Thaw freeze cycles

[snowwizard]

These thaw freeze cycles are a groomer’s toughest time to produce a quality surface. It's a tough call to make if you groom to early frozen corduroy, groom after chunks. Unfortunately the snow cat manufactures are making more horse power tractors, but have not spent time to improve grooming implements for all conditions. The power tillers work most of the time, but in thaw freeze cycles not very well. There are different techniques that can be used to groom for quality but it takes time, which most areas do not have the luxury or do they? The ole saying is do you want Quality or Quantity in Mtn. Ops. What I’ve said when training operators is look in the mirror to see what surface you are leaving and say to your self would you pay to ski or ride that surface. Remember when on the mountain skiing and riding is adventure not a race and some days a better than others.

[ward-o]

Not quite true,they DO make implements for what you describe. Both PB and YTS make "renovators" for the front of the vehicles that work well in melt/freeze conditions (Nordic guys & snow mobile trail operators have used them for years with success).
It tends to pull snow from deeper down in the snow-pack,from 4" to even as much as 18", and mixes and shatters it up before the tracks crush it and give the tiller something it can process.
Of coarse, Timing is still everything, but it can turn a three pass night into perfect cord in just a single pass. on the down side, you Have to have "Blade Float" to make em work right, and if over-used, they can make the base concrete hard in a few nights(snow mobile trail groomers love this effect, keeps the woops away a lot longer) so start shallow at first. you may want to ask your groomer dealers about them.
G-LUCK

[snowizard1]

Not quite true,they DO make implements for what you describe. Both PB and YTS make "renovators" for the front of the vehicles that work well in melt/freeze conditions (Nordic guys & snow mobile trail operators have used them for years with success).
It tends to pull snow from deeper down in the snow-pack,from 4" to even as much as 18", and mixes and shatters it up before the tracks crush it and give the tiller something it can process.
Of coarse, Timing is still everything, but it can turn a three pass night into perfect cord in just a single pass. on the down side, you Have to have "Blade Float" to make em work right, and if over-used, they can make the base concrete hard in a few nights(snow mobile trail groomers love this effect, keeps the woops away a lot longer) so start shallow at first. you may want to ask your groomer dealers about them.
G-LUCK

Thanks for the reply. Yes the renovators are a good tool to use when used at the rights time. Snow prep before these events is key, but most just let it happen and deal with it after. Renovators and Mt. Tillers work really well again when used correctly and at the right time to prep the snow surface. Power tillers and corduroy have made what snow surfaces are today. Hard! Making snow on top of more snow to rejuvenate a snow surfaces is the answer to most.