Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

got a couple runs in today, being spring the snow is thawing out and has strange tendancie. My question is when on a north slope in the sun, the skiing is fairly fast, then all of a sudden I pass under a shadow of a Pine tree, and whooa baby its like I hitting the brakes. I would guess the snow is colder in the shade and would it not be faster than the slush?
?what is going on here at the scientific level?

I am skiing the 145 Altai Hok, so maybe the skin is grippy, I do wax the skin.

I think you will get more replies on the regular talk forum.

It's the opposite, without skins. Fast in the shade, over the handlebars in the sun.

thats what i thought, i'll have to bring out a waxless xc ski and try it.

The moisture in the skins from the warm, wet snow may be freezing in the cold snow in the shade and causing drag.

well that make more sense, thanks for the input

My guess/hypothesis is that when a ski is running nicely it is running on a hydrodynamic film of water, caused by the friction between the snow and the wax/base. The colder snow in the shadows did not melt into a water film.
Just an idea for discussion.