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Article Excerpt
LEBANON, N.H., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Latest Skiing Conditions Information as Supplied by SnoCountry Mountain Reports as of Saturday, Feb 19 2005, 6:31:10 PM EST. Snow conditions for resorts nationwide are available online through PR Newswire on CompuServe. To access, merely type, GO ENS (Executive News Service). From there you access PR Newswire which carries the full national report from SnoCountry Reports each day.
SNOW CONDITION DEFINITIONS & TERMS
This glossary of terms is used by all ski areas when they report to SCR. The code allows for communication with skiers in a universal language.
NOTE: The standard abbreviations next to each definition reflect the way ski reports are communicated in print (newspapers).
New Snow: Natural snowfall which has fallen in the past 24 hours or continuously for more than one day. An average accumulation from summit to base is reported.
Average Base Depth: An average of the high and low amounts of snow over the entire ski area. Machine made and natural snow amounts are combined.
Primary Surface Condition: The type of snow condition which covers at least 70 percent of the terrain open to skiers.
Secondary Surface Condition: The next most prevalent snow conditions, covering at least 20% of the skiing terrain open to skiers.
Powder-PDR: Cold, new, loose, fluffy, flaky and dry snow which has not been compacted.
Packed Powder-PP: Powder snow, either natural or machine made, that has been packed down by skier traffic or grooming machines. The snow is no longer fluffy, but is not so extremely compacted that it is hard.
Hard Pack-HP: When natural or machine made snow becomes very firmly packed. The snow has never melted and re-crystallized, but it's been tightly compressed through grooming and continuous wind exposure. You can plant a pole in hard packed snow, but it takes more effort than packed powder.
Machine Groomed Snow-MGS: Loose granular snow that has been repeatedly groomed by power tillers so that the texture is halfway between LSGR & PP. Some of the snow is granular & has been so pulverized that the crystals are like powder sugar. It's neither LSGR or PP.
Wet Snow-WETSN: Powder or packed powder snow that has become moist due to a thaw or rainfall, or snow which was moist when it fell.
Wet packed Snow-WPS: Natural or machine made snow that has been previously packed and becomes wet usually because of rainfall.
Loose Granular-LSGR: This surface results after powder or packed powder thaws, then refreezes and recrystalizes, or from an accumulation of sleet. This is also created by machine grooming of frozen or icy snow.
Frozen Granular-FRGR: This is undoubtedly the most misunderstood surface condition in ski reporting. It is defined as a hard surface of old snow formed by granules freezing together after rain or warm temperatures. Frozen granular will support a ski pole stuck into its surface while ice will chip away and not support a pole.
Wet Granular-WETGR: Loose or frozen granular snow which becomes wet after rainfall or high temperatures.
Icy-ICE: Not to be confused with frozen granular, ice is a hard, glazed surface created either by freezing rain, ground water seeping up into the snow and freezing or by the rapid freezing of snow saturated with water from rain or melting. Ice will chip away and not support a ski pole when stuck into it.
Variable Conditions-VC: When no primary surface (70%) can be determined, variable conditions describe a range of surfaces that a skier may encounter. Parts of trails can be Loose Granular, partly Packed Powder, and parts Frozen Granular, for example.
Corn Snow-CORN: Usually found in the spring, Corn Snow is characterized by large, loose granules during the day, which freeze together at night, then warm up again and loosen during the day.
Spring Conditions-SC: This is the spring version of Variable Conditions. It is used when no one surface can describe 70% or more of the terrain open for skiers.
Windblown Snow-WBLN: Powder or granular snow which has been blown by wind into forming a base.
