Winter Sports · General · Snow and mountain science
Powder, Wet, Icy and Artificial Snow: Snow Types and How They Differ on the Slopes
The snow on the slope is not the same every day. According to the definitions of MeteoSwiss, the Swiss meteorological office, powder is fresh snow that has not yet been compacted; hard snow is snow compacted by melting and refreezing or by wind, and its most extreme form is crust; corn (spring) snow is moist snow whose surface thaws in the daytime sun, typical in spring. Artificial snow (machine-made snow, the name scientists prefer), according to the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), is much denser than natural snow (fresh natural snow averages ~100 kg/m³, dry machine-made snow ~400 kg/m³) and consists of small, round grains of 0.1–1 mm. That is why machine-made snow creates a more durable but harder slope.
Freshly fallen snow that has not yet hardened or been compacted
Soft, light, quiet
Weight evenly on both feet, soft and flowing turns
Hard snow
Snow compacted by melting and refreezing or by wind
Fast, hard, edge grip can be difficult
Sharp edges, gradual edge angle, steady speed
Crust
The most extreme form of hard snow; collapses under pressure
Holds you, then breaks; unpredictable
Avoid it or cross very carefully with wide turns
Corn (spring) snow
Relatively moist snow whose surface thaws in the daytime sun
Hard in the morning, soft and easy at midday
Start late in the morning, midday is best; gets heavy in the afternoon
Wet snow
Snow whose water content has increased in the warmth
Heavy, sticky, slow
Flowing, wide turns, keep your speed up
Machine-made (artificial) snow
Water droplets freezing in snow cannons
Dense, solid; hard and fast in the cold
Sharp edges and controlled speed
Powder
Skiers' favourite type of snow: freshly fallen snow that has not yet been compacted (see the glossary entry powder snow). According to the SLF, the density of freshly fallen natural snow is between 50 and 250 kg/m³; the average is about 100 kg/m³, meaning one cubic metre of fresh snow weighs only about 100 kilos. This lightness lets the skis sink into the snow. On marked slopes, powder is soon compacted by grooming machines or by skiers; powder off-piste, however, carries an avalanche risk; for details, see our guide Avalanche risks when skiing off-piste.
Hard snow, ice and crust
Snow hardens through melting and refreezing or through being compacted by wind. On hard snow, skis speed up and the edges grip the snow less easily; your edges need to be sharp and you need to increase the edge angle gradually rather than suddenly. Crust is the most extreme form of hard snow: according to MeteoSwiss, it collapses under pressure, meaning it can hold you for a moment and then break, which makes it one of the most difficult snow types.
Spring snow (corn snow)
In spring, snow that freezes at night thaws from the surface in the daytime sun; MeteoSwiss calls this "corn snow". Early in the morning it is hard and icy, towards midday it becomes soft and very easy to ski; in the afternoon it turns heavy and sticky. In spring skiing, the best hours are usually late morning and around midday.
Machine-made snow (artificial snow)
The SLF's slope-preparation handbook prefers the term machine-made snow to "artificial", because no additives are put into the snow; only water and air are used. The differences between machine-made and natural snow:
Fresh natural snow
Machine-made snow
Density
50–250 kg/m³ (average ~100)
350–550 kg/m³ (dry ~400, very wet 600+)
Grain
Branched snow crystals with many arms
Small, spherical grains of 0.1–1 mm
On the slope
Soft, compacts easily
Dense, durable, hard in the cold
This density makes machine-made snow more durable, which is why slopes are opened with machine-made snow when there is little snow or at the start of the season. For example, according to Erciyes A.Ş.'s promotional page, the resort has 154 snow cannons. We explain how snow cannons work in our guide How Do Ski Resorts Make Artificial Snow?.
How snow changes during the day
The same slope can show different snow types over the course of a day: in the morning, a hard, smooth slope groomed overnight; at midday, softened snow on sunny slopes; in the afternoon, bumps in heavily used areas and patches of ice here and there. We explain how slopes are prepared in our guide How Are Ski Slopes Prepared?.
