Snow report North chain, 04/11/2017

Snow condition

A little better than the day before in the Seefeld area. You can cycle as far as the bridge on the last ascent to the Karwendelhaus. Then there are a few remnants of snow. However, these will soon be gone and you will have to carry on to the Karwendelhaus or to the mountain pine belt in the Schlauchkar. Further up, the conditions will remain good for longer. This will be one of the few areas in Tyrol this season where good ski tours can still be undertaken in May.

Snow quality

We had everything except powder. Nice firn, icy conditions, slush and rotten snow. As already described, the days will only get better. There was still powder on Saturday and Sunday.

Note the daytime ascent. A few older loose snow avalanches. Nothing came down on our day. The weather should also be monitored closely. We had a short shower of sleet on a fairly steep slope at lunchtime. Yr.no had also predicted this. If that had been rain we would have had a problem. It also thundered once. Large spontaneous thunderstorms are not necessarily to be expected at this time of year if they are not explicitly mentioned in the weather forecast, but you should still have it on your umbrella. When it thundered, we were on the ridge and I didn't feel so good for a moment. On the last few meters to the bike there was a short shower and 2 minutes later the first avalanches came down. Clouds were also present throughout the day. The situation can change very quickly during the day, even if the conditions are favorable at the time.

Overall impression

Great, challenging tour around the Birkkar peak. The traverse on the eastern edge of the Birkkar peak into the eastern Birkkar is exciting but easy. Perhaps unpleasant very early on. Kaltwasserkar-Spitze was very hard from the bottom and we did most of it on foot. Crampons are recommended. You don't necessarily need ice axes, but if in doubt, take them with you. On the way back up via the western Birkkar you can traverse relatively high with 2 unbuckles. Karwendelreibn is possible as a day tour, but I would only do it with an overnight stay in the Karwendelhaus. Beer, water, Spezi and wood as well as 20 sleeping places are available in the winter room. Karwendelreibn has already been described by my colleague papasaner.