I really love what you guys are doing. As an expert snowboarder in vermont, I find myself clicking on all your videos. The editing, straightforward info, and the great clips get me to watch. Even if I already know the info, I still find it quite entertaining.
@KTS-Cloudy I have never been there but if Sugarbush ever gets too alterra'd I might move to Jay or Smuggs. Let's hope that doesn't happen. I love the mad river year round. It's changed a bit but so has everywhere.
Thanks! I feel like I was missing this vocabulary to understand the differences in my experience and to even be able to discuss conditions with other skiers on a lift.
Great video. You guys do the best ski content on youtube by far. Booked my flights for my ski trips to Steamboat and Whistler (coming from Cincinnati) yesterday. Can't wait for the season to start!! ahhhhhhhhhh
Early in my skiing life(1971) we only referred to light dry fresh snow as powder! Packed powder was anything groomed. Out west I like the term chalky and here in the east I like the term edgable. Another word I hear describing less than stellar cover is boney... kinda speaks for itself. Thanks for the video!
awesome video, continuing with the same line of thought, you should do one on visibility conditions too, like snowing, heavy snowing, whiteout, heavy fog/fishbowl, flat light, night skiing with artificil light, night sking with flashlights, moonlight, etc you get the picture
At 13:46 in your discussion of Artificial snow, you have video of Summit West (Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington) which has no significant artificial snowmaking (just a half-dozen guns they run sometimes in very early season to cover a minimal terrain park for an early season rail and jib competition.) That's natural snow you are looking at - open dirt/creek areas due to warm weather.
My favorite is still the slush (not spring slush, but the slush warmer NW mountains get on off days) Always feels super consistent, and doesn't need as much float as powder. A properly waxed board on some slush is the best.
I’ve experienced a massive improvement in the quality of the manmade snow here in Southern California over the decades. Even the “white ribbon of death” typical of opening weekend in Big Bear is groomed well enough to be enjoyable. And because you see the snow-free south face of the mountains from LA, the traffic is much lighter. Woe unto anyone trying to get to Big Bear after the first snow of the season. 😱
If your on the east coast somewhere like Maryland I would suggest going to a cross country slope somewhere in west Virginia for a great pow day during a el nino. Thankfully this year looks like its going to be good for all of the east coast riders!
Very thorough, but in practice, I’ve never seen the “Artificial” or “Ice” designations. I mostly ski at Mammoth or in Utah but grew up on the East coast and still don’t remember either designation, as the resorts just really aren’t honest (as you pointed out).
Wind-affected snow may not be reported often but it happens. It can have a crust which may or may not support the skis in some areas, depending on your method of skiing and weight. Likewise breakable crust, and zipper crust, which can be great fun (sounds like you're in a video game) if you are heavy enough to consistently ski through it. "Wet powder" - it's wet new snow, and it is not powder. I've never heard it reported as wet powder in 60+ years in the PNW.
There are more than 3 types of snow. There are 3 categories of new snow 1) powder (really light fluffy snow that falls in cold dry conditions) 2) typical new snow falls in warmer moister conditions and is denser/heavier than powder 3) Heavy wet snow falls in very warm very moist conditions and is alot denser than heavier than powder. There are several types of old snow 1) packed powder, if the temperature remains below freezing the snow consolidates much more slowly but it still gets denser and heavier with time, packed powder is snow that hasn't melted but has slowly consolidated to the point where it is no longer powder 2) Slush is snow that melts and doesn't re-freeze 3) Ice is slush that freezes solid it can be rock hard, you can also get ice if it hasn't snowed in a while and softer snow has been removed by many skiis. 4) Corn snow/spring snow is snow that thaws during the day and refreezes at night it is harder than packed powder but softer and more forgiving than ice 5) Firn/glacier ice is snow that has been slowly melting for many months it is rock hard and it is often dirty and heavily suncupped. 6) hard wind sculpted snow is found in areas with alot of wind where the soft snow is blown away. Both the Rocky Mountain and New England ski areas will often say they have packed powder but the snow will feel very different. The Rocky Mountain snow rarely thaws in the winter and is softer and more forgiving. The New England snow thaws and re-freezes alot and would be better described as ice/slush. The New England ski areas will say we turned on our snow machines last night so the ice is covered by packed powder but if you have ever skiied machine made versus natural snow you know there is a big difference, machine made snow is not as soft and forgiving as powder. I wouldn't trust ski resort reports I would look at government snow stakes outside of the ski areas and the weather for the last week or two if there have been thaws/re-freezes you probably won't find nice soft powder snow.
