THE BASE IS IN PLACE

Our sack of joy is positively bulging right now, because we’re in Mayrhofen checking out some new venues for SB:11. There’s about a meter of fresh powder on the slopes and just like every good warehouse party, the base is in place.

Ever wondered why the snow doesn’t melt in resorts? Let’s begin with the basics: the earth is warm and the snow is cold. Gradually the warm ground will melt any snow. Even on glaciers, the summer melt happens as a result of heat being radiated from the earth rather than the sun.

Ski areas are keen to reduce or delay this inevitable melt and so, create a base layer of snow. This is tightly packed down, producing an insulation effect (protecting future snowfalls from the warming effect of the earth).

In recent years, the widespread use of snow making technology has really helped this process. From late November onwards, snow cannons work through the night (when the temperature is at its coldest), this fresh snow is then pisted which forms the base.

The base is key to anyone thinking of skiing/boarding in late season, as this is when the ground begins to heat up. So even if there are few fresh dumps of snow in late March/early April, the base prevents it from melting too quickly.

Mayrhofen is known for late season snowfalls, and in the 7 years Snowbombing has taken place, there has always been enough snow and 100% of runs have remained open.

According to those ‘in the know’, this year’s base building went very well, with snow making commencing in early November and snow making continuing alongside some huge early winter dumps.

So you can book your Snowbombing safe in the knowledge that the base is in place!