# Depth perception during heavy snow



## Olex (Feb 20, 2013)

Recent WA weather is awesome, lots of snow. 

However, I found myself feeling blind despite seeing during really heavy snow. Everything was one single solid white color. I found myself having issues judging the slope angle or detecting bumps. Once it slowed down a bit it was fine.

Is this something that gets better with time or are there any helpful tricks? I'm still a beginner.


Thanks,
Olex


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## Casual (Feb 9, 2011)

Rose/orange lenses can help increase contrast but its always going to be difficult. Experience can help but if you can see you cant see.


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## david_z (Dec 14, 2009)

no man, some days just blow for visibility. the right color lens helps, but I've been in whiteouts before where you don't know which way is up or down.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

One of my tricks for any low light days is to head to the trees. If there are no glades at your hill, even just the sides of the run should have better depth perception than the middle of the hill.

Mostly though you just have to slow down...


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## PDubz (Feb 17, 2013)

david_z said:


> no man, some days just blow for visibility. the right color lens helps, but I've been in whiteouts before where you don't know which way is up or down.


Schweitzer Mountain by Sandpoint ID I had that happen to me. 

I didn't know which way was up or down, wasn't sure if I was even moving! it was pretty crazy, worst conditions I've ever rode in.


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## SteveFlow (Mar 28, 2012)

sounds like your in the PNW sat was terrible unless you were in the trees, i was riding a board that couldn't cut its own lines so i got stuck everywhere other then riding other peoples lines in the trees. 

sunday was prefect tho


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## LuckyRVA (Jan 18, 2011)

PDubz said:


> Schweitzer Mountain by Sandpoint ID I had that happen to me.
> 
> I didn't know which way was up or down, wasn't sure if I was even moving! it was pretty crazy, worst conditions I've ever rode in.


Same thing happened to me at Whitefish in Montana last year. It was so foggy I couldn't see anything, I lost sight of the orange markers they put up in foggy weather. I didn't even think I was moving until fell off a slight drop off (only like a foot or two) and bit my damn tongue. :blink:


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## vknyvz (Jan 23, 2013)

Casual said:


> Rose/orange lenses can help increase contrast but its always going to be difficult. Experience can help but if you can see you cant see.




i second that an experienced friend told me the same thing, gave me his goggles once and voila that really improved my visibility, I only have one goggles which is black too


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## Casual (Feb 9, 2011)

LuckyRVA said:


> Same thing happened to me at Whitefish in Montana last year. It was so foggy I couldn't see anything, I lost sight of the orange markers they put up in foggy weather. I didn't even think I was moving until fell off a slight drop off (only like a foot or two) and bit my damn tongue. :blink:


Ya whitefish can be so bad, not even just snow but like you said...fog fog fogging fog. I don't care what color lens you have you can't shit. I fell off a 6ft drop on a toeside carve and landed on my chest/face... luckily just in pow.

At Fernie I was following ski tracks in a bowl coming out the bottom, couldn't see anything but these tracks... until they ended! I dropped off a 10-15' drop I was completely unprepared for and landed in a deep pow collection, must have been a small waterfall so it was a dugout/pit and took me 45 min to hike out of it.

Moral of the story is sometimes you just can't see shit.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

besides lens and hitting the trees....it bat radar...ride low and loose and know where ur going. besides if its heavy snow...its free re-fill time and stick to a known line and go for it


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## NWBoarder (Jan 10, 2010)

Proper lenses and knowing the terrain will take you a long way, but as everyone has said, sometimes, you just can't see shit. No matter what. That's when you just stay loose and ride by brail.


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