" We have excellent conditions today with packed ice and death cookies on the lower mountain and breakable crust mixed with rocks on the upper mountain. Snow depth is the same it's been all season- 18 inches."
All weather conditions are great; they're just different. A thin cover on top of ice, though, can get scary because you just don't know when you're going to lose your edge grip.
Not all exaggerate. Plenty are very honest with what snowfall is, particularly if they don't think they want any additional traffic or think it will bring any more in. Weekend pow days usually get very accurate or even underreports. You will also see places do what Jackson and Big Sky do, which is report honest numbers, but pull them from the summit or wherever the highest snowfall part of the mountain is. This can sometimes be about double normal conditions, but they aren't lying about what was measured. You want to see what Alta and Revelstoke do, which is be honest about where the stake is, and have it be in a place that is representative of the common mountain experience.
The snow stake accumulations are not reflective of the snowfall accumulations across 100% of the mountain. A 6" report could mean dust on crust at the bottom, ankle deep mid mountain and boot deep in certain aspects of the upper elevations.
@@goodson77784 The cost benefit of reporting accurate snow is different for every mountain. I'm not saying that all places report accurately, many don't. I highlighted two that do a poor job IMO in my initial reply to you. I also highlighted two where there is a different cost benefit to accurate snow reporting. Alta is widely known in the ski world for having top quality snow, they stand to benefit very little from inaccurate reports. They are also capacity limited by SR-210 on heavier snow days, and don't want the extra skier traffic. I'm a finance and risk professional, which means that I am smart enough to avoid statements like "every" and to cite some examples of my arguments.
I really love what you guys are doing. As an expert snowboarder in vermont, I find myself clicking on all your videos. The editing, straightforward info, and the great clips get me to watch. Even if I already know the info, I still find it quite entertaining.
Where do you snowboard in Vermont because I ski at sugerbush
@Skiingsugarbush I actually work for Lift Ops at Mount Ellen. I have for many years, I love that place.
Nice I love sugerbush 🎉
Jay peak skier/snowboarder here 🙋♀️
@KTS-Cloudy I have never been there but if Sugarbush ever gets too alterra'd I might move to Jay or Smuggs. Let's hope that doesn't happen. I love the mad river year round. It's changed a bit but so has everywhere.
as an east coast skier if i don't see "its basically ice skating" on the mountain report its a pow day!
REAL
Thanks! I feel like I was missing this vocabulary to understand the differences in my experience and to even be able to discuss conditions with other skiers on a lift.
Glad to help!
Nice video man! Had me learning and still entertained, definitely one of the best ski/snowboard channels.
I just found out I wasn't subscribed and have just been algorithm'ed all your videos, fixed that, thanks for all the content!
Great video. You guys do the best ski content on youtube by far.
Booked my flights for my ski trips to Steamboat and Whistler (coming from Cincinnati) yesterday. Can't wait for the season to start!! ahhhhhhhhhh
I can remember in the 70s and 80s you had to call the resort in the morning to get the up-to-date conditions report.
yep! I vividly remember my father calling answering machines with snow conditions (not necessarily the mountain).
Early in my skiing life(1971) we only referred to light dry fresh snow as powder! Packed powder was anything groomed. Out west I like the term chalky and here in the east I like the term edgable. Another word I hear describing less than stellar cover is boney... kinda speaks for itself.
Thanks for the video!
@alanbrown5802 my favorite east coast term is "sporty!". I will let you guess what it refers too.
