Collection: Pink Snow Conditions (Saturated, New Snow, +20°C to 0°C)

Pink conditions occur when fresh snow becomes thoroughly saturated with water. This happens at temperatures at and well above zero Celsius or in rare circumstances when the ground radiates heat up through the snowpack. The fresh snow is actively melting, turning into slush and hanging on to almost all it's moisture as it melts. The snow is very heavy and it sticks to trees. Pink conditions are the slowest conditions. It takes a lot of energy to force a ski through the high levels of suction friction.

Friction Characteristics: In pink conditions, the layer of fresh snow acts as a seal to keep all the water on the surface. This means the only type of friction to worry about in pink conditions is suction friction. The best ways to counteract suction friction is to get some aggressive structure into your ski base with a rill tool or an aggressive stone grind. Highly hydrophobic waxes like the softest paraffins or fluorinated waxes help a lot as well. Using a stiffer ski will also counteract suction friction by propping up most of the ski - giving space for water to vacate itself from the bottom of the ski.

Kick Waxing: Unfortunately, finding a kick wax in pink conditions is going to require klister. The softest, goopiest klister to be precise. It's very hard to find a substance that will get a grip on what is essentially liquid water, so what will generally be the best option in these conditions are hairys or zeros. The hairs and burrs on skis set up this way are actually able to penetrate below the film of water on top of the snowpack and dig into the more frozen layer beneath. Skin skis are also fantastic in these conditions for the same reason.