jtslalom Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 My local mountain recently made snow. Todays temps got near 40 with a misty drizzle. The snow turned into slop. It was partly frozen granular mixed with a wet soft pack. There werent many bumps but the snow was the type that you could carve 6 inches deep without much effort. My board just sinks down into a carve and I sometimes find myself leaning back a little more than usual so not to bury the nose. Riding like that forms bad habits. I hate these types of conditions. I honetly feel they are the worst. I'd much rather ride through icy frozen granular then mush. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Agree but the season could be over any day now so lets pretend the snow is great!;) Rain today on southern Ontario anyone see snow in the forecast ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icebiker Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Thanks for the report. I was thinking of going there Saturday. My son and I have a few more Triple Play days to use up.....Based on what you experienced, any chance it'll be halfway decent for Saturday AM? (we usually go from 9 - 1 max) I'm anticipating maybe groomed hardpack over a base of boilerplate for the 1st hour (temps in upper 20's), scraped thin by pizza wedgers and sliding jibbers over the next hour, and eventually softening in the 3rd hour (temps in low 40's) enough to get a few decent runs in before it turns to slurpee by lunch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sic t 2 Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 find myself leaning back a little more than usual so not to bury the nose. Riding like that forms bad habits. ahhh... you need to borrow the Burton Fish for conditions like that. its impossible to bury that nose and it carves remarkably well on soft hardpack (and remarkably bad on hard hardpack :D ). I'll wax it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaffainSweden Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 ahhh... you need to borrow the Burton Fish for conditions like that. its impossible to bury that nose and it carves remarkably well on soft hardpack (and remarkably bad on hard hardpack :D ). Oh yes. I'll second that. The Fish rocks in slush. Gotta get the waxing right though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pogokoenig Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Snowboarding in Slush is like vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top. In case there are nice big slushy moguls it feels like an extra scoop of chocolate chip cookies. I love that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b0ardski Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) I've been in some nasty satrugi (ridgey hard wind pack) that was by far the most difficult snow condition to ride in, I love slush bumps almost as much as chalky cord & light pow, just not on a stiff narrow alpine board. great analogy Pogo, If the mt top beer shack is open and the sun is out it's a full on banana split with extra nuts:biggthump 40* misty drizzle, not so much fun Edited February 17, 2012 by b0ardski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 My local mountain recently made snow. Todays temps got near 40 with a misty drizzle. The snow turned into slop. It was partly frozen granular mixed with a wet soft pack. There werent many bumps but the snow was the type that you could carve 6 inches deep without much effort. My board just sinks down into a carve and I sometimes find myself leaning back a little more than usual so not to bury the nose. Riding like that forms bad habits. I hate these types of conditions. I honetly feel they are the worst. I'd much rather ride through icy frozen granular then mush.I don't mind those. I hate the next morning when all that slop freezes solid into edge-grabbing ruts and ridges. That's near unrideable in my book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieran Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 slush can be quite entertaining. especially with a plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I don't mind those. I hate the next morning when all that slop freezes solid into edge-grabbing ruts and ridges. That's near unrideable in my book. I've had that happen at Whistler. It snows, everyone gets out there and chops the hell out of it, and then it freeezes into a solid mess. Last time I rode there I barrelled down onto a trail on Wed that had been epic on Monday, and almost got killed. I also hate when something gets wind scoured and forms a solid crust on top, and when you ride on it you keep breaking through the crust. Hard going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I'll take slush over boilerplate ice. You can surf slush, but it's hard to even remain standing on glare ice. A guy at a local hill got ice skates out of his car as a joke, but they wouldn't let him on the lift. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1 Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 "A guy at a local hill got ice skates out of his car as a joke, but they wouldn't let him on the lift. " I always wondered about that, I honestly believe some days they would be better than a board or ski's ............... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 ....You can surf slush, ... This. If you're headed to ECES, take a clinic with Joerg. His technique (surf derived) works surprisingly well in the wet, slushy, bumpy stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Two I can't stand - #1 is death-cookies - two inches of ice which has been chopped up and "groomed" into a pretty looking layer when seen from the lift which just turns into a hill full of marbles when you get on it. My most recent day at Sugarloaf was like that, a few years back - not only unrideable but I couldn't even deal with it on skis. The other is the man-made stuff turned to glop which has ben mentioned by others. If the layer is compressed enough it's really not even slush - just like riding through partially-cured epoxy or something. You can grind huge structure into the base, and use X-C wax, which helps, but it's then tough toget your board back to winter tune. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dingbat Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 #1 is death-cookies - two inches of ice which has been chopped up and "groomed" into a pretty looking layer when seen from the lift which just turns into a hill full of marbles when you get on it. My most recent day at Sugarloaf was like that, a few years back - not only unrideable but I couldn't even deal with it on skis. When there are death cookies on the hill, it is every real man's responsibility to lap them as hard and often as possible in order to grind them into something that can become proper groom the next day.:p;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carvedog Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Frozen chickenheaded bump field has been my most challenging run ever. Makes welded death cookies to boiler plate look like a walk in the park. Sometimes the chicken head would break, sometimes it would hold you and you would have to balance on top. It's what happens when an almost rotten bump run gets a lot of sun the day before and you go to it the next day but it never went 'off'. Good practice for the race course though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Brown Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Howzabout slush that they groom and THEN the temps nosedive to well below freezing? Talk about washboard :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xy9ine Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 night conditions can be pretty nasty here (where temps are relatively mild, and freeze / thaw cycles abound). great daytime snow inevitably freezes up to heinous chopped up bumps of doom. seems that no snow ice days are the best in that the surface is at least relatively flat by evening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I guess all the above reasons are why those who can afford the $35,000 dollar membership choose a resort that shuts the Groomers off 15 minutes before the lifts turn. Experienced it once but not likely to experience again! Just the knowledge that you can carve though slop if the man on the tiller knows how and when to groom. It frustrates me to no end as the lugans who operate the machines at the local bump are either not allowed or have no clue as to what their 500 HP machines could do under different circumstances. Rain has stopped, out for a few turns tonite. Parking lot is at the top of the bump maybe i should bring the skates for one run (Possibly the last for the season.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 You guys are way too hard-core. When conditions get very much below optimal, I stay home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Not hard- core just desperate for snow. Were ice-coasters not westcoasters you guys have it all and were jealous as hell ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dropthebody Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 To John E. at least go for the burgers and brats in the parking lot. P.s. I think it was you that I bought a Donek Axxess from. Loving it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RideGuy Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Not hard- core just desperate for snow. Were ice-coasters not westcoasters you guys have it all and were jealous as hell ! When I go out on a totally crap day it's makes me a better rider...or at least that's what I've been telling myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pusbag Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I vote for the snow surface to be frozen solid boilerplate with rain that freezes to your goggles as the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 I vote for fresh early morning cord groomed from recent dry snow and debating with your buddies if it is either just a bit too soft or exactly right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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