Hahahaha 😅@@chadlucier
awesome video, continuing with the same line of thought, you should do one on visibility conditions too, like snowing, heavy snowing, whiteout, heavy fog/fishbowl, flat light, night skiing with artificil light, night sking with flashlights, moonlight, etc you get the picture
At 13:46 in your discussion of Artificial snow, you have video of Summit West (Summit at Snoqualmie in Washington) which has no significant artificial snowmaking (just a half-dozen guns they run sometimes in very early season to cover a minimal terrain park for an early season rail and jib competition.) That's natural snow you are looking at - open dirt/creek areas due to warm weather.
"You may want to avoid..."
No
Icecoast4lyfe
Typeeee gnarrr
Icy conditions are just an invitation to go straight down fast
you should do a video similar to this, but for actual ski types (all mountain, powder, rock, etc)
just a suggestion!
lol, bare spots, ice and variable. Lots of my experiences haha! Gotta love end of season in the Northeast.
My favorite is still the slush (not spring slush, but the slush warmer NW mountains get on off days)
Always feels super consistent, and doesn't need as much float as powder. A properly waxed board on some slush is the best.
I’ve experienced a massive improvement in the quality of the manmade snow here in Southern California over the decades. Even the “white ribbon of death” typical of opening weekend in Big Bear is groomed well enough to be enjoyable. And because you see the snow-free south face of the mountains from LA, the traffic is much lighter. Woe unto anyone trying to get to Big Bear after the first snow of the season. 😱
Same with Mammoth. The first big storm after a long dry spell is always a zoo.
Some of the best skiing I've done is when everyone "thinks" there's no snow. Always better conditions than expected.
Spring/slush skiing is my ideal mogul condition. Feel way more in control!
If your on the east coast somewhere like Maryland I would suggest going to a cross country slope somewhere in west Virginia for a great pow day during a el nino. Thankfully this year looks like its going to be good for all of the east coast riders!
The thumbnail is amazing 😂😂😂
+1
+2
I like this new content type !
Hard pack is literally just your entire ski experience in Ontario sometimes i swear
Love the vidssss❤❤❤❤
Super informative!
*9:04* i instantly knew that that was pats peak
*11:04* average east coast powder day
2:45 trippy
Very thorough, but in practice, I’ve never seen the “Artificial” or “Ice” designations. I mostly ski at Mammoth or in Utah but grew up on the East coast and still don’t remember either designation, as the resorts just really aren’t honest (as you pointed out).
Wind-affected snow may not be reported often but it happens. It can have a crust which may or may not support the skis in some areas, depending on your method of skiing and weight. Likewise breakable crust, and zipper crust, which can be great fun (sounds like you're in a video game) if you are heavy enough to consistently ski through it. "Wet powder" - it's wet new snow, and it is not powder. I've never heard it reported as wet powder in 60+ years in the PNW.
Appreciate the Tenney footage to visualize poor variable ski conditions.
Didn't tenny close in 2010?
@@ronlerner72 it reopened in March 2018, then closed again for 2021-22 and 21-22, reopening again in Feb 2023
Bretton Woods has one of, if not outright, the best views in the east.
Wildcat??
Wildcat makes you almost feel like you're in the Rockies with all the above treeline terrain in front of you.
Guy eating it on the HP looked like he was at Crotched Mountain in NH. Snow conditions can be umm questionable there. Ice Coast!
European here!
I FUCKING LOVE GOOD GROOMED LIKE OMG... FRESH snowfall then groomed.... and when the piest is not ridden yet... like omg HEAVEN!
Nothing better than freshly groomed slopes, carving heaven!
At 0:44 is that Les Duex Alpes?
Btw i love the vid!
Le Tour in Chamonix!
Wind pack? Breaking crust?
