Snow report Bregenzerwald, 02/01/2014

Snow condition

Still below average and this winter it's the same here: "The hard way feeds the squirrel". The snow conditions are very variable and you have to award different stars for different exposures and altitudes. It is currently very imprecise in general terms. The best situation (***) is on the shaded side (NE-N-NW) at an altitude of between 1,400 - 1,700 m, where the fresh snow lies on a powdery base and the old snow has no wind or melting layers. Above 1,800 m, the entire terrain is strongly influenced by the wind. On the shady side (**) there is enough snow for almost carefree surfing. On the sunny side (*) it is bare in many places and exposed areas are free of snow. The best way to go here is to take advantage of the uneven terrain. Up to approx. 1,000 meters above sea level, downhill runs across meadows on the shady side can be skied well. It is partly possible up to approx. 700-800 m in open terrain.

Snow quality

The fresh snow in the morning (SF: 500m) above 1,400m was of the fine variety - unbound and relatively dry. During the day it became significantly warmer (SF: approx. 900m) and the snow became noticeably wetter up to over 1,800m. Another 2-3 cm of fresh snow fell.

Relatively relaxed again due to the cooling. LWS 2 and 1: The snow cover was able to settle well due to the warming and the subsequent cooling solidified it again. The fresh snow often lies on top of a layer of harsh snow. In extremely steep terrain >40°, the fresh snow slid with every turn. The binding is still moderate to weak here. Below 40° this was not an issue. In transitions from a little to a lot of snow and wind-influenced exposed ridges, watch out for drift snow (-> unfortunately covered by fresh snow!).

Overall impression

Because the terrain was not very busy, it was quite nice to ride. On the sunny side, it rumbled "grainy" under the boards. On the shaded side, there were some nice, very short runs. The best is near the forest up to approx. 1,400 m, but skiing is not popular here in Vorarlberg ...