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SKIDOME Exclusive TRAIL CONDITIONS RATING GUIDE ®©2001-2008
Mid Atlantic Area Including: Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia. The rating has three main criteria Rate your own. SNOW QUALITY(SQ) Subjective, PERCENT TRAILS OPEN(T), BASE DEPTH(B) Objective - Comes from the resort Rate each three, the higher the number the better SNOW QUALITY- Takes into account the snow crystal size from small to large corn snow. Grooming is also added to this criteria. Subjective / objective. See NSAA rating below. A(4) - Perfect small crystal size, all runs groomed, really nice. PP PS B(3) - Good crystal, good grooming PS C(2) - Corn Snow big clumped crystals, grooming but many irregular moguls, or chunks left from grooming too fast. Early base snow. Too much ice. loose granular. Frozen granular D(1)- Crud, heavy crystals, grooming none or very little. Early base or solid ice.
PERCENT TRAILS OPEN-Divide the total number of trials by total number open. A(4) - 90% or greater open B(3) - 70 to 90 % open C(2) - 50 to 70 % open D(1) - less than 50%
BASE DEPTH-How many inches of base. A(4) - 25 inches or greater B(3) - >15 < 25 inches C(2) - 8 to 15 inches D(1) - less than 8 inches. .rock and stick skiing or EGO SNOW
Even a 'C' Rating can be fun. It is usually a 'C' rating in the early and late season. less trails open and less base. Still fun. NSAA - Rating Average Base – “Average Base” is the depth of compacted snow covering of the slope area. As a general rule any base report of 8” or more is adequate for good coverage. Surface Conditions – Surface conditions are usually reported as they are at the time the report is updated. However, surface conditions may change throughout the day due to use and changing weather. Most areas groom their slopes every night. Machine Groomed MG– refers to the loosely packed corduroy that the power tiller provides after grooming. Powder P– Fluffy dry snow that has not been compacted. It is most unusual to get one or two days of powder from Mother Nature in a season. When weather is very cold, snow guns also can produce powder conditions. Packed Powder PP- Natural or man-made snow, packed by skier or grooming traffic. Snow is no longer fluffy, but it is not so compacted that it is hard. Loose Granular LG- Powder or packed powder that has thawed then refrozen and then machine groomed. Frozen Granular FG– Hard surface of old snow formed by granular freezing together after rain and warm weather. Wet Granular – WG Loose granular snow that has been subjected to warm temperatures and/or rain. Hard Pack - HP Firmly packed snow that has never melted and re-crystallized. It is compressed through grooming and wind exposure. Can still plant a pole. Wet Snow – WS Powder that has become moist due to thaw or rain, or snow that was moist as it fell. Wet Packed Snow – WPS Snow that has been previously packed and became wet usually because of rain. Icy – Hard glazed surface created either by freezing rain or by rapid freezing of snow saturated with water from rain or melting. Spring Conditions – SG Wet granular conditions during day changing at sundown to frozen granular conditions. NOTE – After an extended cold spell with snowmaking adding to the base, skiing can be very good even if the temperatures climb into the 40’s and 50’s during the day. The key during these times is an adequate base. Also, a report that contains the wording “icy spot” should not be regarded as a clear indication that skiing is likely to be poor. Some of the best days may be accompanied by icy spots . CASE STUDY: December 07, 2008 Liberty Mtn. SQ(3) B PP,MG T(2.5) C+ 50% B(3) B 15+ total 8.5 out of 12 pts. B- March 06, 2008 Liberty Mtn. Snow Quality C+ 2.5 loose granular Trails Open A+ 4 95% + open Base A+ 4 25 + inches Total = 10.5 A
March 6, 2008 Roundtop Snow Quality C+ 2.5 loose granular Trails Open A+ 4 100% + open Base A+ 4 20-40 + inches Total = 10.5 A December 25, 2001 Blue Knob PA- Snow Quality - C+ snow quality was really good the grooming left a lot to be desired. chunks here and there Rate C+ 2.5 Trails Open - really 3. still only a D. 1 BASE- from rock to twig to 8 inches. D 1 Total Points = 4.5 out of a possible 12 C - rating for the day. That is not to say I had a great time.
December 26, 2001 SQ= They groom and have new groomers. Snow quality rates good. Temps really good for snowmaking. B 3 Trails= D 1 only limited 2 to 4 trails BASE= C 2 growing base but less likely to find dirt and rocks. Total = 6. C+ rating Look at that in one day the rating went 1.5 points |
