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

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 way 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 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 from the bottom of the ski.

Unfortunately, finding a kick wax in pink conditions requires klister - the softest, goopiest klister, to be precise. It is difficult 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 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.