Number one tells his story for the week.

I have just finished my first week of work. I had a very lively group from Denmark and Sweden, they were great fun on and of the slopes. They were training to become tour guides and not surprisingly skied very well. They enjoyed the quiet slopes and the very good condition of the snow. This leads nicely to an instructors second most asked question, "What is the snow like?" (By the way, the most asked question is "What do you do in the summer?") The short answer to the question about snow is "white, cold and very slippery!". However, when beginners ask about the snow condition, they actual want to hear about the depth of the snow. We do not have a great depth at present, but it has been very cold and this means that the snow has stayed light, dry and powdery. The ideal snow for skiing. Even if there is several metres of snow, it only takes one warm day to turn the top layer into slush. If the night time temperature is below freezing the slush will turn to ice. Not the most enjoyable thing to ski on. At Arinsal we are fortunate to have a fleet of "Piste bashers". These are specially designed machines that groom the piste at night, so that it smooth and user friendly in the morning. At present, all they have to do is smooth the snow and we then have great skiing conditions. The machines have the ability to break the top layer of ice, so exposing the powder underneath, if required. In the late spring, when the afternoon temperatures can be very high the piste bashers will smooth the very deep slush until it is smooth. So if it freezes over night we will have a firm but skiable surface, usually referred to as "boiler plate" or bullet proof". This soon softens into a very skiable snow as the morning warms up. I have heard that Eskimos have 14 words for snow. As a skier, see how many words you use to describe the different types that you meet during your visit. I have heard from some clients, who have skied in some eastern european countries, that they did not have these expensive machines and found that they could not ski on the lumpy frozen slush. The huge capital investment here, means that we can usually enjoy good skiing.