 Poster: A snowHead
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This is an open-ended question: when are snow conditions so compromised that you decide to not ski?
I live in Colorado, USA and love my state & mountains. Unfortunately, this ski season has not been friendly to Colorado so far. I typically ski every weekend, about 30-50 days per season. However last weekend, I saw bare spots, exposed rocks, brown dirt snow, hard pack and icy conditions among what little terrain was open.
It is easy to know when to ski - a big dump of fresh powder, 100% of the mountain open. But it is more difficult to know when to save yourself the money and protect you and your equipment. If I go up and ski and are left depressed with core shots in my skis and a lighter wallet, then I need to start questioning even going - if & when snow conditions are this bad.
Thinking about setting setting criteria in advance to help me decide in the future if to ski or sit out a weekend - If any of the following is true after January 1st of the ski season, then ski:
1) Are any of the back bowls, highest lifts / T-bars open or glades open? ("Glades" being as-designed as a bona-fide "run" or "trail", and is either "open" or "closed" by the ski resort - not just a random set of trees somewhere on the map)
2) Or did it snow at least 10 inches of fresh snow within 72 hours of boarding the first lift of the day - or - did it snow at least 6 inches of fresh snow within 48 hours of boarding the first lift of the day
But this is required: there MUST be a minimum of at least 2" of snow within 48 hours of boarding the first lift of the day
I am tired of skiing rocks, hard pack and ice - but I am willing to ski hard pack and ice, if the peak areas or glades are open, because their snow is typically different than down lower on the groomed runs. I do not think that any snow that is older than 72 hours old means much, except to add to the overall base.
Do you just go ski any condition, or do you have your own set of minimum standards before you click-in? What is your criteria that helps you decide whether or not to ski?
What are you thoughts?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@markgerardy, I think your question only applies to people that live in or close (a few hours) from a ski area. Most people need to book time off in advance, go in school holidays etc, so are stuck with whatever conditions are present.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You are correct, question applies to people who can, and plan to, ski on their days off every week.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Will I be able to find soft snow (don't care if it's powder or slush)?
Yes - ski
No - Are backcountry conditions safe, and/or will I be able to find something interesting terrain wise in reasonable ski condition, and/or has it been more than two weeks since I skied?
Yes - ski tour
No - go the pub/bouldering/trampolining/kayaking
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Is it sunny – yes!
Fair weather skier here, although I do sometimes get tempted out in flatter light, I don't enjoy it as much.
I'm one of these weirdoes that's not fussed about powder, give me a hard packed piste any day. My least favourite conditions are chopped up and lumpy which is what powder often turns into anyway.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Themasterpiece, Yup. I get 6 days per year...if the lifts are open, I'll be skiing. If there is little snow, I'll bring Rock Hoppers.
When the SCGB were allowed to guide in France, I had some very enjoyable days with them, in atrocious weather....all the more enjoyable in a group of like-minded eejuts.
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I'm limited to the days I can have, as I suspect are most people on Snowheads. Conditions that see me inside are usually when it's raining or light is so flat that I'm not enjoying it (less days like this as I get better). Lack of snow isn't a big problem for me as I have two sets of skis that were £50 each, if they get a core shot then I'm not overly bothered.
I generally consider it lucky if I get any fresh snow during a week away, I certainly wouldn't have got many days skiing if I limited it to days where 2" had fallen. In fact I'd probably only have done about 10 days of skiing instead of 60+.
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Couldn't be bothered to read it all.
If there is snow, you ski.
Thread closed.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| queen bodecia wrote: |
Is it sunny – yes!
Fair weather skier here, although I do sometimes get tempted out in flatter light, I don't enjoy it as much.
I'm one of these weirdoes that's not fussed about powder, give me a hard packed piste any day. My least favourite conditions are chopped up and lumpy which is what powder often turns into anyway. |
Self confessed fellow weirdo - give me smooth corduroy every time - hate chopped up and bumpy
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Another weirdo here...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Most years only get one week so will ski just about any conditions. Get slightly twitchy if Mrs Spin and the Little Spins are slow getting changed in the morning... 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Sitting here watching all the punters out in horrible conditions, and yes I can ski whenever I want.
That said I'm going to go up the hill soon just to take a look at the snow pack and see what's been falling and what it's like.
I don't mind skiing whiteout as I ski the trees but I do draw the line at rain, however it might well be delivering snow further up the hill which I'll find out shortly*
* can see with scope that there is fresh snow on the trees at 2,000
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It appears I’m an anti-weirdo, give me soft snow every time. If skiing meant hardpacked / man made snow, I would have given up skiing years ago.
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You know it makes sense.
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If you're as tired of rock hopping as you say then I wouldn't ski unless it had snowed. If it hasn't snowed then conditions will undoubtedly be worse than the previous week just due to how many other people are there chopping up what is left, and if it is warm enough to melt what there is up there then that means more rocks and even poorer conditions than last time.
If you've bought a season pass then go any way, enjoy the sun and the fresh air, chuck in a few turns etc. there are worse ways to spend the weekend, but maybe buy someones reject skis so you don't damage your good set
If you are buying a day pass, then I'd give it a miss. No point in wasting more money. I'm sure there are other mountainous activities if you want to go out and enjoy the outdoors.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Powder? Ski.
Packed powder? Ski.
Hard pack? Ski.
Ice? Ski.
Bare patches? Ski.
Slush? Ski.
Mush? Ski.
Grass? Ski.
Heather? Ski.
Rocks? Ski.
Rain? Ski
Fog? Ski.
