Snow Depths

Iceman wrote: Beep, how do you find these facts??

I've lived in the Alps for over 20 years, in which time I've managed to collect fair bit of skiing related information. The info about the SNOWsat System came from an article in the local paper.

This is where snow depth is measured on my local hill, a nice shady spot in a bit of a hollow sheltered by two containers and the PistenBully garage.

SwingBeep wrote:


This is where snow depth is measured on my local hill, a nice shady spot in a bit of a hollow sheltered by two containers and the PistenBully garage.

:shock: :shock:

Ooo, no snow for you yet then? No wonder it's such a short stick! :twisted:

Looks very High Tech :D

Iceman wrote:This is interesting stuff. What is eddy current effect? I am going to seem so knowledgeable when I start this discussion while I am away!

Eddy current occurs when the snow is wind driven, over an obstacle, (trees, rock, small hill, crest) and a partial vacuum is created behind the obstacle.

Sometimes you get to see it, the snow is roaring over the obstacle, and then curves down and backwards into filling the vacuum.

In Scottish resorts they erect snow fences, and the snow is held captive in the low pressure areas behind the fences.

It's one reason that the best powder is always found right beside the treeline, on the lee side.

Dave Mac wrote:It's one reason that the best powder is always found right beside the treeline, on the lee side.

It's also the cause of wind-slab, on the lee side of ridges.

Huge amounts of snow can accumulate quickly in such slabs, and is laid down in discontinuous layers as the wind swirls from one direction to the next... the combination of which is extremely unstable and a common source of avalanche. :shock:

Who cares how 2m of snow is measured? Just get out there!

Admin wrote:

Dave Mac wrote:It's one reason that the best powder is always found right beside the treeline, on the lee side.

It's also the cause of wind-slab, on the lee side of ridges.

Huge amounts of snow can accumulate quickly in such slabs, and is laid down in discontinuous layers as the wind swirls from one direction to the next... the combination of which is extremely unstable and a common source of avalanche. :shock:

Good reason to ski beside trees, and avoid ridges!

Anyway, who was it that first told me this? (Not the eddy current effect, the tree lee-side light powder deposition) Couldn't have been....... you admin?

Dave Mac wrote:Anyway, who was it that first told me this? (Not the eddy current effect, the tree lee-side light powder deposition) Couldn't have been....... you admin?

Nah, I think you told me... I dismissed it as just an excuse to poach my lines... :lol: