Good Snow Hunting – Part I
Bruce Edgerly busting pow on demand after a big dump. On days like this, it is hard to go wrong with your choice of location.
Grove has a way with words and an excellent point. Why would you hike for hours to ski crappy snow? You wouldn’t – at least not more than a few times and finding good conditions is the essence of backcountry skiing. A key element to this question is defining “good snow” which is not always powder. At times, corn snow, wind board, recrystalized powder, or chowder may be the best thing going at the moment, and knowing what is going to be good, and where to find it has everything to do with your backcountry satisfaction.
Weeks after the last snow and still skiing powder? WTF? How do you find this? Julia Niles doing what must be done - tracking it up.
A big, fat dump of powder is almost the lowest common denominator of backcountry skiing as everything is going to be good. What separates the savvy pros from the shut-out newbies is the idea of strategic thinking – given the current conditions, what is going to be good, and where do I find it? There is always good skiing to be had in the backcountry, it is just a matter of knowing where and when to go.
To be continued all this week…
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Category: 06 Downhill
“Grove spoke up. “What I want to know is how to fucking find the best snow. If I’m going to hike for two fucking hours, it fucking better be good.””
i’m kind of like grove. except, i don’t want to know HOW to find the best snow. i want to know WHERE to find the best snow. i mean, beyond telling me “north facing stays soft longer” and “south faces corn up really nicely.”
lines on a map. that’s what i want. cuz two hours is a LONG time to hike, right?
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