Mammoth, May 23-25, 2009

snowboard247":1mzb9iqo said:
lots of terrain is starting to sun cup now, as experienced today.
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Can someone explain sun cupping and why it is bad? I've gathered that it happens to old snow after multiple freeze/thaw cycles? It's referenced frequently and I'd like to know. :-D

Hey for once I did try the search function.

http://www.vimeo.com/5581533
 
Sun cups are a product of the sun's strong rays, so their development is more pronounced in late spring and summer. In essence the heat of the sun melts the surface of the snow. That little bit of water develops small pools that eat the snow faster under the pools. It then firms up when the sun goes down and starts all over again the next day. After a while it begins to resemble the dimpled skin of a golf ball. The ridges between the cups never seem to soften sufficiently, so you're left with an incredibly rough surface upon which very little ski is in contact with snow at any time.

Sun cups suck.

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Thank you.

Once a slope is sun cupped...does it stay that way if it doesn't get new snow?
 
Harvey44":1ximhqud said:
Thank you.

Once a slope is sun cupped...does it stay that way if it doesn't get new snow?
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Not always, but it tends to because the sun just gets stronger each day.
 
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