(I think this is what a speech professor would call an attention grabber...)
(Can't forget that pregnant pause before you start your speech.....)
I would describe my relationship with snow like your favorite pair of jeans. In the fall, the weather starts to turn cold and you break out your jeans more and more frequently. Once winter hits, you can be seen rocking your cuffed denim nearly every other day as you walk between classes with your stylish winter boots. But when
the spring sunshine comes, you have a choice; should you continue wearing these jeans in the warming weather and risk sweaty legs or should you break up with them completely and run back to your leg-baring shorts?
For snowsports enthusiasts, this sounds oh-so-familiar. As soon as the first snow hits in the fall, skiers are out in the mountains running the risk of hitting rocks with themselves or their skis just to get those first turns in. Once there is a good base of snow, there isn't a weekend that goes by where boarders aren't surfing the pow at the closest mountain resort. But once the weather warms up in the spring, many recreationists give up on snow as a crusty, old reject that is so last season.
This is where the spring fling comes into play.
Personally, as an avid downhill/XC skier, snowshoer, and recent ski-mountaineer, the season of spring is always associated with the corn.
Corn snow is a type of "snow with a rough granular surface resulting from alternate thawing and freezing" caused by the frequent warm sun and cold nights of spring (Oxford). Once the sun hits the snow, water starts to flow through the snow crystals (as seen in the picture above) and allows the snow particles to slide past each other rather than stay frozen together. If timed perfectly, the corn snow can be "harvested" at its peak season its happy medium between ice and powder for efficient travel. This top-notch substance is one of the most underrated conditions Mother Nature has to offer!
So during our spring fling, how do we get more quality time with our non-basic (i.e. acidic), white, significant other that we love snow much? Here are some creative ways to enjoy the last bit of snow this spring quarter even if we may be locked inside for who knows how long!
Watch some free, high-caliber, ski movies on RedBull TV, Power.com, or Freeskiier.com (okay, or snowboarding videos I guess...). There are tons of great videos all over YouTube as well! (Check out Cody Townsend, you backcountry skiers won't be disappointed!)
Binge-listen to some incredible snow sports podcasts such as Totally Deep, Gear 30, Blister, Slide: The Avalanche Podcast, or Out of Bounds
Maximize your Spring Fling: If you are fortunate enough to live in a low population area that has snow near your backyard, you could go snowshoe with your family or play in the snow other ways (as long as you abide by all local regulations regarding COVID 19 and you only do low-risk activities to avoid further stressing the medical system!).
Read up on some quality snowsports content from REI, Outside Magazine, and Gear Junkie!
GET EDUCATED! If you frequently recreate in backcountry snow (even if you just snowshoe or ski in your local mountains) now is a great time to get avalanche training. It is one of the inevitable risks we all take with winter sports. AIARE Level 1 is a great place for anyone to start, but there are many other course providers that can be found here. and If If you can't afford an official course, watch this video first, and then look into the free options out there for supplemental training (KBYG, NVAA, and other free resources). By no means do these free videos make you a pro! They just help you to understand how little you actually know about snow science. This is a topic of continued education, so never stop learning!
Drool over photos from past ASWWU Outdoors Trips on SmugMug! Below are some handpicked photos from some of our favorite Winter ASWWU Events including Rail Jam, Ice Climbing and everything in between!
However you get to know snow better, just remember not to commit to a long term relationship. Summer is right around the corner where snow's hotter twin, water, and dirtier cousin, loam, will be desperate for love!
ASWWU Outdoors Event Pictures (keep scrolling to the end for bonus content!)
Know Before You Go: Intro to Avalanche Safety
(Check out our website and Instagram below for more content!)
- Grant Hartman
ASWWU Outdoors Director