Finding the best snow
Finding the best snow off piste when it has not
snowed for 10 days and the snow has suffered wind damage can be
quite a challenge and the best tip may well be just to get a professional
guide. Last week we discussed how you can look out for patches of good snow and
by working out the slope aspect angle and altitude, you will be able to
translate this into insights about where to find good snow.
The sunshine will affect slopes with different
slope angle in different ways. North facing steeper slopes will
have very little sun in December January and will hold the powder for longest.
At present these slopes have powdery snow that is turning very grainy day by day
or has been compacted by the wind. This could create a weak layer underneath
the next snow fall, we are watching to see what happens here. Low angle North
facing slopes tend to be wind affected and have a wind crust that is fine to ski
on if you do not break through, but if you break through it can be
challenging
On the south side it is different. South facing steep slopes face the sun directly and deteriorate fast. The sun's intensity is magnified per square centimetre due to the angle of the slope and facing the sun. Lower angle south facing slopes have an angle to the sun and the sun works more slowly. (this is especially true in the morning before the sun has done its full damage.). The bulletin highlights some risks on this slopes at the moment. Interestingly some of the best powder and our video of people making powder turns was done on South east facing slopes
West facing slopes catch the warmer afternoon rays and can deteriorate badly. See photo of recent slide in the Pays Dessert in Val d'Isere.
East facing slopes get the morning rays which will tend to be weaker and exist in lower temperatures. So east facing slopes will hold soft powdery snow for longer.
If you not have a good grasp of which is North South East and East (or even if you do) a compass can be a great help to spot which slopes face where. Given that nuances of slope aspect (10 degrees) can make a big difference, then the compass help even the most aware and experience people.
But within a single slope, there will be lots of different aspects which will produce different snow conditions across the breadth of the slope. Here the nuances of slope angle become apparent. So when you have decided to go down a slope, there can be big differences between one side and another or even in different parts of the track as you go down. Have you ever followed a good guide and then deviated from his path and as a result found yourself in much poorer snow than the others experienced. This can be true even if you are only 10m to the left or right of his track. This is due to the nuances of slope aspect.
What you can do here is to practice looking at the slope and studying how the snow conditions change as you ski through it. These observations will form the basis of your next judgement about where it is best to go.
Sunshine - slopes that face the sun may suffer snow melting even if they are above the freezing level. The sun can warm the surface of the snow. So you need to take account of this when estimating where you might find good snow. There is no magic formula for this. You may often notice your guide banging the snow on the edge of the pistes with his sticks. This will be to test the snow condition at any given altitude or aspect. By reading the conditions you find as you ski, this will help you predict where the best snow will be.
Over the past 3 weeks we have covered a lot of ground about how to find the best snow. The headline points have been.
It may all sound very complicated, and clearly the experts have built up considerable experience that enables them to work out where the best snow is. But in the meantime, you too can apply some of this thinking to improve your skiing experiences. Even if you begin to think through some of these points you will get yourself into better snow conditions than if you do not
On the south side it is different. South facing steep slopes face the sun directly and deteriorate fast. The sun's intensity is magnified per square centimetre due to the angle of the slope and facing the sun. Lower angle south facing slopes have an angle to the sun and the sun works more slowly. (this is especially true in the morning before the sun has done its full damage.). The bulletin highlights some risks on this slopes at the moment. Interestingly some of the best powder and our video of people making powder turns was done on South east facing slopes
West facing slopes catch the warmer afternoon rays and can deteriorate badly. See photo of recent slide in the Pays Dessert in Val d'Isere.
East facing slopes get the morning rays which will tend to be weaker and exist in lower temperatures. So east facing slopes will hold soft powdery snow for longer.
If you not have a good grasp of which is North South East and East (or even if you do) a compass can be a great help to spot which slopes face where. Given that nuances of slope aspect (10 degrees) can make a big difference, then the compass help even the most aware and experience people.
But within a single slope, there will be lots of different aspects which will produce different snow conditions across the breadth of the slope. Here the nuances of slope angle become apparent. So when you have decided to go down a slope, there can be big differences between one side and another or even in different parts of the track as you go down. Have you ever followed a good guide and then deviated from his path and as a result found yourself in much poorer snow than the others experienced. This can be true even if you are only 10m to the left or right of his track. This is due to the nuances of slope aspect.
What you can do here is to practice looking at the slope and studying how the snow conditions change as you ski through it. These observations will form the basis of your next judgement about where it is best to go.
Sunshine - slopes that face the sun may suffer snow melting even if they are above the freezing level. The sun can warm the surface of the snow. So you need to take account of this when estimating where you might find good snow. There is no magic formula for this. You may often notice your guide banging the snow on the edge of the pistes with his sticks. This will be to test the snow condition at any given altitude or aspect. By reading the conditions you find as you ski, this will help you predict where the best snow will be.
Over the past 3 weeks we have covered a lot of ground about how to find the best snow. The headline points have been.
- Get some good information - recent weather patterns, advice from experts, this is essential for you to know which of the factors have been at play over the past week
- Know how to understand the impact of the different factors
- Wind
- Temperature
- Slope Angle
- Slope aspect
- Altitude
It may all sound very complicated, and clearly the experts have built up considerable experience that enables them to work out where the best snow is. But in the meantime, you too can apply some of this thinking to improve your skiing experiences. Even if you begin to think through some of these points you will get yourself into better snow conditions than if you do not
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