Sastrugi

Sastrugi in the Castle Rock ski run at Loveland Basin:

Sastrugi on the Field of Dreams at Loveland Basin

More Sastrugi on the Field of Dreams at Loveland Basin

Sastrugi in Wild Child at Loveland Ski Area

Sastrugi is wind-blown waves or shapes of snow. It often as a texture like driftwood. It can take different forms, and some, which I've named "softstrugi" is pleasant to ski. Big, hard sastrugi can be a real obstacle on skis, however. I can tell the difference visually when I'm skiing, but I can't tell you how I do it. Just spend too much time above treeline, I guess...

Sastrugi is very common anywhere you've got dry snow and wind. The antarctic is a great place to find sastrugi - there it can form great, hard waves that are a real barrier. However, you'll find smaller and softer sastrugi almost anywhere you have wind and snow. Wet snow is less likely to form sastrugi because it can't be moved and shaped by the wind.

For Sastrugi to form, wind and cold, dry snow are needed. The high altitude ski areas in Colorado, especially Loveland Basin, have dry snow, cold temperatures, and wind in abundance. Sastrugi can take on nearly infinite forms, some subtle, some dramatic, and skiable to various degrees. The largest, hardest Sastrugi can be impossible to really ski, the smaller, softer, subtle Sastrugi can be a delight to carve. It's all good to look at!