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Nobody told me about wind pack

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Voyage86
Posts: 867 - Karma: 3,593
im a simple midwest boy who has only skied pow 2 times. last week i was in park city and we got about 5 inches of fresh. it was blissful surfing untill the third day when the pow got wind packed. to my Illinois eye it almost looked better than normal pow. so nice and smooth. but as soon as i dropped in i was fighting for my life, catching an edge every time i took a breath. so, for people who really aren’t familiar with variable snow, what other conditions may look great to the untrained eye but are actually pretty difficult?


(my little bro filming me had just took a spill, don’t mind the insane panting)
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1083886/trim-7FC58B84-BA47-4509-8BF8-F3DA9F54AC63-MOV

**This thread was edited on Dec 29th 2023 at 11:17:42am
Dec 29 2023 11:15AM
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Rock_Inhabitant
Posts: 1045 - Karma: 11,004
When it’s a little chundery bcuz of avalanches or a busy trail but it’s frozen and feels like skiing on gravel
Dec 29 2023 11:22AM
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ReturnToMonkey
Posts: 6378 - Karma: 69,293
Rock_InhabitantWhen it’s a little chundery bcuz of avalanches or a busy trail but it’s frozen and feels like skiing on gravel

True even though I know, I'm still always taken by surprise how concrete-like avalanche snow is
Dec 29 2023 12:01PM
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PartyBullshiit
Posts: 3602 - Karma: 16,462
I just hate hitting random ice sheets. Coming over a crest that’s been shaded from the sun. That sudden long ass slide. Always puckers the butthole.
Dec 29 2023 12:10PM
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Rock_Inhabitant
Posts: 1045 - Karma: 11,004
PartyBullshiitAlways puckers the butthole

First and hopefully last time I ever hear someone say this
Dec 29 2023 12:42PM
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PartyBullshiit
Posts: 3602 - Karma: 16,462
Rock_InhabitantFirst and hopefully last time I ever hear someone say this


If you’ve never had a puckered butthole you ain’t livin.


https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1083901/Bad-Boys-2--2003---That-one-pucker-up-my-butthole-Scene---badboys2--willsmith
Dec 29 2023 1:08PM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 235 - Karma: 1,407
I once blasted into avalanche wash on A zone at meadows and died
Rock_InhabitantWhen it’s a little chundery bcuz of avalanches or a busy trail but it’s frozen and feels like skiing on gravel
Dec 29 2023 4:40PM
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9249 - Karma: 60,452
i always feel bad for people whose first soft snow is shallow angle, wet pow, maybe in the woods or a park. they can barely move and turn and they go, wtf are people so hyped on pow for? when really it's nothing like the real thing

gotta have speed even for nice light powder, to find the rhythm of the different style of turn. it's crazy how different it is from packed snow
Dec 29 2023 5:13PM
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SteezyYeeter
Posts: 3563 - Karma: -11,599
sometimes man-made snow still in the form of whales will be super fun and chalky, the surface is just a clean white sheet, almost like powder. but it could be icy as well. otherwise i can't really think of any illusive snow conditions, most bad ones seem obvious, ice (in general, bluish hue or those frozen groomer tracks), cookies, etc.
Dec 29 2023 6:30PM
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GayWolf420
Posts: 37311 - Karma: 118,778
Wind-buff and chalky turns on some steeps absolutely rules. Just blasting fins every turn.
Dec 29 2023 6:57PM
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Voyage86
Posts: 867 - Karma: 3,593
CoolChillGuy420Wind-buff and chalky turns on some steeps absolutely rules. Just blasting fins every turn.


idk man, this stuff ate my skis up. felt like i got trapped in it and couldn’t rotate without serious effort.
Dec 29 2023 8:23PM
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SkiingNinja
Posts: 1966 - Karma: 902
That sounds like a breakable wind crust. There are a few different techniques you could try, such as “porpoising”.

Firm windboard that is smoothed over but still grippy can be fun to ski
Dec 30 2023 1:05AM
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SmokedGouda
Posts: 1029 - Karma: 5,766
Voyage86idk man, this stuff ate my skis up. felt like i got trapped in it and couldn’t rotate without serious effort.


More or less you gotta make smaller turns. More bending of the knees, and actually relying on the pole plant as this stuff can be harder to move through. Be a bit more surfy too.
Dec 30 2023 1:41AM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7789 - Karma: 21,677
ReturnToMonkeyTrue even though I know, I'm still always taken by surprise how concrete-like avalanche snow is

Yeah an avalanche takes all of the air out of the snow. That's why if you're buried, you need to move your arms and legs to make the biggest space possible immediately when the snow stops moving giving yourself an air pocket (if you're conscious).
Dec 30 2023 9:44AM
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Evancantspin
Posts: 433 - Karma: 5,989
Rock_InhabitantFirst and hopefully last time I ever hear someone say this


Puckered butthhole
Dec 30 2023 10:29AM
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partyandBS
Posts: 4311 - Karma: 66,457
the snow is like this because the wind is breaking down the snow flakes shape so instead of being a flake ❄️ that has a lot of space in it, it breakdown into smalles grains and because incredibly dense and heavy. because of this, it wind loaded areas present a larger likelihood of causing a weak layer below fail and causing an avalanche. that shit is extremely heavy snow because the force of the avalanche is even greater than the wind and compacting the snow even more.
Dec 30 2023 10:48AM
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mrk127
Posts: 1803 - Karma: 16,307
Cascade Chicken Heads is probably the worst ski conditions I’ve ridden






