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Spring skiing tips – the sun is hot

Ever had a sun stroke? Got sunburned last year? Although, spring is a beautiful time for backcountry trips and ski traverses everyone who doesn’t put skis to the closet before April knows also the other side of spring skiing. (This article deals more with effects of the sun on humans than on the snow stability as that is another issue itself.)

Sun and winter backcountry

Spring is a time of the year when sun affects the conditions in backcountry the most. Temperatures raising all the way to 15-20 degrees Celsius and the energy passed through sun-rays have a great effect on the snow pack as well as on us.

Snow pack stability changes quickly throughout the day as the sun heats up the slopes. Therefore, the safest time to travel in dangerous terrain is before noon preferably even before 10.00 am. Generally, also avoid traveling close to rocks or tress as they collect a lot of heat. This heat is then passed onto the surrounding snow which makes for weak and possible avalanche trigger points.

As for snow the sun also affects us in more ways than any other time of the year because we are simply not prepared and not used to such high temperatures. Burned face or even sun stroke aren’t rare. Sometimes they are results of inexperience, unpreparedness, or simply of forgetting the right stuff.

Problems, consequences and solutions

Because the snow acts as a mirror to sun-rays it is then like you have to suns burning at you at once thus doubling its strength. Another factor is altitude. The higher you go the higher the risks are.

Following are the most frequent problems every backcountry enthusiast faces when attempting any spring trip or a longer ski traverse.

Sunburn

Most common problem on spring trips is sunburn. Its consequences can vary from short term inching to serious burns with blisters. It can be easily avoided by using any sunscreen but preferably with at least 20 UV factor (the biggest printed number on cream’s cover). It is very important to use the sunscreen often times during the day especially when going for multi day traverse as bad sunburn can make for a fast return.

Another way to avoid sunburn is to wear long sleeve clothes. Although this is very difficult because of the high temperatures it is very effective. You can forget to use sunscreen but you won’t forget why you have that long sleeve shirt on. Wear a hat or cap as well.

Sunstroke

Various types of sunstroke are generally results of dehydration and/or a long exposure to great heat. We suffer minor sunstrokes pretty often without even realizing it. The bigger ones can result in dizziness or even in unconsciousness.

To avoid sunstroke while backcountry skiing, telemarking or snowboarding wear a hat at all times (the best colour is white) and drink fluids.

The volume and content of your drink affects the hydration the most. On long days on skis drink around 2-4 litters per day. The volume heavily depends on the individual but the more the better. But remember include some minerals in your drink such as sodium and potassium because the human organism can store water only when those two are in a reasonable ration with body water.

Dehydration

Everyone knows this condition for sure but few consider it dangerous. In fact it can make one very weak falling unconscious or even dye.

All general things how to avoid it are mention in Sunstore section of this article. So drink up and don’t forget a stove if going for multi day trip as it might be the only source of getting liquids.

Snow blindness

If you find yourself or a friend suffering from snow blindness it is because he/she probably didn’t use sunglasses while traveling on the snow. It is a condition when your vision is affected because of the light reflection from the snow. An eye becomes overstressed from high brightness and you are slowly using your vision. It can be pretty dangerous because it can affect your navigation as well.

Wearing some sort of sunglasses will definitely help but seriously consider spending some money on high quality ones rather then jumping for a cheap solution. And while buying consider also UV filter feature not just the design and fit.

Wet skins

This is not a condition or a problem that affects our health but can surely add some adrenaline and frustration. Wet skins bother almost everyone while spring backcountry skiing. The consequences can be that you will abandon your trip because your skins keep falling of the skis.

There are three solutions to this problem: carry extra pair of skins, wax them or wait every so often to dry them up.

Extra pair of skins is very useful for various reasons but mostly in the spring because if your wet skins no longer hold on you just replace them for dry ones.

Waxing skins is a simple trick that helps a lot. Carry just a normal wax or a candle and wax the skins before you start and few times during the day.

Waiting for your skins to dry up is also a way to relax but when aiming for a fast traverse consider the above solutions.

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