If it's the Blue in Allentown, it's unlikely to be much other than man made. More likely a sunshine issue resulting in a melt difference.
I am sitting in the slope side pub at Blue Mountain for lunch and just had an interesting run one side of the mountain my wax seemed just fine and when I came to this side it was as the the wax was brand new first day out very slick. Now the temperature is the same on both sides but I could feel like a total different wax job and not sure what happened. Any thoughts?
No, that was one of the things I thought but all machine made both sides. I did wonder if the age of the machine had anything to do with it. The slick side was made with older equipment. The average side is the side made by the newer snow making guns.Was one side mostly natural and the other side mostly manmande snow?
Very gray day no sun all cloudsIf it's the Blue in Allentown, it's unlikely to be much other than man made. More likely a sunshine issue resulting in a melt difference.
Could be, an interesting concept of snow age or grooming cycle. I will say that the snow guns were running all day.A quite likely culprit is different snow age - the slower snow came out of the gun more recently and possibly (read: probably if it was blown on a run with spotty coverage) with a higher water ratio.
Snow that was farmed into whales for 24 hours+ will in all cases be faster than directly-spread snow. No matter what the total age/ number of groomer cycles after aging. If you want to read up on how this happens, read up on depth hoar. Yes, the avalanche type of depth hoar - it is exactly the same mechanism.
So, yes, different wax feel on different runs is completely believable. Whitetail used to have massive problems with wet spots that could easily throw you over the handlebars - from spot fill-in directly out of the blowers.
I am sitting in the slope side pub at Blue Mountain for lunch and just had an interesting run one side of the mountain my wax seemed just fine and when I came to this side it was as the the wax was brand new first day out very slick. Now the temperature is the same on both sides but I could feel like a total different wax job and not sure what happened. Any thoughts?
Sun exposure, elevation.Was one side mostly natural and the other side mostly manmande snow?
Could be, an interesting concept of snow age or grooming cycle. I will say that the snow guns were running all day.
No sun, gray all day. Elevation of the slick side is lower but not more than a couple of hundred feet.Sun exposure, elevation.
No sun, gray all day. Elevation of the slick side is lower but not more than a couple of hundred feet.
there's still solar radiation that affects vary according to slope aspect.No sun, gray all day. Elevation of the slick side is lower but not more than a couple of hundred feet.
And even on a very foggy day there's differences in visibility from the left side of the trail to the right in terms of determining snow texture because of "shadows". You might not be able to see the shadows, but it'll affect contrast.there's still solar radiation that affects vary according to slope aspect.
Snow temp. was different and transformation was too.I am sitting in the slope side pub at Blue Mountain for lunch and just had an interesting run one side of the mountain my wax seemed just fine and when I came to this side it was as the the wax was brand new first day out very slick. Now the temperature is the same on both sides but I could feel like a total different wax job and not sure what happened. Any thoughts?