For you mid west boys this is what it looks like. During storms in the high alpine rime ice coats the windward side of the mountain
Dec 30 2023 7:51PM
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Voyage86
Posts: 867 - Karma: 3,593
mrk127Cascade Chicken Heads is probably the worst ski conditions I’ve ridden






For you mid west boys this is what it looks like. During storms in the high alpine rime ice coats the windward side of the mountain


where is this??
Dec 30 2023 9:09PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13078 - Karma: 18,713
skiP.E.I.Yeah an avalanche takes all of the air out of the snow. That's why if you're buried, you need to move your arms and legs to make the biggest space possible immediately when the snow stops moving giving yourself an air pocket (if you're conscious).

The friction in the snow is enough to warm the snow up until it becomes a near slush. Then once the pack stops, everything freezes in place.

My area gets flooded with the dumbest tourists. Quite a few truly believe BC is nothing but poorboyz production-heavy-dubstep-neck-deep- cold-dry all day type conditions only to find its 70% shitfuck, cloudy and foggy with chances of ice rain.

OP, you should feel what wind hammered conditions are like. Its like skiing styrofoam with breakthrough patches that breaks skis!
Dec 31 2023 6:10AM
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jstern
Posts: 33 - Karma: 266
skiP.E.I.Yeah an avalanche takes all of the air out of the snow. That's why if you're buried, you need to move your arms and legs to make the biggest space possible immediately when the snow stops moving giving yourself an air pocket (if you're conscious).


this is true but not really the reason. it's more because the friction of the moving snow melts it and then it refreezes hard when it stops moving
Dec 31 2023 6:51AM
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Voyage86
Posts: 867 - Karma: 3,593
freestyler540The friction in the snow is enough to warm the snow up until it becomes a near slush. Then once the pack stops, everything freezes in place.

My area gets flooded with the dumbest tourists. Quite a few truly believe BC is nothing but poorboyz production-heavy-dubstep-neck-deep- cold-dry all day type conditions only to find its 70% shitfuck, cloudy and foggy with chances of ice rain.

OP, you should feel what wind hammered conditions are like. Its like skiing styrofoam with breakthrough patches that breaks skis!

ahhhhhhh shit
Dec 31 2023 10:51AM
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TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12498 - Karma: 116,020
Wait til you hit crust
Dec 31 2023 11:22AM
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weastcoat
Posts: 6401 - Karma: 73,950
I think the one that beats em all is when the snow is super wet from either rain and/or warm weather the night before, the groomers groom overnight, and then the snow freezes as corduroy. Even worse when all that happens and you get freezing rain on top. No conditions are unskiable for me but that shit is definitely damn close.
Dec 31 2023 6:14PM
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Session
Posts: 5363 - Karma: 21,979
weastcoatI think the one that beats em all is when the snow is super wet from either rain and/or warm weather the night before, the groomers groom overnight, and then the snow freezes as corduroy. Even worse when all that happens and you get freezing rain on top. No conditions are unskiable for me but that shit is definitely damn close.


Cries in Mt Hood.
Dec 31 2023 11:44PM
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21CABBAGE
Posts: 235 - Karma: 1,407
Tokyo drift down palmer....
weastcoatI think the one that beats em all is when the snow is super wet from either rain and/or warm weather the night before, the groomers groom overnight, and then the snow freezes as corduroy. Even worse when all that happens and you get freezing rain on top. No conditions are unskiable for me but that shit is definitely damn close.
Jan 1 2024 1:21AM
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Benchhitter
Posts: 149 - Karma: 1,414
Aged pow. Let some of that good shit chill for like 3 days and it becomes conk crete
Jan 2 2024 6:15PM
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mrk127
Posts: 1803 - Karma: 16,307
Voyage86where is this??


Mt Bachelor
Jan 8 2024 2:03PM
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OregonDead
Posts: 6873 - Karma: 24,379
mrk127Mt Bachelor


it's like when are they going to open the summit and you finally get to the top it's like why did I go to the summit
Jan 8 2024 2:08PM
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mrk127
Posts: 1803 - Karma: 16,307
OregonDeadit's like when are they going to open the summit and you finally get to the top it's like why did I go to the summit


Nah dude it's just "variable" up there
Jan 8 2024 2:12PM
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BradFiAusNzCoCa
Posts: 6918 - Karma: 60,288
Worst I’ve ever skied was Australia wet pow. It hits a point where it’s mostly water but it’s still snowing and not melting. Turns into skiing in like water with a zipper noise and friction. It just stops you. Not like Sierra concrete but like a puddle that is still snow. Very hard to explain. I never experienced anything like it in Tahoe.
mrk127Cascade Chicken Heads is probably the worst ski conditions I’ve ridden






For you mid west boys this is what it looks like. During storms in the high alpine rime ice coats the windward side of the mountain
Jan 8 2024 2:53PM
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