 Poster: A snowHead
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With the cannon being fired up across lots of resorts this weekend I wondered whether there is much difference in experience between skiing on artificial snow and natural snow?
I have not knowingly skied on artificial snow and have never been to a snow dome.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Get your edges tuned would be my advice - it's not as grippy IME.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Generally it is harder snow, so sharp skis, as TTT said, is a good start. Perhaps more important, make some changes to your technique to give you more control, either by finding more grip through more edge and pressure, or slow down and make your turns more skiddy to make sure you can keep on turning.
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it can be horrible, or not bad. I think it depends on temperature and traffic and a number of different things.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@TTT and @rob@rar, thanks. I'm off to Norway so hopefully most of the snow will be natural. Just wondered what the key differences were.
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Sound advice from @rob@rar, as ever. I try to be softer, more progressive and not rush the turns to give the skis more chance to grip as you should anyway so good for technique or I might just be lazy and head for the more forgiving higher natural snow.
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My own experience of man made is that when it is freshly prepared it provides an excellent surface firm but with grip, however the more it is skied in the course of a day the high water content means it gets harder and edge control becomes far more testing. Sharp edges are invaluable and the above advice is sensible.
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I've mentioned this before, the best piste snow, all things considered, is a mixture of cannoned and natural. An Italian Instructor went to great lengths to explain this to me once. 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Mollerski, best for what?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Mollerski wrote: |
| I've mentioned this before, the best piste snow, all things considered, is a mixture of cannoned and natural. An Italian Instructor went to great lengths to explain this to me once. |
The best thing is whatever is beneath your planks that lets you ski.
The more varied conditions and types of surface you get to ski on the better more rounded skier you will be.
If you find yourself struggling be it on artificial snow, hardpack or even plastic look on it as an opportunity to improve, and be thankful you have a surface to ski on.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@speed098, I think it is possible for us to be in total agreement on some things 
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Mollerski, best for what? |
Fall Line Skiing recently posted an article from Graham Bell, who claimed that artificial snow is by fart he best for race courses...
Personally I hate the stuff! It feels like you're skiing on cardboard!
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Mollerski, as @clarky999, suggests, I could see it being best for racing. F'rinstane. BUt it certainly doesn't make for the most pleasant piste surface.
I could also see it being best for lasting the season, or through a rain storm.
Hence my entirely reasonable question.
Personally, I think the best piste is about 5-10cms of powder (we are talking on-piste here) on a firm base.
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Poster: A snowHead
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[quote="under a new name
Personally, I think the best piste is about 5-10cms of powder (we are talking on-piste here) on a firm base.[/quote]
A base of ice keeps the snow surface. The piste basher will mix and lay the nat/arti snow combination together and produce corduroy.
The mix gives good wearing properties with decent grip and predictable skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Mollerski, I don't see the need for artificial snow then. Old piste with fresh snow will be remarkably similar.
Anyway, you mean, best from the resorts point of view: compromise between skiability and ruggedness.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Any snow will do me now.
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| under a new name wrote: |
| @Mollerski, compromise between skiability and ruggedness. |
In a sentence, yes.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I'd be happy with anything other than grass right now!!
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@Mollerski, ok, fair enough. Best for that though is nowhere near best in my book. But I am not trying to keep things running, no matter the weathter, past the vacances scolaires.
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This depends massively on what the operator are trying do with their snowmaking: if it's low altitude and therefor potential thawing later in the season is the issue they're addressing, they will lay down very wet snow which will then freeze and be extremely firm. If it's high altitude and their snowmaking primarily to get the season going, they're likely to lay down drier fluffier stuff which is actually very nice to ski on in my opinion.
We skied in Zermatt the week before Christmas last week. The majority of what we skied on that week was artificial snow. Particularly on the runs above 2000m (the majority in Zermatt) the snow was what felt like windblown powder: soft, grippy and of phenomenal depth.
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FAQ
