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Powder Alert:
SnowSource Powder Alerts are somewhat of a judgment
call. A minimum of
6" of fresh powder is required at all
elevations; more if bases are hard-packed or icy
underneath or if the new snow is windblown, heavily
drifted, etc. Powder Alerts are issued
when the appropriate conditions have already materialized or
are very likely. They are not issued if the new snow is dense, wet
or
crusty, even if it's deep. |
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Powder Watch:
Conditions are favorable for
Powder Alert conditions to develop, but it's not a sure bet. |
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New
England Mix:
Typical "between storms"
snow conditions. Varying amounts of soft packed, hard packed
and granular snow along with some icy spots. The "mix" can
also include powder or loose snow
(especially on trail edges and in glades) and/or stretches
of fresh machine-made snow. This is the most common snow
condition in New England. It is frequently called "packed
powder" in official ski reports. |
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SnowSource ratings:
Except after a big snowstorm, you are likely
to encounter a wide range of snow conditions on any given day in New England.
On Today's
SnowMap, we highlight the primary snow conditions, distinguishing among
natural snow trails, snowmaking trails and glades when there are significant differences.
We rate snow conditions on a scale from Marginal to Fair to
Good to Excellent to Epic. We use "Epic" and "Excellent" sparingly, saving it for
days when it really is that good.
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Skiable terrain:
We do not consider a trail to be open and "skiable" unless a
majority of skiers and riders with skills equal to or
greater than its difficulty rating can reasonably be expected
to handle it. |
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A
note
about grooming:
We never use the term "machined
groomed" in our reports since many trails are routinely
groomed on a daily basis regardless of weather or
snow conditions. However, we sometimes use the term "loose granular"
to help distinguish among various types of icy
surfaces. Note: "Machine groomed" in official ski
reports is often a code word for
downright icy. |
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Wind-hold
Alert:
Widespread lift closings are likely. Wind-hold Alerts do not cover the
scattered lift closings that occur on an almost daily basis. |
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Frostbite
Alert:
Extreme cold at all elevations. We assume that SnowSource skiers and riders can tolerate
very cold and windy conditions and do not issue Frostbite Alerts very often.
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Bad
Weather Alert:
Part of the challenge of skiing and snowboarding is
roughing it in bad weather. However, if it's going to be
particularly bad, such as heavy rain or a severe ice
storm, we'll issue a Bad Weather Alert. |
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