8 Reasons Why Spring Is the Best Time of Year to Ski

Clay Malott |
spring,
Spring skiing… nothing else like it! Photo credit: LA Times

When thinking about skiing, the first season that comes to mind is winter. Winter, of course, is the peak of the ski season. Everyone knows that skiing exists in the spring, but people don’t understand how spectacular spring skiing truly is. Here are the top eight reasons why spring skiing is the best time of year to ski.

#1: CORN

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Hero snow (corn) is SPECIAL. Photo credit: Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows

Corn is practically the holy grail of skiing. Corn snow is powder’s elusive counterpart, which makes skiing it all the sweeter. Corn forms during consistent melt-freeze cycles in the late spring and can persist from late March at lower elevations until July up in the alpine. Anyone who has skied corn knows the delicious playfulness that it provides. Corn snow alone is enough for me, much less the other items on the list!

#2: Longer days = more skiing

More daylight means more laps! Photo credit: Robb Report

In early April, there are almost 3.5 more hours of daylight than in December. What does this mean? Many resorts regularly shut at 3:30 pm in the winter, but in the spring sometimes stay open until as late as 5 pm. The longer the lifts are spinning, the more skiing we can get!



#3: Sunny days

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Photo credit: Moving Mountains

Spring usually means warming temperatures and sunny skies. The sun fuels the infamous spring skiing atmosphere (almost summer-like!) that us skiers know and love.

#4: Pond skimming

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Pond skimming: a staple of spring skiing. Photo credit: JSP Broadcast

Nothing beats watching hopeful skimmers faceplant into 35-degree water on a sunny day. Need I say more?



#5: Coverage

Springtime offers the best coverage of the year. Photo credit: Wikipedia

In late March and April, before the snow begins to significantly melt, most ski resorts boast their biggest snowpacks of the season so far. More snow coverage means fewer core shots in the skis and more chutes opened up.

#6: Skiing in T-shirts

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Spring skiing at Mammoth.

There’s nothing like skiing corn in a t-shirt (or shirtless)!



#7: The random powder dumps

June-uary, 2020. Photo credit: Clay Malott

As great as the warm, sunny weather can be, there’s nothing like a good spring powder day.

#8: Stable snowpack

Photo credit: High Mountain Guides

Low avalanche risk due to consolidated isothermal snow means steeper, more consequential ski mountaineering missions are possible.


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