Sticky snow

[LiquidFeet]

Gluey goo. Rubber cement snow. The stuff that suddenly slows your skis down, then lets them go, then slows them down again. Skiing it is like riding a bucking bronco.

Does anyone know what circumstances tend to produce this version of warm snow, as opposed to slush, mashed potatoes, chowder, corn, or any of the other versions of soft snow that happen in the spring? Can sticky snow be predicted, based on what happened the day before and overnight?

 

[TheArchitect]

You just described what we had at MRG this past Friday. It was glue that sometimes resembled snow, at least on the lower mountain. More than a few times I thought I was going to superman after hitting some of that garbage.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

One of the main things that causes it is new snow being hit by sun. If the snow has a few freeze/thaws in it, it is less sticky.

 

[geepers]

Can't say it's a general rule however it occurred on the mountain I was on when:
1. Temps were high (well above zero) and (generally) the slow snow was in sunlight.
2. The snow had not been skiing by others. Regularly churned snow doesn't appear to suffer the same issue.

Also noted the snow would speed up in the shaded areas. Skiing along the side of a run in and out of tree shadow was great practice for anticipating BoS/CoM position.

 

[Josh Matta]

Fresh snow(even the lightest amount) and then warm temps, rain, or even just late season sun and cool temps.

IF the snow is sticky today and refreezes solid tonight it will not be sticky tomorrow.

 

[Andy Mink]

I ran into that today. Lower speed on lower angle slope with the sun coming and going behind clouds. REALLY sticky, even with a fresh wax. Very herky jerky. Try and stay in the shade as it's faster or stay in the sun on the more consistent sticky stuff. And thank Ullr you're still skiing!

 

[Posaune]

I don't know where people are getting the "sticky today, gone tomorrow" thing, but it's not my experience. There are certain places that get sticky every day the sun is out and it's warm, including consecutive days without snow. The sun needs to be on the snow, it needs to be pretty warm, and if the snow is smooth it makes it worse.

It is mitigated by being churned up so that there is some air under the skis (following a snowmobile's tracks is the perfect antidote), and by shade. Staying on edge (carving) helps, but doesn't completely fix it. We've been having a LOT of it around here in the afternoons lately. When it shows up, I leave.

 

[AmyPJ]

I don't know where people are getting the "sticky today, gone tomorrow" thing, but it's not my experience. There are certain places that get sticky every day the sun is out and it's warm, including consecutive days without snow. The sun needs to be on the snow, it needs to be pretty warm, and if the snow is smooth it makes it worse.

It is mitigated by being churned up so that there is some air under the skis (following a snowmobile's tracks is the perfect antidote), and by shade. Staying on edge (carving) helps, but doesn't completely fix it. We've been having a LOT of it around here in the afternoons lately. When it shows up, I leave.

Yeah, not my experience, either.
My experience is to get out there early before it warms too much, ski a couple hours, then go have a beer.

I'm going to experiment with rubbing on some spring specific wax this week. I'll try to remember to 1) do that, and 2) report back.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

We get it every single spring day in Big Bear. It’s just a function of how early it hits. I don’t know about the churned up theories; in SoCal it’s always the worst on the run outs and cat tracks near the base area and those are high traffic spots. I usually try to get up on edge if possible as that helps to cut through it. It’s hard to do on a long, flat, straight cat track though. Sometimes, I choose to shoot down the bunny run just to avoid the cat track. TBH - that’s leg breaking stuff so at that point, I’m done for the day.

 

[coskigirl]

My theory is that it happens at a just right point of temperature, moisture content, sun angle/shade that is very hard to predict.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Where I ski it happens off piste, in the bumps, in the trees, and on the ungroomed sides of trails before it happens on groomers.

 

[givethepigeye]

I have no idea what causes it, but good structure, hertels spring solution wax, trying not to run bases flat and lastly Zardoz seem to mitigate it to a tolerable level

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I’m not saying it’s gone, but it is way worse on new snow.

 

[Sibhusky]

Natural snow in the spring, especially if it's new snow. Once it's been through enough freeze/thaw cycles and becomes corn it is fine. Fresh snow on top of corn, not fine. Even with a nice fresh structure and tons of fluoro well brushed out I've had issues. We went from super freezing conditions to spring in an eye blink. That fine dry snow laying on ground that had been zero and below for weeks got hit with sun and warm air and you might as well be skiing on a rubber mat. I don't hate a consistent surface of it quite as much as getting on a cat track that has shadows across it from trees and it's stop and go with every change in shade. It throws your weight forward and back so much I just resort to a snow plow. And head home. We've gotten past this stuff in the last week, thank goodness. I'd much rather just have ice, thanks.

 

[cantunamunch]

It's an air humidity thing - the people who live in low humidity zones will of course get it at the most melty spots - which might be extremely well traveled. Whereas those of us in normally-high humidity zones mostly see traffic amount and snow crystal shape as governing factors.

I've posted about the air humidity thing before, in connection with breaking fresh snow on XC gear. You can always tell when you're within 50 yards of a creek or stream because the stickiness increases.

 

[NZRob]

We get it bad in late spring when the ambient air is above 10C and the sun is blazing. great thigh workout

 

[cantunamunch]

I'm going to experiment with rubbing on some spring specific wax this week. I'll try to remember to 1) do that, and 2) report back.

This is your reminder to brush and Fibertex the living daylights out of whatever you rub on. Wax on surface of ski = sandpaper level grip.

 

[slowrider]

When the snow is wet, the water will start to create a vacuum between the ski and the snow, sucking the ski to the snow so that it can not slide so easily. It is nearly impossible to see that condition. When it sucks it's time to call it.

 

[trailtrimmer]

Snow that sees lots of grooming and freeze/thaw cycles turns to corn/granular much faster.

Light fluffy snow turns into a speed absorbing bottomless black hole as the moisture drains out from it.

Stick to groomers at lower elevations that see heat cycles and you’ll see less of the grabby soft junk.

 

[Dave Petersen]

As others have said, in the Midwest I have found that new spring snow (or manmade snow) followed by a warm day needs to go through a couple freeze/thaw cycles and grooming.

Came across this on Facebook yesterday — curious to give it a try. The WARM CONDITIONS wax comes out Nov. 1, 2019.