How Is Your Corn?

[nay]

^^^makes me jelly.

That doesn’t exist in CO. The temp gradient in the snowpack is always too great.

 

[dusty]

I missed Alpine Meadows for spring skiing incredibly. Luckily, they sucked the soul out of that place so it makes me miss sitting at the ice bar less. Honestly, Alpine had the best corn skiing due to multiple aspects. 10AM-2PM on the reg.

 

[4ster]

I missed Alpine Meadows for spring skiing incredibly. Luckily, they sucked the soul out of that place so it makes me miss sitting at the ice bar less. Honestly, Alpine had the best corn skiing due to multiple aspects. 10AM-2PM on the reg.

Kirkwood was similar, at least alpine is still open.

 

[James]

Corn is a way overused term. In the perfect state, It is smooth and the water content is obvious, and by the definition of how it forms, it can’t readily exist in skier traffic areas, i.e. resorts, because of the disruption of the grain to water structure required to create a corn cluster.

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We’ve talked about the high altitudes of Colorado having too quick freeze-to-bake - certainly we don’t get anything like some of the maritime climates on or off resort.

I think the closest we get is on groomers. Zuma Bowl can have some really good corn-like conditions on the groomers.

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And at times off-piste, but the base is often so cold it gets refrozen from underneath with even minor shifts in cloud cover or wind or temps or it bakes to sticky. This window literally lasted one run before refreezing.

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We probably hate to admit that some of the best snow that we consider corn in a high altitude continental climate is GMO. As the early season man made base goes isothermal (temps consistent through the snowpack and where the snow in the snowpack is no longer frozen) then we get great granular slush skiing.

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So while an isothermal snowpack promotes good corn development (not subject to refreeze from the snowpack itself), once the Colorado snowpack goes isothermal it is already in severe decline and can lose 4” a day in the high altitude sun, and the off piste is usually dirty and rotten by then.

That’s why our snowpack charts look like this and always go off a cliff in mid to late May:

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We have some awesome spring skiing, but our window between a full snowpack and powder skiing and completely done is very short.

Nice definition. The corn that people go gaga over, and which is legitimately in the untracked powder category of amazing is the packed corn. Packed either by previous grooming or gravity/wind.( I don't know that it matters as it's like getting into the fine points of the excellent pow one skied). That stuff is simply amazing. Very different skiing that as opposed to 2-3 ft deep bumps full of the same crystals, or a sea of that snow.That's fun but just not the same smooth buttery sensations of packed corn. Maybe settled corn is a better term.

 

[SBrown]

Miiiiiles of corn. It tastes pretty good at midnight, too.

 

[James]

^ Too much cream.

^Needs a touch more cream for good skiing.

 

[4ster]

Miiiiiles of corn. It tastes pretty good at midnight, too.

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Where are you, looks amazing!?

 

[James]

Where are you, looks amazing!?

I believe that's from her Iceland trip.

This afternoon's corn utensil:

I think creamed canned corn snow, ie smoothish slightly compacted, is the snow that gives the most feedback of all.. Edge angel, fore/aft pressure, steering effort, there's just immediate feedback to what's happening with the skis. Even non smooth corn gives tons of feedback. It's why it's a great time for hard snow people in the East to get out. Huge learning, self-coaching environment this corn snow is.

 

[4ster]

I believe that's from her Iceland trip

Thanks, that makes sense. I assumed it was pretty far north & it doesn't look like Alaska.

 

[SBrown]

Where are you, looks amazing!?

Yeah, James was right. Couple years ago, almost summer solstice, 66° north. Highly recommended.

 

[Bill Talbot]

I believe that's from her Iceland trip.

This afternoon's corn utensil:
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I think creamed canned corn snow, ie smoothish slightly compacted, is the snow that gives the most feedback of all.. Edge angel, fore/aft pressure, steering effort, there's just immediate feedback to what's happening with the skis. Even non smooth corn gives tons of feedback. It's why it's a great time for hard snow people in the East to get out. Huge learning, self-coaching environment this corn snow is.

@James were you in Ludlow yesterday? Yes it was pure creamed corn after say 10am! Some firmer spots before that in isolated areas but it never refroze overnight.

I laugh every time I see you on your SL racing skis in that stuff! I started the day on my Rossi e83's but as it softened and started to pile up they're just too much work (which is why I don't know why you like your SL's so much in that stuff). Then after switching to my Enforcers around 11am... well let the good times roll! I like to surf the corn personally...

The black jackets were really missing the lifties yesterday...

 

[James]

@James were you in Ludlow yesterday? Yes it was pure creamed corn after say 10am! Some firmer spots before that in isolated areas but it never refroze overnight.

I laugh every time I see you on your SL racing skis in that stuff! I started the day on my Rossi e83's but as it softened and started to pile up they're just too much work (which is why I don't know why you like your SL's so much in that stuff). Then after switching to my Enforcers around 11am... well let the good times roll! I like to surf the corn personally...

The black jackets were really missing the lifties yesterday...

Yes, late afternoon was there.
I find slaloms easier but with drawbacks. Sometimes so much snow builds up on the boot that it bogs the outside foot down. Then you're left on the inside foot doing a Royal christie. High speed thtough the sea of stuff is interesting. There's a chance you'll suddenly augur in.

Today's butter knife, seen through the bubble. The 192cm Stormrider 95. Nice to have a little length. They needed a lot of baby seals to make those.

Around 1:30 weather had really changed and wet soft corn was being flash frozen into sugar and harder stuff. Bummer.

 

[4ster]

After 15” of new snow in the Sierra on Monday it’s taking awhile to get a real corn cycle going.

The mornings attempt for a bowl of cornflakes...

 

[SkiSpeed]

Closing Weekend at Okemo: 4/21-22. Perfect weather: blue skies and temps in the 40's. Mountain skied beautifully from opening until 3ish each day. Pure Corn Enjoyment!

 

[JFB]

Rich, ripe and sweet! It has been great at the Mt Rose resort but the missus and I hit the jackpot in the backcountry across the street and visible from the resort yesterday and today. I don't think I will be skiing in July like last year, but it should hold nicely through May.

View from the top yesterday

Mrs JFB and a friend below Proliteriate bowl today

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Amazing 4 day run of spring conditions ended Tuesday afternoon at The Beast. Stowe tickets that I saved for my normal trek to the tabernacle for the blessing of the corn will go to waste this year. So sad.

 

[4ster]

Cold last night, cool & windy today allowed for a later than normal start...

 

[Wolfski]

Love Corn, on the slopes, ear, bowl, etc, etc, Best corn I've skied is either Mt. Bachelor or Mt. Hood during the the Summer Camp seasons.
Easily the best Green Giant Niblets and you get paid to ski it

 

[Tricia]

Is there any corn left? I heard Mammoth is still getting cold at night.

 

[nay]

Plenty of GMO.