By Edward R. LaChapelle
The outside of fallen snow―its contours and texture―can inform the observer a lot concerning the forces that formed it and approximately its balance and what it really is more likely to do. Will it's strong for snowboarding or for packing as a snowball? Will it slide? Is it dangerous?
Secrets of the Snow is an summary of the simply seen features of snow within the alpine mountain panorama, serving as a better half quantity to the author’s Field consultant to Snow Crystals, which examines snow on the microscopic point. Describing visible snow good points and textures bobbing up from weather, wind-drift, layering, sunlight radiation, and melting, Secrets of the Snow explains how snow could be "read" for info on avalanche formation and suitability for iciness sports.
Closely associated images and textual content illustrate the shapes, kinds, and textures discovered on the floor of iciness snow covers; describe their origins in wind and climatic conditions; and consultant the reader in analyzing those good points to foretell snow habit. Secrets of the Snow is key for iciness activities fans, mountaineers, and avalanche-safety experts.
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Additional resources for Secrets of the snow: visual clues to avalanche and ski conditions
Sample text
Such skiing is photographically spectacular, with large rooster tails of snow dust, but does not provide the optimum sensation to the skier. The best skiing is found in a new surface snow layer with a density gradient increasing from top to bottom. In order to provide the best flotation, the lower layers should reach a density around 150 kg/m3 while still retaining very low ski resistance. This usually occurs when a snowstorm begins with a significant coating of rime on the falling snow crystals.
More noteworthy here is the faint evidence of old ski tracks under the blanket of new snow. Soft Avalanche-Related Features 49 38 Wasatch Mountains, Utah slab avalanches in new snow seldom occur on slopes where old ski tracks in the previous snow surface can still be recognized. The old surface broken by ski tracks does not form a good sliding surface and the new snow usually is too shallow to form avalanches internally. 50 Avalanche-Related Features 39 Wasatch Mountains, Utah Breakable crust is the skier’s bane, but fracturing or cracking of the snow cover is a feature critical for recognizing slab avalanche development.
On conifers, the new snow accumulation often connects with snow canopies on the lower branches. As the new snow settles, a crack can form between snow cover and canopy (fig. 33b). Such signs of settlement are evidence of increasing stability within the new snow. Other Snow-Surface Features 45 Avalanche-Related Features Returning to a wider view of surface features, one of the commonest of all is new snow sluffing on steep slopes, typically above 35 degrees. In figure 34 a benched hillside has produced dry, new snow sluffs on the steep faces of the benches.