SPRINGTIME IS THE RIGHT TIME TO REAP THE OTHER HERO SNOW BY BRENNAN METZLER
pringtime brings warmth and sunshine to the mountains – causing goggle tans to sharpen, t-shirts and hoodies to replace coats, and the winter snowpack to transform. It’s a season of fi rm- and-fast mornings, sun-softened middays, and sloppy, slushy afternoons. By understanding a bit more about the mechanics of the corn-snow cycle and applying a few soft-snow tactics to the learning environment, you’ll help maximize your students’ springtime sliding experience.
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CORN SNOW DEFINED According to Aaron Parmet, a professional member of the American Avalanche Association, “Corn snow consists of clusters of round melt forms that grow large through multiple melt-freeze cycles.” In other words, during typical periods of springtime weather (warm days and cold nights), existing forms of snow get transformed into larger, rounded granules – hence the term “corn.” As the snowpack warms during the day, meltwater begins to move through the granules, producing the coveted creamy surface that corn harvesters crave. True corn is the product of those melt-freeze cycles working their
magic on undisturbed slopes (say, in the backcountry). It rarely exists within ski area boundaries because skier/snowboarder activity and grooming interferes with the maturation process of those larger, velvet- like snow crystals. T at said, many people think of wet, spring snow as corn so this article uses the term rather loosely for simplicity’s sake.
BEST PRACTICES FOR SPRINGTIME SNOW Developing solid riding skills on a decidedly less-than-solid surface relies on three things: timing, technical approach, and tactical choices. 1. Timing: Few conditions are as technically and tactically demanding as refrozen spring snow. Save your guest, and yourself, from the adversity of navigating locked-up crusts and frozen ruts by learning the melt-freeze cycle at your resort. Diff erent aspects and elevations soften at diff erent times during the day. In general, lower-elevation and east-facing slopes soften
fi rst, followed by southern and mid- elevation runs. T e highest and most northerly facing pistes soften last. With a bit
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of intent and planning, it’s possible to ride for most of the day in the ideal zone of spring snow – not too fi rm, not too sloppy.
2. Technical approach: Help students rip corn and other wet spring snow types by encouraging progressive and patient movements (intentional management of timing, intensity, and duration). Whether your class is carving a softening groomer, exploring a sunny steep, or moving through corned-up bumps, the forgiving spring surface provides an element of speed control, so there’s less need to move rapidly into or out of a turn. Challenge your students to use effi cient and smooth movements to help them get hooked on the ease of riding corn snow.
3. Tactical choices: Go with gravity! Corn and other wet snow have a relatively higher degree of resistance (compared to fi rmer or packed conditions), which lets riders extend the free- fl oating sensation of releasing an edge into a turn without the consequence of gaining as much speed in the fall line. Challenge students to “fi nd the fl at” as they move their center of mass across their snowboards, and to enjoy the experience of accelerating with gravity. T is carefree and patient edge release will bolster students’ confi dence, as they play with the very mechanism that often produces fear in snowsports (gravity!)
DEVELOP NEW CRAVING FOR CORN-SNOW EXPERIENCE By thoughtfully managing terrain selection during melt-freeze cycles at your home mountain, and applying some simple timing, technical, and tactical concepts, you’ll set the stage for your students to experience the freeing sensations of shredding soft springtime snow. You'll also enable them to extend their abilities and confi dence around the mountain. While your students may still crave the cold, deep snows of a wintery powder day, you'll be helping them develop the skills to enjoy the spring snow they’ll experience until winter comes around again.
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28 | 32 DEGREES • SPRING 2017
Brennan Metzler is a member of the AASI Snowboard Team, an obsessive springtime splitboarder, and a freestyle coach with Method for Life Snowboard Academy and Woodward Copper. Instagram: @brmetzy
BRENNAN METZLER
BRENNAN METZLER
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