There it was, on the Colorado Ski Country USA Web site - a surface conditions report that wasn't all powder or packed powder. As the temperatures rose today in the high country (it was 51 degrees in Vail at 4 p.m.), the ski report changed for what seems like the first time this season. Sure, the packed powder's still there, but it's been joined by hard-packed (at Howelsen and Winter Park) and soft-packed (at Monarch and Powderhorn).
For those of you who like to talk the talk, here are some other surface condition terms to know:
Loose granular: loose sugary snow.
Frozen granular: Frozen sugary snow, kind of chalky.
Wet granular: Soft snow wet from warm temperatures, rain or humidity.
Spring conditions: Mix of snow types from icy in the morning to slushy in the late afternoon.
Windblown: Powder or granular, blown into drifts.
Corn: Large, loose crystals that freeze at night and soften during the day.
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