Let it snow!

Produced during extremely cold temperatures, and has such a sharp, granular texture it becomes very difficult to ski or walk across.

A very dry, fluffy snow that usually begins to fall during calm periods in the weather and extreme cold snaps. If the wind picks up, dangerous whiteouts can occur.

WIND-PACKED SNOW

The fallen (and accumulated) snow has been heavily compacted by strong winds. The pressure of the blowing wind causes a “coldheat” hardening effect, which creates an excellent surface to walk on without breaking through. It’s also one of the best materials to

Most common in early spring when changing temperatures continually thaw and freeze the accumulated snow. The texture is grainy and is more of a layer of ice crystals, separated by air space than actual snow. It’s sticky to ski across and very difficult to walk on without falling

through.

A dangerous circumstance caused by snow repeatedly melting and

freezing on the upper layer (common on the south side of a hill), which in turn causes water to seep through to the lower layer. With the top layer acting as an insulator, the water on the bottom never freezes. The problem is, the snow may look safe to walk across, but it will collapse when

GP_Demsis_OttawaOutdoors.pdf 1 22/11/12 3:15 PMmake igloo blocks. you least expect it.

This is snow that has absorbed water from below. It can be spotted where the snow surface has a slight depression with areas dark blue in colour. Avoid such areas when crossing lakes and especially rivers — it’s a good indicator there’s a hole in the ice below.

DID YOU KNOW? Greenbelt goes white

The National Capital Greenbelt has more than 150 kilometres of crosscountry ski trails through green space, farms, forests and wetlands. Begun in the 1950s, its purpose was to protect the rural land bordering the Capital from haphazard urban sprawl. Today it’s the largest publicly owned greenbelt in the world. Most of it (14,950 hectares) is owned and managed by the National Capital Commission.

Over 250 km of the best cross-country ski trails are just minutes away! And there’s a discount on season ski passes until December 15. I’ve got my pass. Have you got yours?

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