Snow

Today was supposed to be my day to skiing, and it is snowing. Now there are many people who may ask, 'well isn't that a good thing?' Yes and no. Let me break down the weather conditions that are my favorite to go skiing:

Day Before: Not 40 degrees or above for a long period of time

Temperature: 25-40

Weather: Clear and Sunny

Base Depth: 2-4ft

Snow Conditions: Groomed packed powder or fresh snow

Day of the week: Midweek non holiday

Time: Somewhere between the hours of 9-2pm.

Yes I realize I'm picky. But I can afford that luxury as I live here and have a seasons pass. My job also allows me to ski in the morning before I go to work. Keep in mind that this my perfect day. No day is ever perfect and I do go out when the temperature is 0, or when the snow conditions are icy or when there are more people. Here's why this is my perfect day:

Day Before: On a day that the temperature gets above 40 degrees the snow becomes water logged. This is great spring skiing in the morning as everything is soft, but it also harder skiing and takes considerably more energy than a day where it's bitter cold and fresh snow. The next day is even worse if the temperature doesn't do the same. The water logged snow will become a large block of ice overnight when it dips below freezing from about 5pm until 8am (conservative time for the temperature to get above freezing and the snow to start to soften) When you get to the mountain it is then a block of ice, with maybe some ice shavings on top. And unless your edges are razor sharp you're going to have a rough go of it. Although at around 10/11am if the temperature continues to rise the snow will eventually soften. In this case you need to be very picky about where on the mountain you ski. The lower elevations will soften faster than the higher elevations.

Temperature: For obvious reasons a day that is too cold isn't going to make me very happy. Days were the top of the mountain is -15 and windy are days that are better spent reading by a fire. People might not think that living in a hot climate will 'thin your blood' they may say that it made me whiny instead. But I tend to agree with the thinning of the blood rather than just forgetting how to tough it out. My toes go numb faster than what I remember, skiing for only an hour an half on a cold day because both my fingers and toes are numb is kind of lame. But hey, that's what my body is doing now. Around the time that I can ski for at least some time without having to go in for a hot chocolate break starts at around 25. At around 35 if i layer properly I can ski in my sweatshirt, which are my favorite spring skiing days.

Weather: When the weather is clear and sunny it's easier to see all the ups and downs of the trail. To see one bump as different from another. When the lighting and flat and overcast it's hard to distinguish where one bump ends and another begins. When it's snowing you lose visibility. Only being able to see 20ft in front of you is fine if you're going the speed of turtle down the trail, but I'm a little beyond that and go a lot faster and carve my edges into the slope. More fun, but more work, not fun when you can't see more than 20ft in front of you. Rain is the worst, goggles don't come with wipers, although they should. You're constantly having to wipe them off only to have to do again 5 seconds later when you can't see again because of all the rain on them.

Base Depth: Simple, I don't like skiing over exposed rocks. Skis are for snow, not mining.

Snow Conditions: It's easiest to ski on groomed packed powder, the groomers make a sort of corduroy up and down the trial making the snow uniform. You know what to expect and it allows for easier skiing. Fresh powder is really my favorite. You have to go early in the morning to get the best runs, but it's worth it. The glades are places the groomers can't go are the best after fresh snow. But, after about noon unless it's a really dead day, the entire mountain is full of little moguls where everyone has pushed the snow. Fresh powder is harder to ski in, but more fun.

Day of the week: Midweek non holiday= less people= more space for me

Time: I enjoy getting up and having a cup of coffee. 9am allows me to feel not rushed. In all reality though, unless it's a perfect day, I'm not on the hill until 10/10:30. In the afternoon the mountain gets a little harder to ski if the snow is too soft or if people have skied certain trails too much.

There you have it, my perfect day to ski.