While the Inuit people are purported to have 39 words for snow in their vocabulary, the English language has long been considered much more limited in its ability to describe when water falls white from the sky.However, here are some terms used by many to describe snow conditions:

Powder: fresh snowfall thats low in moisture content. Powder is the best snow to ski or ride on. In the West, some resorts (particularly in Utah) have fluffy powder with extremely low moisture content, which theyll call champagne powder.Crud: powder thats been skied over. It looks like cookie dough; its chunky-looking, but still soft. Crud is a preferred snow texture.Corn: hard re-frozen pellets of snow a preferred snow texture.Grapple: like very small hail pellets, or like sleet, but rounder and thicker. Grapple isnt the best snow, but its not the worst. It doesnt stick to your skis or board.Groomed: combed powder. Groomed is a preferred snow texture for some. Crust: hard-packed snow thats frozen, but not icy.Dust on crust: a small amount of fresh powder snowfall, but crust underneath. This snow texture is the most notorious for causing you to fall; your edges can easily slip when you hit a bare patch of crust.Mashed potatoes: warm, melting snow, most common during the spring at the base of a mountain. Its notoriously slow to ski or ride in.Sierra cement: Wet, heavy snow, which is common in the Sierra Nevada. Unlike mashed potatoes, Sierra cement isnt melting. Source: http://www.ski-bums.orghttp://snobear.colorado.edu