Ski Column: Spring has Sprung

by Albert Neubert

The warm temps and rain over the weekend rapidly transformed the snow surfaces to spring conditions which means loose granular and corn snow.  It’s called “corn” snow because the wet snow congeals into little balls that resemble kernels of corn.  The above average temps and continuous rains have wreaked havoc with resort operators that skimped on snowmaking and it showed quickly with bare spots opening up where bases were thin.

The most vulnerable spots are on lift get-off ramps because these tend to face directly into the sun and are flat so melting and rain contribute to ponding which only accelerates the melting.  What makes this unseasonably warm and wet weather so unusual is its longevity and without any freezing temps for days on end.  It has been pervasive throughout the Northeast with record high temperatures being recorded right up to the Canadian border.

I skied last week at the Windham Mountain Club, in the northern Catskills, on a day that started out below freezing in the wee hours of the morning but with a bright sun and clear blue skies.  Temps soared into the mid-sixties by noon and the snow surfaces got soft and sticky, fast.  The entire mountain was open and the deck was humming since it felt more like being at the beach than at a ski resort.

I used all four high speed detachable chairs starting with the Wonderama quad, which serves mainly intermediate terrain that also gets hit with the morning sun.  The trails were still firm early and became soft in the flatter areas.  I find that by bringing your skis up on edge more and pressuring the downhill edge greater than you normally would, it makes skiing in the heavy and sticky snow easier.

I then moved to the Whiteway Express quad which serves mostly novice terrain as well as a terrain park.  These slopes face away from the morning sun and it showed with shaded portions of the trails still firm from the overnight freeze.  From there I went to the Westside Six…