Introduction

Fronts are the boundary between two air masses. As such, the weather at fronts are typically not the ideal and can even present itself a hazard for skiing and snowboarding at times.

Cold Fronts

Cold fronts are cold air masses that approach warm air mass. As such, temperature can pose itself a hazard. As time pass, cold fronts become colder and colder and can potentially lead to frostbit and hypothermia. Furthermore, stronger winds are associated with cold fronts. This also means that wind chill also is a potential hazard. As such, if you are skiing during or following a cold front, make sure to dress very warmly. 

As cold front approach warm fronts, condensation can occur, forming clouds and precipitation. This means that during a cold front, fog and rain usually occurs followed by snow.  Furthermore, if the winds are strong enough (>14 km/h) then it can blow snow. Both fog and blowing snow can potentially limit visibility. To see hazards associated with visibility, refer to "Hazards of Limited Visibility". 

Warm Fronts

Warm fronts are warm masses of air approaching colder masses. Although this interaction is less hazardous, there are still some issues to be aware of. Warm front creates clouds when in contact with cold front. As a warm front progresses, the weather becomes more and more unpleasant. The clouds that formed when the warm front interacted with the cold front, becomes thicker and lower to the ground creating fog. This can eventually lead to flat light which is when sunlight is diffused by the water vapors in the air, making it difficult to see the snow surface. Similar to cold fronts, there is a lack of visibility.