Learning to read the snow with a group
Recognising snow types lets you choose which slope to ski at what time of day; you learn this fastest with an instructor or group leader who knows the resort well. On an activity holiday, the day is planned around the snow conditions: technique work on the hard slopes in the morning, practice on softened snow at midday. On a social adventure holiday spent with a group, the evenings are spent talking about the day's snow. For the programmes, see the winter activity holidays page.
Doğadayız Packages
Doğadayız packages for your level
Winter activity holidays with accommodation, ski pass and equipment included, shared with a group.
The easiest way to learn to ski: a winter activity holiday
An activity holiday puts a sport at the heart of your trip: transport, accommodation and meals are planned, so you can focus on learning on the slopes. On Doğadayız winter activity holidays, accommodation, ski pass and ski or snowboard equipment are included in every package; course packages include basic lessons with instructors affiliated with the Turkish Ski Federation, while experience packages let you practise on the slopes at your own level.
What makes the programme different is the group: sharing the slopes with people at a similar level, dinners and nights out together, and a group leader by your side at all times. Solo travellers become part of this social adventure holiday from day one. That is why we describe our programmes as a social adventure holiday.
Freshly fallen snow that has not yet hardened or been compacted. According to the SLF, fresh natural snow has an average density of about 100 kg/m³; this lightness lets the skis sink into the snow.
How does artificial snow differ from natural snow?
Machine-made snow is much denser: according to the SLF, dry machine-made snow is about 400 kg/m³, while fresh natural snow averages about 100 kg/m³. Machine-made snow consists of small, spherical grains of 0.1–1 mm and creates a more durable but harder slope.
What is spring snow?
Moist snow that freezes at night in spring and thaws from the surface in the daytime sun; MeteoSwiss calls it corn snow. It is hard in the morning, soft and easy towards midday, and heavy in the afternoon.
How do you ski on icy snow?
Your edges need to be sharp; increase the edge angle gradually rather than suddenly, control your speed and make calm turns. Sudden movements cause the edge to lose its grip on the snow.
Sources
Types of snow · MeteoSwiss (Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology)
Artificial snowmaking means snow guns spraying water into very small droplets and freezing them in the air; no additives are used, only water and air. According to the slope preparation handbook of the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), the water is broken up at a pressure of about 12–60 bar into droplets of 0.1–1 mm; the droplets freeze in the air and bond together on the ground to form snow. Snowmaking depends more on humidity than on air temperature: according to the SLF, at a wet-bulb temperature between −2 and −4 °C snowmaking can only just begin. In practice, at most about 2.2 cubic metres of snow are obtained from one cubic metre of water. In Türkiye, Erciyes, for example, has 154 snow guns.
Ski slopes are prepared with tracked grooming machines known in the industry as piste bashers (in Turkish, ratrak). According to the handbook of the Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF), the blade at the front moves the snow and levels the surface, the tiller at the back compacts the snow and breaks up its grains to create a smooth, durable surface, and the winch (cable) makes it possible to prepare steep slopes. According to the SLF, the best time to groom is shortly after the slopes close: in the morning, a slope groomed in the evening is more than twice as durable as one groomed in the early hours. The slopes are closed while grooming is under way; according to the German Alpine Club, there is danger to life especially when a winch is in use.
Marked and open slopes are secured against avalanches; off-piste terrain is not, and skiing there is entirely at your own risk. Even in Türkiye, skiers who went off-piste have lost their lives in avalanches: at Erciyes in 2022 and at Palandöken in 2024. If you are thinking of going off-piste, there are three conditions: reading the avalanche bulletin (on the European scale of 1–5; about half of deaths happen at level 3), everyone in the group carrying a transceiver, probe and shovel, and having learned to use them through training. A buried person's chance of survival is above 90% in the first 10–18 minutes but drops sharply after that; the rescue is up to the friends you are with.
