"Sometimes rather than typical grooming, ski resorts will conduct a practice called " track packing." Essentially, after a large snowfall, a snowcat is driven over the snow without a tiller. Just the weight of the machine is used to pack down the snow and force out air pockets, creating a more durable snowpack. It doesn't produce the best surface for skiing or snowboarding, and it's certainly not that nice corduroy that many of us love, but it can help the snow"
"last longer through the season and produce an overall better snowpack. This clip from Saas-Fee is a great demonstration of the practice. It looks like quite a blast to surf a snowcat down the mountain like that, though I would certainly love to actually ski it. They're likely building up a piste to appeal to the groomer lovers, but you can tell the person that skied that run before the groomer came in had a killer time with it."
Track packing involves driving a snowcat over fresh snowfall without a tiller so the machine's weight compresses the snow and expels air pockets. The resulting packed surface is denser and more durable than loose fresh snow, helping snow last longer through the season and improving overall pack stability. The packed surface is not as smooth or corduroy-like as regular grooming and is less ideal for skiing or snowboarding. Footage from Saas-Fee shows operators building a piste with a snowcat and suggests that untracked runs before packing can offer more playful, satisfying skiing.
Read at Unofficial Networks
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