Snow conditions terminology?

[severine]

Does anyone have a great resource on snow conditions terminology? Feeling a bit gaper-ish every time I try to type a ski report and I was hoping someone had a reference to help me learn the terms. I tried googling but with the vague terms I have in trying to find such, nothing useful comes up.

 

[redalienx11]

Maybe this will help? I found it interesting.

http://www.vtsports.com/snowreport/surfaces.htm

 

[severine]

Awesome! Thank you so much! :beer:

 

[tcharron]

Awesome! Thank you so much! :beer:

I always wanted a second definition of 'WindBlown'.

WBLN:
Windblown Snow A windy day can blow the surface snow, either powder or granular, into drifts in some places, leaving a firmly packed base snow.

GDBDR:
God Dang BoarDeRs Snow. A snowboarder heavy day can scrape all of the surface snow, either powder or granular, and pile it into drifts in some places, leaving a firmly packed base snow. A virtual fence of boarders sitting across a trail is also a good indicator of this condition.

 

[scootertig]

While we're going over terminology, is there a glossary of the meteorology terms somewhere? Stuff like the NCP and SNIAR terms?


aaron

 

[billski]

While we're going over terminology, is there a glossary of the meteorology terms somewhere? Stuff like the NCP and SNIAR terms?


aaron

those are just words that us plebes made up and caught on. I guess we should have one... sniar is the plural form of that four letter word which is the worst possible obscenity which can be uttered on this forum. Spelled in reverse.

 

[wintersyndrome]

GDBDR:
God Dang BoarDeRs Snow. A snowboarder heavy day can scrape all of the surface snow, either powder or granular, and pile it into drifts in some places, leaving a firmly packed base snow. A virtual fence of boarders sitting across a trail is also a good indicator of this condition.

right because skis don't push snow :roll:

NCP: Non-Crystalline Precipitation

 

[tcharron]

right because skis don't push snow :roll:

NCP: Non-Crystalline Precipitation

Not all boarders cause this effect. But generally, the ones who do are the same ones who are sitting in the middle of the darn runs when they do. You know the kind I mean.

 

[drjeff]

right because skis don't push snow :roll:

NCP: Non-Crystalline Precipitation

My favorite for this type of precipitaion came from the folks at Sugarbush around this time last year, they used "Immature Snow" when describing it.

 

[scootertig]

Not all boarders cause this effect. But generally, the ones who do are the same ones who are sitting in the middle of the darn runs when they do. You know the kind I mean.

not to take this thread every which way, but I've never understood why ski patrol doesn't come after boarders sitting in the middle of a run the same way an old lady would shoo off a bunch of birds with a broom...


aaron

 

[kcyanks1]

My favorite for this type of precipitaion came from the folks at Sugarbush around this time last year, they used "Immature Snow" when describing it.

Killington used that one about a decade or more ago, IIRC. Then I thought of it as an attempt to hide the fact that it was raining/be not completely honest. Now I'd find it amusing.

 

[riverc0il]

Maybe this will help? I found it interesting.

http://www.vtsports.com/snowreport/surfaces.htm

I still take extreme issue with the term "Packed Powder" to the point that I clarify "true Packed Powder" in my personal trail reports. The definition provided at that link is the one used by most resorts and it is over generalizing and misleading:

PP
Packed Powder Powder snow, either natural or machine-made, that has been packed down by skier traffic or grooming machines. The snow is no longer fluffy, but it is not so extremely compacted that it is hard.

So essentially this covers everything from Machine Groomed to non-fluffy powder that has been "packed" down. This covers an extremely broad range of conditions. I think there is a MAJOR difference between machine groomed and "true packed powder" which has not been groomed. I have never ever skied machine groomed snow that feels anything like true packed powder. Once a groomed has made a pass over packed powder, IMHO, it is now a variety of machine groomed. There are essentially three versions of machine groomed including machine groomed packed snow, machine groomed hard pack, and machine groomed frozen snow. None of these feel like true packed powder that groomers have not hit. These are all my own personal preferences for nomenclature and you will not find any ski areas using these terms but rather loving "packed powder" to death.

 

[billski]

I still take extreme issue with the term "Packed Powder" to the point that I clarify "true Packed Powder" in my personal trail reports. The definition provided at that link is the one used by most resorts and it is over generalizing and misleading:

Agree with Steve.
In my misplaced, delusional view of the world, PP to me is created by a roller (or any flat device) over fresh powder, or natural compression. No corduroy, no chopping and mixing with existing base. Cats will by virtue of their tracks churn together the various elements. Impossible to find? Most often. Wonderful to ski on? Absolutely. Second only to powder conditions.
I love it when people complain there is "too much powder"! (I belong out west...)

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Wet powder is one of my favorites..it seems like an oxymoron..lol

 

[BeanoNYC]

My two favorite condition terms are death cookies and chicken heads. (Smaller death cookies, about the size of a ....well, you get it.)

 

[severine]

NCP: Non-Crystalline Precipitation

That solves another mystery for me!

My favorite for this type of precipitaion came from the folks at Sugarbush around this time last year, they used "Immature Snow" when describing it.

Love that one!

I still take extreme issue with the term "Packed Powder" to the point that I clarify "true Packed Powder" in my personal trail reports. The definition provided at that link is the one used by most resorts and it is over generalizing and misleading:


So essentially this covers everything from Machine Groomed to non-fluffy powder that has been "packed" down. This covers an extremely broad range of conditions. I think there is a MAJOR difference between machine groomed and "true packed powder" which has not been groomed. I have never ever skied machine groomed snow that feels anything like true packed powder. Once a groomed has made a pass over packed powder, IMHO, it is now a variety of machine groomed. There are essentially three versions of machine groomed including machine groomed packed snow, machine groomed hard pack, and machine groomed frozen snow. None of these feel like true packed powder that groomers have not hit. These are all my own personal preferences for nomenclature and you will not find any ski areas using these terms but rather loving "packed powder" to death.

I agree. I've hesitated to use the term in the past mainly because it didn't seem to make sense, even if the ski areas described their conditions that way.

Wet powder is one of my favorites..it seems like an oxymoron..lol

Agree.

My two favorite condition terms are death cookies and chicken heads. (Smaller death cookies, about the size of a ....well, you get it.)

Funny how you can figure out pretty quickly what "death cookies" are once you encounter them, though. LOL. Chicken heads...never heard that one. Must be a guy thing.

 

[ckofer]

No mention of packed chowda? Jeezum.

 

[redalienx11]

another variety of death cookies are "mortality biscuits".

every time i say it i start laughing.

 

[redalienx11]

it should also be noted that there are many synonyms/modifiers for powder.

champagne
clouds
blower
smoke
dust
crack
pow
snorkelsnow
chalkdust
pixie dust

more?

 

[wintersyndrome]

Not all boarders cause this effect. But generally, the ones who do are the same ones who are sitting in the middle of the darn runs when they do. You know the kind I mean.

true, you have my permission to dust them...in fact I declare any group of people sitting across a trail whether snowboarder or skiers, or snobladers, snow-shoers, rabbits, whatever, if they are grossly taking up space on a trail with reckless disregard for their fellow snow-riders, they deserve to be dusted with massive amounts of snow so that their underfuds need a machine to dry out..im done