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East coast skiers - is this the dreaded "boilerplate?"

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
PXL_20210410_175816245~2.jpg

This is what I've been having to avoid at timberline today. Luckily it is continuing to snow.
 

brooksnow

Angel Diva
There are many names for the slippery surfaces that are so common in the northeast.

To me, the name boilerplate is reserved for the textured surface from snow cat and/or groomer tracks in slush that then freezes completely solid. It looks like the heat exchanger inside of a boiler or a car radiator. Skiing boilerplate is loud in a uniquely rhythmic way. Attempting to edge skis on boilerplate leaves only a hint of a mark, if any, but it can be easy to turn if you get into the rhythm of the ruts and bumps. Next time I ski boilerplate I will try to take a good picture. There will be many, many next times.

That does not at all mean that what you picture there is not an entirely unpleasant surface for skiing. In classic Maine understatement, that surface would be referred to as firm, slippery, loud, fast, race-ready.... If skiing over it doesn't leave a mark, it's safe to call it ice.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Lumpy, cruddy ice!

I'm not sure I ever heard a definition for boilerplate, except that it sounded to me as though it should be the everyday, non-special surface. As if you were using it like "boilerplate" in language - the stuff that's cut and pasted in, for example, contracts. In my definition, boilerplate is hard snow, very firm, but entirely ski-able.

Any other definitions? Invented or not . . . :bounce:
 

sk8ski

Certified Ski Diva
noun
noun: boilerplate; noun: boiler-plate; plural noun: boilerplates
  1. rolled steel for making boilers.
  2. CLIMBING
    smooth, overlapping, and undercut slabs of rock.
  3. NORTH AMERICAN
    writing that is clichéd or expresses a generally accepted opinion or belief.

I always thought in skiing lingo boilerplate was used to describe ice?
 

tinymoose

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Yeah, that's just ice in my book.
 

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The funny thing is, my BF and I have this end goal of eventually moving to Maine. He's originally from there, and I've visited his family many times now (but have never skied there). I love Maine! At the same time...I am not ready to give up the nice snow we have here in the PNW!
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
The funny thing is, my BF and I have this end goal of eventually moving to Maine. He's originally from there, and I've visited his family many times now (but have never skied there). I love Maine! At the same time...I am not ready to give up the nice snow we have here in the PNW!

You'll need another pair of skis for that stuff!!
 

brooksnow

Angel Diva
Looking into it, boilerplate steel is thick and flat. It is reasonable that thick flat ice could be called boilerplate.

I learned my definition when I started skiing as a teenager, so 40+ years ago.
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The funny thing is, my BF and I have this end goal of eventually moving to Maine. He's originally from there, and I've visited his family many times now (but have never skied there). I love Maine! At the same time...I am not ready to give up the nice snow we have here in the PNW!

A change in the kind of snow same as any other change is one you adapt to. Those of us who ski the east, mostly, ski it. It’s not always boiler plate! we prefer powder or soft groomers. And we often get that. But when we don’t we often ski anyway. So don’t let that be your final deterrent for deciding where to live ultimately. There’s a lot of wonderfulness in Maine!
 

Cyclone6

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
You'll need another pair of skis for that stuff!!

Oh, yeah, absolutely. The spicy 7's are great for pretty much anything but ice. I've thought about getting another set for icy days. One could argue that we don't get that many days like that, but I don't want less than perfect conditions to hold me back.
 

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