Just finished shoveling another 10" of snow... But at least it's the dry fluffy stuff which isn't very heavy. But it left me wondering which type of snow is better for kite skiing/snowboarding- the dry fluffy stuff or the wet and heavy stuff...? Or is there any noticeable effect ? :wee:

Dry and fluffy is going to get you going faster, but you will need more of it to keep you from hitting the ground beneath. Wet and sticky means you dont need as much, but you will get a lot more resistance, and therefore, need more power to get going. As long as your base is solid, dry and fluffy is preferred. Hope that helps.

I just got in from walking the dogs,we got 4-5" of the light, fluffy kind over night, and it's still snowing. Since the gods need blood for appeasment, I have been sacrificing all my broccoli to Boreas and Zephyrus in an effort to tick them off:evil:, and it appears to be working! Everybody think WIND!

Awesome. Maybe we will have a good weekend up there... I was skeptical earlier this week... but this is good news. Thanks for the update!

2 inches of wet stuff or 4 inches of dry stuff is perfect, for me, on ice. Lots of snow is not as much fun as the skis torpedo and you can't snap them around fast enough at the end of a highly powered run. I like just enough snow to be edgeable. More is not necessarily better IMO.

Quote:

Originally posted by B-Roc 2 inches of wet stuff or 4 inches of dry stuff is perfect, for me, on ice. Lots of snow is not as much fun as the skis torpedo and you can't snap them around fast enough at the end of a highly powered run. I like just enough snow to be edgeable. More is not necessarily better IMO.

On a snowboard... I like it deep. I prefer 2-3 feet of snow. One foot is rideable, but I dont really care to be out when I my board is scrapping the bottom... I dont really find that riding on ice is very enjoyable.

To each their own...

getting dumped on in the boston area 12"+ heavy snow , out of shape but love to kite.

try and stay away from yellow snow

Or the pink kind. Its a fungus that will make you sick if you eat it. Only seen it in the Sierras.

I recently had a session in deep wet (sticky)snow and it was a hell of a work out. I'd almost say it requires more power in the kite than on water. Also, landing jumps on wet snow without enough forward momentum can result in repeated faceplants, ie. jump, land, stick, bomp, #$%^!? In that order.

A week later I had a session in deep powder and it was totally different- way more fun. Far less resistance and more fun!

keep in mind, the amount of resistance for light vs heavy snow will also depend on what wax you have on the base, because of the temperature differences that lead to light vs heavy snow.

It might not be a huge difference, but it will affect it for sure. Wrong wax for whatever condition = poor glide

i like the kind that is on the ground... and lots of it.... But yes, i have to throw in my vote for the lots of dry and fluffy. Same with backcountry turns, there really is nothing quite like having the snow billow out in front of you and curl up, over, and around you while you ride.

How about when the top melts and then slightly freezes over, leaving that little Crunch...? I assume this must be the worst...?

Any kind of crust sux. The top skim crust can be a minor nuisance at low speed but at high speeds it an be a real hazaed. Any exposed skin at best get burner, at worst gets cut in a crash. Lightly cover skin or skin at the edge of you harness gets bruised.

At lower speeds it makes turning a PITA.

We have a thick layer here under 4" of fluff. We refer to it as "death crust" because it really puts you at risk of blown ACLs in addition to getting shredded in a crash.

My Rossi Phantoms are designed to deal with crappy conditions like this and I've been getting out but it's been sketch everytime.

To make things worse there's slush underneath the snow. If you go too deep and punch into that it snap freezes and adds about 10lbs of ice to each ski. That and the crust are really set up to blow your knees.:o

This has been the worst season condition wise since I started kiting. And with all this snow and the minimal amount of ice that we got in the early season before the snow fell we are going to be without ice earlier than ever before.

Gonna have to drive way north to get a full season this year.

We have more snow comming. I don't much care for deep, slow conditions but that's what we have comming so time to wax up the fat boards and make the best of what we get!

Looks like its gonna be a huckfest season.:roll: