"Chicken Heads and Death Cookies
By Craig McNeil
Chicken Heads and Death Cookies . These terms describe the worst possible ski conditions found on the mountain and usually found in the springtime. Both conditions are found after warm spring days and predominate southern exposures that receive the most sun. The warm temperatures and spring conditions bring on the “chicken heads” and “death cookies.” When either appears on the hill you are guaranteed the most challenging conditions found in skiing.
In March the sun rises higher in the sky and ski conditions will become more spring-like with each passing week. Warm days and cold nights make for a wide variety of ski conditions. With more sunshine the ambient, daytime temperatures rise and the snow softens. At night when the sun drops behind the horizon, the temperatures plummet and the soft, daytime snow freezes.
“Chicken heads” are usually found in off-piste, bowl or back country ski situations. They are what you find if you are one of the first on the mountain following a warm, sunny day. The warm, soft snow is pushed into piles either by skiers or the wind that form as ridges or clumps. These ridges or clumps freeze into that look like “chicken heads”, hence the name. Once frozen these piles are as dangerous as they are unforgiving. Add a light dusting of snow and you have the most difficult conditions that are virtually unskiable.
“Death cookies” on the other hand are what you find after snow-cats have spent the night grooming. Snow-cat operators usually begin grooming when the lifts close and continue on through the night until the first light of day. As the snow-cats groom through the night and the temperatures drop, the soft, spring-like snow on the slopes begins to harden and freeze.
The softened spring snow that is now beginning to freeze gets stuck in the tracks of the snow-cat. The snow stuck in the tread is thrown free as it spins around the tracks. Once free, these soft-snow clumps freeze into unforgiving, lumps of ice or “death cookies”.
The next morning you have these clumps littering the hill that can wreak havoc on an unassuming skier. They are immovable as they are unforgiving should you hit one when making a turn.
The best way to ski “chicken heads” or “death cookies” is to avoid them altogether.
Since chicken heads are found in the bowls, off piste or back- country with a sun-baked southern exposure, ski the runs with a Northern exposure. These will be the runs that remain hidden in the shadows, either those in the trees or in the shade. Because the sun has not baked the snow, these runs will have light, dry powder and the best conditions found on the mountain. Wait to ski the runs facing the sun until the snow has had a chance to soften.
Since “death cookies” are found on groomed runs you have a few choices. Stay higher on the mountain where the snow is colder and “death cookies” are less likely to appear. If you find yourself in a position where you have no alternative but to ski them, do your best to avoid them. Because “death cookies” are essentially frozen clumps of ice, they won’t give. Hit one of these frozen clumps in the middle of a turn and it can cause a pre-release of the binding, lose of balance or a fall. Avoid these clumps at any cost.
Both of the above mentioned conditions are usually found in the first few runs of the day will disappear once the sun begins to shine. Slopes facing the sun will need that warmth in order to be skied, especially if the previous day was exceptionally warm or sunny. This will usually happen within the first hour or two of your ski day.
The exception to this is when you have a cold overcast day after a warm, sunny day. Because it’s springtime you can expect to find a wide range of varying weather conditions. It is not unusual to have a warm, cloudless day in the 50’s one day and overcast skies and temps in the teens the following day.
On an overcast day your options are limited. Since the snow is not forgiving the vibrations underfoot will be transmitted from the feet through the entire body. In this situation you have two choices, ski the groomed runs or try skiing terrain with a northern exposure. The snow on these runs will remain colder and dryer and is less likely to “set up” into these firm hard or icy conditions.