Thunder? Ski.
Lightning? Ski
Plague of lousts?....
...Have I missed anything??
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously a Geordie 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's a balance between how good the snow is and how bad her (indoors) mood is. The better the snow the more risk I'll take.
Must admit that I could do with something like the avalanche report to assess the domestic risk better
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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There is an adage amongst hot-air balloonists (& probably other aviators):
"Its better to be on the ground wishing you were up in the air than up in the air wishing you were on the ground."
I'm not too fussed about under-ski conditions (with the exception of top-to-bottom boilerplate) but I tend to take a look out of the window at the weather and look at the forecast each morning. If it looks as though I'll be skiing for the sake of it, rather than for the joy of it, then I'll have a day of 'holiday' on my ski holiday.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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markgerardy,
But don't you have a season pass?
If so, your wallet will be lightened only by the cost of the fuel to get there (which is as good as no cost, when compared to the cost of fuel in Europe); plus food/picnics.
If I were you I'd be skiing every weekend! 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Maersk,
Wait until Mountainaddict spots the Geordie comment.... He's red & white - not black & white! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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About 4 years ago we tried snowshoeing for the first time when my sister-in-law came on a trip, but wasn't a skier. We took it in turns to accompany her. It was great, especially on days when the skiing conditions were frankly poor. We subsequently realised how often we'd skied just because we'd bought a period pass, or because we felt we had to, when conditions really weren't enjoyable. We've now swiched to snowshoeing if the weather is bad, or just for a change. So to answer the OP 'Ski when it's nice, snowshoe if it isn't, or when we just fancy a change, or want to get away from the Weekend crowds.'
I'd admit we're fortunate that we have an apartment where you can shoeshoe easily from the village, and it's below the treeline. So not only do we save a day's pass, but we very quickly get away from the pistes into the woods where it's calm and attractive, but still quite near to the resort.
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| Bergmeister wrote: |
Maersk,
Wait until Mountainaddict spots the Geordie comment.... He's red & white - not black & white! |
Same thing, innit, they all sounds funny.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thank you for everyone's responses. Even with a season's pass (actually three season's pass in-all, covering 60 different ski resorts), there is a time to ski, or not, pass or not, money or not - at least for me. When one single run is open on opening day, and a 45 minute lift line provides a ski run that takes 45 seconds to drop - or at the end of the season, when slush gives way to little impromptu on-slope ponds - or as I indicated about mid-season circumstances - it takes a special person who would literally ski down a hill of ice cubes if the area townspeople obliged and cleaned out their freezers. I am not that person.
Since three ski areas that are on my pass are within a 2 hour drive, then I have the liberty to pick and choose snow conditions. In-general, by-default, I do indeed ski every weekend. However, there are points in which skiing stops being fun when the conditions are so degraded, as strange as it may seem, it just becomes work and skiing is like fighting it. Skiing in 70 mph winds, or in subzero Fahrenheit temps - everyone has their limits to what kinds of conditions that will accept.
If not, then you must be one of those special persons that given a season's pass, you ski faithfully from opening day to closing day, and every possible day in-between that your work-life schedule will afford you. Even so, respectfully, then do you also ski from first chair to last chair as well? If have an Aspen friend who boasts triple digit ski day numbers - but is only good for skiing about 4-5 runs for two hours a day. I generally at least make each day count, skiing at least four hours but aiming for the full 7.5 hour ski day.
I have, can, sometimes do, but most of the time, practical circumstances like lack of light at 3:45 pm in December, dropping temps and icy conditions keep me from catching the 3:59 pm chair as faithfully as many of you respectfully might purport. Like many of you, I also have skied through lunch, first chair to last chair, surviving only on the sustenance that a meager backpack sandwich and some cookies offer, and weeing in the trees to save time from making a bathroom break a formal process - because of epic powder conditions that day in which one second can could not be wasted. I have also once skied an 11.5 hour ski day at Keystone, which offers night skiing, and earned around 80,000 vertical feet for the day - but this was about endurance and the enjoyment factor died along with my freezing hands and feet at around 7:00 pm, a good hour before the lifts closed. On many days, I choose quantity over quality. Today having recently turned 50 and having skied for 40 years, I am accepting a bit more quality in the experience and reflection in my life.
For those of you who have ski days in the triple digits per each season, I salute you - I am going to have to probably settle for quality over quantity, and only get in 30-50 days per season, that perhaps a few folks might pass as approaching-admirable. 
Be safe out there...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I tend to have a longer lunch and more hot chocolate stops if it's a whiteout, raining, or too slushy to be much fun. But I'll at least go out and have a go as skiing in poor conditions is usually better than not skiing. Plus I'm up in the mountains with friends. This obviously from someone who lives nowhere near mountains so skis a couple of weeks a year though.
I actually love when it's very cold, windy, it otherwise imperfect conditions as it usually means empty pistes. Less keen on whiteouts as I like speed and can't safely go fast without good visibility. This means I'm fine with hard, groomed corduroy, though on the rare occasions I've got to ski powder that's been a lot of fun too.
The only conditions that would stop me are either ones that would close lifts anyway, making the point moot, or if there are loads of people skiing very limited open pistes, e.g. Christmas the previous couple of years. Crowded pistes and long lines are only worth it if it's on the way to good skiing.
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| DB wrote: |
It's a balance between how good the snow is and how bad her (indoors) mood is. The better the snow the more risk I'll take.
Must admit that I could do with something like the avalanche report to assess the domestic risk better |
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You know it makes sense.
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Sorry Mackem...........
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