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Firnhänge

English translation: areas of hard-packed snow/firn slopes

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
German term or phrase:Firnhänge
English translation:areas of hard-packed snow/firn slopes
Entered by: PoveyTrans (X)

20:05 Oct 4, 2006
German to English translations [PRO]
Marketing - Sports / Fitness / Recreation / Skiing
German term or phrase: Firnhänge
am not a skier...

what sort of slopes are these?

The dictionary only suggests firn but this doesn't ring any bells.

Ideas?
PoveyTrans (X)
Local time: 17:10
areas of hard-packed snow
Explanation:
As a keen skier, I've never come across "firn" in English, but I have seen "Hard-packed pistes" and the following googles would seem to corroborate this:

Munich Wanderers Confessions... where the heights of the mountains have 5 figures in them (in feet at least) and we're as likely to have Firn (hard packed snow) under the feet as rock. ...
page4page.de/muwaconfessions.htm - 23k - Cached - Similar pages


Antarctic Megadunes: ResearchDuring the first year these "pipes" in the hard-packed snow (known as firn) were an unexpected feature of the megadunes area. The pipes start just beneath ...
nsidc.org/antarctica/megadunes/research.html - 11k - Cached - Similar pages



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Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2006-10-05 23:11:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't profess to be an expert on snow conditions, but if this is merely a travel/tourism text contrasting different experiences for skiers, then I would have thought the contrast between long cruising pistes, powder snow and hard-packed snow (i.e. glaciers) would be sufficient....
Selected response from:

Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:10
Grading comment
Thanks Claire
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3firn slopes / névé slopes
NGK
4corn (snow) slopes
volker_h
3slopes with eternal snow
Susanne Rindlisbacher
3areas of hard-packed snow
Claire Cox


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
firn slopes / névé slopes


Explanation:
Both seem to get a number of Googles.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2006-10-04 20:12:07 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Névé is a young, granular type of snow which has been partially melted, refrozen and compacted. This type of snow is associated with glacier formation through the process of nivation. Névé that survives a full season of ablation is referred to as firn, which is both older and slightly denser. Firn becomes glacial ice - the long-lived, compacted ice that glaciers are composed of. Névé is annually observed in skiing slopes, and is generally disliked as a falling place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Névé

NGK
United States
Local time: 11:10
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 32
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Norbert


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ken Cox: both standard terms in English among skiers and people who work with snow.
27 mins
agree  Trudy Peters
1 hr
agree  Alan Johnson: névé wouls be my choice
8 hrs
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26 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
slopes with eternal snow


Explanation:
There must be a better way of putting this, but ...

here are some definitions:

Gletscher, Firn
Definition: Flächen, welche überwiegend durch Eis oder ewigen Schnee bedeckt sind.
Zum Gletscher, Firn zählen auch:
- einzelne Geröllflächen auf sonst geröllfreiem Gletscher
Nicht zum Gletscher, Firn zählen:
- Blockgletscher (Permafrost)
- vorübergehend mit Schnee bedeckte Flächen
- Lawinenkegel ausserhalb des Bereiches des ewigen Schnees
www.bfs.admin.ch/.../blank/blank/arealstatistik/05/05_42.Co...

Thus we must discriminate between two distinct parts of the ice fields; that is, first, the snow which originally fell—called firn in Switzerland—above the snow line, covering the slopes of the peaks as far as it can hang on to them, and filling up the upper wide kettle-shaped ends of the valleys forming widely extending fields of snow or firnmeere. Secondly, the glaciers, called in the Tyrol firner, which as prolongations of the snow fields often extend to a distance of from 4,000 to 5,000 feet below the snow line, and in which the loose snow of the snow fields is again found changed into transparent solid ice. Hence the name glacier, which is derived from the Latin, glacies; French, glace, glacier.
www.bartleby.com/30/13.html

Susanne Rindlisbacher
Portugal
Local time: 17:10
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 10
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Susanne

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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
corn (snow) slopes


Explanation:
In the US, Firnschnee is often called corn snow. Often, you have corn snow conditions in spring after thawing and refreezing of snow.

For a very detailed information refer to the discussion on the telemarktips forum (below)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 8 hrs (2006-10-05 04:26:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

"Touring possibilities in every height, powder and corn snow slopes"

http://www.tiscover.at/at/guide/5,en,SCH1/objectId,RGN152at,...


"Steep corn snow slopes on the southern exposures contrast with magnificent deep powder on the northern slopes."

http://www.heliskiworld.com/klondikeuk.html


    Reference: http://www.telemarktalk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=7137&view=...
    Reference: http://backcountryblog.blogspot.com/2005/06/corn-harvest-in-...
volker_h
Local time: 02:10
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks - I need to use UK English but this is very interesting.

Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
areas of hard-packed snow


Explanation:
As a keen skier, I've never come across "firn" in English, but I have seen "Hard-packed pistes" and the following googles would seem to corroborate this:

Munich Wanderers Confessions... where the heights of the mountains have 5 figures in them (in feet at least) and we're as likely to have Firn (hard packed snow) under the feet as rock. ...
page4page.de/muwaconfessions.htm - 23k - Cached - Similar pages


Antarctic Megadunes: ResearchDuring the first year these "pipes" in the hard-packed snow (known as firn) were an unexpected feature of the megadunes area. The pipes start just beneath ...
nsidc.org/antarctica/megadunes/research.html - 11k - Cached - Similar pages



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day3 hrs (2006-10-05 23:11:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I don't profess to be an expert on snow conditions, but if this is merely a travel/tourism text contrasting different experiences for skiers, then I would have thought the contrast between long cruising pistes, powder snow and hard-packed snow (i.e. glaciers) would be sufficient....

Claire Cox
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:10
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
Thanks Claire
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Claire. This is really helpful.

Asker: My text needs to be in original UK ENglish so this is helpful. Is the meaning the same between firn and hard-packed?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  volker_h: no, hard-pack and firn is not the same. Firn is hard in the morning and softens up during the day.
1 day 2 hrs
  -> I'll take your wrd for it Volker - however, surely it comes down to the context - as ever? Would firn mean anything to a non-expert? It certainly means nothing to me and I've been skiing for years....
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