How Weather Influences Smart Mogul Skiing Tactics

Weather conditions have an important influence on mogul skiing tactics, terrain selection decisions and how you approach a mogul run.

How The Sun Impacts The Snow On Mogul Terrain

The sun has a impact on mogul terrain, particularly in the spring. During the day the sun will heat up and soften the snow. At night, if temperatures drop below freezing, the snow that has softened will re-freeze.

If the sky is clear during the day temperatures will be warmer and the snow will be softer. If the sky is clear at night then radiational cooling will make the temperature colder and increase the likelihood  of the snow re-freezing.

If the sky is cloudy during the day the snow will not warm up as much and if the sky is cloudy at night  then there will be less likelihood of lower temperatures because of less radiational cooling.

How The Terrain Aspect Impacts How And When You Ski Mogul Terrain 

The degree to which snow softens during the day depends upon the direction the ski run faces.

North facing runs will have the least amount of direct sun and will be less likely to soften. South facing runs will receive the most amount of direct sun and will be more likely to soften. East facing runs will receive early morning sun and be more likely to soften early in the day and begin to re-freeze in the afternoon. West facing runs will be most likely to remain hard in the morning because they have not yet received the sun and soften later in the day as the afternoon sun begins to warm the snow.

How Low Visibility Impacts How And When You Ski Mogul Terrain

Low visibility from whiteout conditions, low clouds or flat light makes it difficult to see variations in the terrain which, in turn, will increase your anxiety. To offset these conditions select mogul runs that are adjacent to trees. By skiing on the side of a mogul run next to a tree line you will have much more shadow detail and terrain definition than if you are skiing in the middle of the run. If visibility is low avoid skiing in wide open mogul terrain.