I record powder days at six inches consistently and excluding drifts. Barely six up top and three down low does not count. But that is the measure of a "day" for my personal recording. I do not think that is the nature of the discussion.

I start hooting and hollering when I can not really feel anything hard below my skis. When I make a turn and it's butter. When I can just let my skis go and feel only the resistance of unbroken loose snow rather than a packed surface buried underneath. It doesn't need to be "bottomless" to achieve this feeling (true bottomless is pretty damn rare around here) and how deep the snow needs to be depends upon many factors. One to two feet can usually do it but not if it's blower pow; which is unbelievably amazing but you do completely bottom out in all but the deepest of blower.

Cut up loose pow that has been skied and tracked up is loose powder in my book. Really great to ski.... but if I showed up day after a storm and started skiing at 1 P.M. and didn't know where to go to find fresh stuff, I would have a hard time calling it a powder day. Powder definitely involves sinking into the snow and once it is packed down enough that you don't sink, it is loose snow or eventually packed snow.

 

[bvibert]

I'm not too picky either. I probably haven't had any days that a lot of you guys would consider 'powder days', but it's all good to me. If there's any amount of fresh on a natural trail I'm happy.

I guess to answer the question I'd consider any day with at least 6 inches to powder day for sure, but I'll take less and be happy with it too..