corn snow

American  

noun

Skiing.

1. snow in the form of small pellets or grains produced by the alternate melting and freezing of a snow layer.

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corn snow British  

noun

1. skiing granular snow formed by alternate freezing and thawing

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Etymology

Origin of corn snow

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Unblemished carpets of corn snow are practically guaranteed outside the ski area boundaries. 

From Seattle Times

Toss in the hot days and chilly nights of warmer months, and the snowpack, often a 16-foot-thick slab of “cement,” transforms into the next best thing after powder — a soft, silky phenomenon called corn snow.

From New York Times