Snow Science
Preparing for a major ski race requires a good understanding of snow and how it behaves under different weather conditions. The objective of every race organizer is to prepare a track that will withstand the passage of dozens of ski racers with a minimum of break-down and formation few ruts and chatters.
The density of the snow surface is a key factor as well as the depth to which high-density snow persists. Long before race day, downhill tracks are machine-groomed regularly to "knock the air out" of the snow and to compress it to as great a depth as possible. Course workers constantly side-slip and/or boot-pack the track to help compress the snow and smooth the surface, or to remove unwanted loose snow.
"Waterbars" are used to inject water into the track in high-wear areas to form cones of ice that can be so hard they are known to damage ski bases. Please click for the following .pdf document.
Steinbach Water Injection: Selection of the Proper Water Volume
At relatively warm temperatures, chemical fertilizers are sometimes used to help harden the track surface. The use of fertilizer is highly technical and can have long-lasting detrimental effect , as well as environmental impacts if improperly used. Course workers should never apply fertilizer without express instruction from the Chief of Course. If in doubt, ask! Incorrectly applied "fert" can cause a race to be lost!
Snow science is far too broad and technical a topic for these pages. However, we are pleased to offer to those interested a PowerPoint presentation used by the FIS for training their Technical Delegates (TD's)
Preparation of alpine ski pistes
This 3.5MB Power Point presentation cannot be hosted on our server. Anyone wishing a copy may request one by emailing "training at weaselworkers.com" (replace the " at " with "@")
