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You probably already know that you ought to check ski weather report before you head for the skiing slopes, but unless you are very into your particular brand of winter sports, you might not be fully aware of what the different types of snow that these weather reports mention actually mean. As knowing what you will be skiing on facilitates general preparedness, if nothing else, we will hereby provide a brief overview of the different types of snow that you might have to cope with. Rather than simply listing them one by one, we have grouped them into the categories good skiing snow and poor skiing snow for simplicity. Powder - Powder snow is a light and very soft layer of freshly fallen snow. It is ideal for skiing and snowboarding. Loose Granular Snow - Loose granular snow is a layer of small, loose snow pellets. While it can occur naturally, it tends to be a result of grooming wet or icy snow to make it suited to skiing. Frozen Granular Snow - Frozen granular snow is snow pellets that have frozen, creating something that resembles sugar in form. While it is definitely skiable, it is not as great as the aforementioned snow types. Crust - Crust snow is snow with a layer of hard, frozen crust on the top. This tends to result from either frozen rain or the thawing and refreezing of the top layer of the snow. Unless the crust is hard enough, your skis are likely to break through and get stuck in the underlying layer. Corn Snow - Corn snow is wet and granular snow that occurs in the spring from cycles of freezing at night and thawing during the day. Sloppy and heavy, it tends to be unsuitable for skiing. Slush - Slush is snow that has begun to melt. It is wetter and heavier than corn snow and therefore even more difficult to ski in. Wet Granular Snow - Wet granular snow is snow granules that have started to thaw. It is great for snowballs and snow sculptures, but it is almost as bad as slush or corn snow for winter sports. Other Types of Snow - Note that there are many more kinds of snow out there, and that while the above types are the ones you are most likely to encounter, it does not hurt to learn more about the other types as well. On top of that you might want to consider looking up the effects that each have on your skiing. SnowSkool offer ski instructor courses and snowboard instructor courses
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