TERMINOLOGY |
DEFINITION |
| Powder |
Freshly fallen fluffy snow |
| Packed Powder |
Packed by skiers or grooming equipment |
| Hard Packed |
Firmly packed, “edgeable” dense snow |
| Loose Granular |
Loose “sugar” snow |
| Frozen Granular |
Frozen “sugar” snow |
| Wet Packed |
Snow High moisture content |
| Wet Granular |
Soft granular snow that is wet from warm temperatures, rain or humidity |
| Spring Conditions |
A late season mix of conditions created by sunny or rainy days and above
freezing temperatures |
| Windblown Snow |
Powder or granular snow blown into drifts in some places, leaving a firmly
packed surface |
| Corn |
Large, loose snow crystals about the size of corn, frozen at night, loose
during the day |
| Ice |
Hard and slippery, glazed or see-through surface, bulletproof |
| Variable Conditions |
No primary surface (70% or more) can be determined; a range of surfaces
can be found |
| Wet Snow |
Powder snow which has become moist and heavy due to a thaw, or rainfall,
or moist fallen snow |