There are more than 3 types of snow. There are 3 categories of new snow 1) powder (really light fluffy snow that falls in cold dry conditions) 2) typical new snow falls in warmer moister conditions and is denser/heavier than powder 3) Heavy wet snow falls in very warm very moist conditions and is alot denser than heavier than powder. There are several types of old snow 1) packed powder, if the temperature remains below freezing the snow consolidates much more slowly but it still gets denser and heavier with time, packed powder is snow that hasn't melted but has slowly consolidated to the point where it is no longer powder 2) Slush is snow that melts and doesn't re-freeze 3) Ice is slush that freezes solid it can be rock hard, you can also get ice if it hasn't snowed in a while and softer snow has been removed by many skiis. 4) Corn snow/spring snow is snow that thaws during the day and refreezes at night it is harder than packed powder but softer and more forgiving than ice 5) Firn/glacier ice is snow that has been slowly melting for many months it is rock hard and it is often dirty and heavily suncupped. 6) hard wind sculpted snow is found in areas with alot of wind where the soft snow is blown away. Both the Rocky Mountain and New England ski areas will often say they have packed powder but the snow will feel very different. The Rocky Mountain snow rarely thaws in the winter and is softer and more forgiving. The New England snow thaws and re-freezes alot and would be better described as ice/slush. The New England ski areas will say we turned on our snow machines last night so the ice is covered by packed powder but if you have ever skiied machine made versus natural snow you know there is a big difference, machine made snow is not as soft and forgiving as powder. I wouldn't trust ski resort reports I would look at government snow stakes outside of the ski areas and the weather for the last week or two if there have been thaws/re-freezes you probably won't find nice soft powder snow.
"Currently 'precipitating' (☔️🚿) at ski 🤪🤪 😁
Other than the obvious pow day, give me a little dust on the crust! That's what makes me happy!
Makes me happy, but ears never forgive me. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard in the middle of a tornado.
Really? I hate dust on crust!
" We have excellent conditions today with packed ice and death cookies on the lower mountain and breakable crust mixed with rocks on the upper mountain. Snow depth is the same it's been all season- 18 inches."
Good video
I have watched this thumbnail change like 4 different times 😂😂😂
All weather conditions are great; they're just different. A thin cover on top of ice, though, can get scary because you just don't know when you're going to lose your edge grip.
nah. you know you'll lose your edge when you hit the ice beneath the thin cover. 🤪
26" of snow in 3 days at my local resort so they opened early and it rained on us and ruined it all lol
What you called packed powder we in Mammoth Ski Area called it "crud". Much deeper and snow that wasn't light.
We love powder oh heck yeah
Hunter FTW
12:17 Impossible to ski? That’s Mount Snow for most of the year.
13:54 YOU WENT TO RIB MOUNTAIN! i did not expect that you would go to a ski hill in the middle of WI
We are slowly but surely building up our Midwest arsenal!
@@PeakRankings How do you guys have time and money for any of this
4:41 Unexpected jWal footage, what's he doing here?!
2:00 yo that I mountain I actually ski!
4:42
1:18 uhmmm okay…
Loose granular is the absolute worst
It feels so illegal to snowboard on a freshly groomed trail
Download open snow. Bam.
13:22 man made snow 🤨
Mashed potatoes...
Day 2 of asking for a mountain review video for sugarloaf
every ski resort exaggerates accumulations.
Not all exaggerate. Plenty are very honest with what snowfall is, particularly if they don't think they want any additional traffic or think it will bring any more in. Weekend pow days usually get very accurate or even underreports.
You will also see places do what Jackson and Big Sky do, which is report honest numbers, but pull them from the summit or wherever the highest snowfall part of the mountain is. This can sometimes be about double normal conditions, but they aren't lying about what was measured. You want to see what Alta and Revelstoke do, which is be honest about where the stake is, and have it be in a place that is representative of the common mountain experience.
@@SkiDaBird You need to go to business school.
The snow stake accumulations are not reflective of the snowfall accumulations across 100% of the mountain. A 6" report could mean dust on crust at the bottom, ankle deep mid mountain and boot deep in certain aspects of the upper elevations.
@@goodson77784 The cost benefit of reporting accurate snow is different for every mountain. I'm not saying that all places report accurately, many don't. I highlighted two that do a poor job IMO in my initial reply to you. I also highlighted two where there is a different cost benefit to accurate snow reporting. Alta is widely known in the ski world for having top quality snow, they stand to benefit very little from inaccurate reports. They are also capacity limited by SR-210 on heavier snow days, and don't want the extra skier traffic.
I'm a finance and risk professional, which means that I am smart enough to avoid statements like "every" and to cite some examples of my arguments.
4:50