With sunshine, costumes and ‘corn’ conditions, ‘spring is a total vibe’ in Colorado. Here’s how to make the most of spring skiing.

Spring has finally reached Colorado’s High Country. While the deepest powder days may now be in the rearview, the ski season is not over yet, and there’s plenty of fun to be had with sunshine and soft, slushy snow.

With Beaver Creek now closed for the season, Eagle County skiers will flock to Vail for one more week of springtime slush and fun. The resort just finished its Queer Ski Weekend festivities — which included an appearance from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis — and will keep the party going this Friday with the Vail Aprés End of Season Bash in Golden Peak. The event will begin with a social ski race at 11 a.m., followed by live music from Quadrasonic and Pixie and the Partygrass Boys as well as raffles, prizes and food at Avanti F&B. The weekend will conclude with the “4 at 4” party atop chair 4 (Mountaintop Express) at 4 p.m. Sunday.

In Summit County, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area — which typically has the longest ski season in the state — plans to be open as late as possible, possibly into June. Meanwhile, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain and Loveland Ski Area all plan to stay open until May 11. On closing day Sunday, April 6, at Keystone Resort a bear charged across a ski run — a sure sign that wildlife is waking up and spring has sprung.

With pond skims, colorful costumes and “corn” snow conditions, “spring is a total vibe and one of our favorite times of the season,” Breckenridge Ski Resort senior communications manager Sara Lococo said in a statement.

Springtime events include Breckenridge’s Peaks and Beats, which will premiere April 26-27 with high-Alpine laps, live music, DJs and pond skimming; Copper’s spring celebration, Sunsation, also April 26-27, offering free live music and giveaways; and A-Basin’s Gay Basin celebration, a Pride party with DJs, live music and dancing May 17-18.

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“(Spring is) laid back yet energetic. It can be snow one day and t-shirt weather the next but, regardless, there are still great turns to be had,” Lococo said. “I think spring brings out a little more personality and style, which makes for an all-around fun time on the mountain.”

Slush and sunshine

Sunshine is in large part what makes spring so great. The sun’s warm rays this time of year help to soften the snow, slushing up conditions for slick sliding, while also allowing snowsports enthusiasts to shed a layer or strip down to short sleeves.

With summer-like daytime temperatures that often dip back below freezing overnight, the melt-freeze cycles in the spring can lead to icy conditions in the morning that then improve throughout the day.

That’s why Lococo suggested that skiers and snowboarders “take your time, sleep in, grab a coffee in town, and wait for those turns to soften up, then get to the mountain.”

But those melt-freeze cycles also help produce a springtime special: “corn” snow conditions.

Corn snow is snow that has matured through multiple iterations of melt-freeze cycles, most often during the springtime, according to the National Avalanche Center. With a thick layer of large-melt freeze grains, each about the size of a kernel of corn, this type of snow creates ideal conditions for getting an edge in.

“Corn snow makes for outstanding ski conditions — most would argue it’s the next best thing after powder,” OpenSnow meteorologist Alan Smith wrote in a blog post offering tips on how to find the best spring conditions.

Sun is one of the most important factors for finding perfect corn conditions, Smith said in his in-depth guide to spring snow. South-facing slopes receive the most sun exposure, becoming some of the first spots with corn in the spring; while east-facing slopes receive the first sunlight each day, warming up earlier each morning; and west-facing slopes receive the brunt of the afternoon sun, warming up quickly in the afternoon, he said.

Getting stuck in the soft, slushy snow? Rick “Pup” Ascher, of Pup’s Glide Shop on Ski Hill Road in Breckenridge, said that getting skis and snowboards tuned up for spring conditions can be the difference between getting grabbed by sticky snow or gliding through the slush.

As the temperature in the spring warms, the water content in the snow increases, creating that “grabby” feeling in gear that isn’t tuned and waxed correctly. Compared to the drier, small-crystal snow of mid-winter, where a smoother base is preferable, Ascher said a more open structure in the base will help break the suction from the wet snow. 

Paired with a soft wax — which Ascher said he rubs on his skis every day before he goes out in the spring — skiers and riders can go from feeling like they have suction cups on their feet to slipping through corn and mashed potatoes with ease.

“It all comes down to an open pattern on the base and a good, soft wax,” Ascher said, adding, “When you get it just right, there is a creamy feeling under your feet.”

Finally, remember, while the sun can be fun, it can also be blistering — often surprisingly so at elevations above 10,000 feet, where the atmosphere is thinner, intensifying the UV exposure that leads to sunburns. 

So, don’t get burned. Apply sunscreen regularly to avoid goggle tans that can make skiers and snowboarders look like sunburnt raccoons.

This story is from SummitDaily.com.

This story includes additional reporting from Vail Daily assistant editor Sean Naylor.