Alpine Skiing/Riding conditions are subject to change due to weather, skier traffic and other factors. Be aware of changing conditions
NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT Mohawk Mountain - Sat 4:00p loose granular machine groomed 30 - 40 base 21 trails, 98% open, 6 lifts Mt Southington - Fri 8:30p loose granular machine groomed 34 - 44 base 13 trails, 95% open, 7 lifts Powder Ridge - Fri 9:39p packed powder machine groomed 48 - 62 base 15 trails, 79% open, 5 lifts Ski Sundown - Fri 9:00p packed powder machine groomed 34 - 44 base 15 trails, 100% open, 4 lifts Woodbury - Fri 11:20p packed powder machine groomed 25 - 60 base 13 trails, 87% open, 5 lifts MAINE Big Rock - Fri 3:00p packed powder machine groomed 12 - 24 base 22 trails, 96% open, 3 lifts Big Squaw - Sat 3:02a packed powder machine groomed 12 - 46 base 12 trails, 39% open, 1 lift Camden Snow Bowl - Sat 2:25p frozen granular machine groomed 18 - 30 base 8 trails, 80% open, 1 lift Lost Valley - Fri 9:17p packed powder machine groomed 20 - 30 base 15 trails, 83% open, 2 lifts Mt Abram - Sat 4:00p packed powder machine groomed 42 - 50 base 43 trails, 98% open, 5 lifts Mt Jefferson - Sat 6:50a hard packed machine groomed 8 - 12 base 10 trails, 100% open, 3 lifts New Hermon - Fri 10:02p packed powder machine groomed 36 - 48 base 20 trails, 100% open, 3 lifts Saddleback - Fri 9:30p packed powder machine groomed 14 - 56 base 50 trails, 132 acres, 100% open, 5 lifts Shawnee Peak - Sat 5:30p packed powder machine groomed 42 - 60 base 40 trails, 225 acres, 95% open, 5 lifts Sugarloaf/USA - Sat 4:00p packed powder machine groomed 24 - 72 base 125 trails, 54 miles, 623 acres, 95% open, 14 lifts Sunday River - Sat 4:20p packed powder machine groomed 26 - 52 base 126 trails, 48 miles, 642 acres, 99% open, 18 lifts MASSACHUSETTS Berkshire East - Sat 6:00p packed powder machine groomed 15 - 60 base 35 trails, 85% open, 5 lifts Blandford - Fri 4:30p loose granular machine groomed 4 - 12 base 12 trails, 55% open, 3 lifts Blue Hills - Sat 8:00a packed powder machine groomed 12 - 50 base 4 trails, 80% open, 3 lifts Bradford - Sat 9:25a loose granular machine groomed 12 - 28 base 13 trails, 100% open, 7 lifts Catamount - Sat 5:12p packed powder machine groomed 15 - 50 base 30 trails, 115 acres, 95% open, 4 lifts Jiminy Peak - Sat 7:30a packed powder machine groomed 15 - 65 base 40 trails, 13 miles, 165 acres, 95% open, 8 lifts Nashoba Valley - Sat 8:30a packed powder machine groomed 26 - 46 base 17 trails, 100% open, 9 lifts Otis Ridge - Fri 9:20p loose granular machine groomed 18 - 50 base 10 trails, 90% open, 2 lifts Ski Butternut - Sat 3:00p loose granular machine groomed 17 - 39 base 22 trails, 14 miles, 110 acres, 100% open, 10 lifts Ski Ward Ski Area - Sat 5:25p variable 30 - 40 base 7 trails, 100% open, 4 lifts Wachusett Mountain - Sat 2:50p packed powder machine groomed 40 - 66 base 21 trails, 95% open, 7 lifts NEW HAMPSHIRE Arrowhead - Fri 5:00p frozen granular machine groomed 3 - 5 base 1 trail 7 acres, 40% open, 1 lift Attitash - Sat 4:00p loose granular machine groomed 24 - 60 base 70 trails, 22 miles, 100% open, 12 lifts Balsams/Wilderness - Sat 1:30a 2 - 4 new packed powder machine groomed 30 - 36 base 16 trails, 100% open, 3 lifts Black Mountain - Sat 5:20p packed powder machine groomed 24 - 36 base 40 trails, 100% open, 4 lifts Bretton Woods - Sat 4:00p 2 new packed powder machine groomed 16 - 75 base 90 trails, 31 miles, 425 acres, 89% open, 9 lifts Cannon Mountain - Sat 3:47p 1 new packed powder machine groomed 24 - 36 base 51 trails, 93% open, 7 lifts Feb 20: 9 lifts, Cog Railway Ski Trains - Fri 4:50p packed powder machine groomed 36 - 84 base 2 trails, 1 mile , 12 acres, 100% open, 1 lift Cranmore - Sat 6:54a loose granular machine groomed 20 - 42 base 34 trails, 82% open, 9 lifts Crotched Mountain - Sat 9:00a loose granular machine groomed 24 - 42 base 17 trails, 100% open, 5 lifts Dartmouth Skiway - Sat 4:40p packed powder machine groomed 12 - 20 base 26 trails, 87% open, 3 lifts Granite Gorge - Sat 10:30a loose granular machine groomed 18 - 36 base 3 trails, 100% open, 2 lifts Gunstock - Sat 5:38a loose granular machine groomed 12 - 28 base 49 trails, 96% open, 6 lifts King Pine - Fri 11:00p loose granular machine groomed 34 - 52 base 16 trails, 100% open, 5 lifts...
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