Snow report Kitzbühel Alps, 02/28/2020

Snow condition

In sheltered locations in the altitude range from 1400 m to 1900 m, there were sometimes up to 30 cm. Otherwise it was closer to 20 cm. We were out and about from around 900 m to just below 2000 m. On the sunny side, it's already getting quite thin below about 1450 m despite the snowfall. Today we skied down to about 1300 m on the south side. That was still possible, but you had to look where there was the most snow. In the shady valley, we were able to ski down to 900 m via a forest path without any problems. The storm fronts have done a good job, exposed areas are more or less free of snow. The snow conditions are poor for the end of February.

Snow quality

The snow was good on the south side later in the morning. Already slightly settled but fine for skiing. On this descent, thanks to the wind, we often encountered very short, hard sections. These were difficult to recognize because the visibility was not yet optimal. Away from the ridge, the snow was really good and the dusting was once again more intense. There was also no contact with the old snow cover. As the day progressed, the wind became much weaker and unfortunately the temperatures rose. Tomorrow you'll only find good snow on sheltered north-facing slopes.

Lots of wind and consequently lots of drift snow. We also encountered some quite untypical cornices and drifts. We took a critical view of entrances close to the ridge and opted for flatter entrances. The snowfall started a little wetter and so the connection to the old snow (partly frozen hard) was not so bad. LWS 3 above the tree line.

Overall impression

We actually wanted to ski more vertical meters today. After all the lifts were closed at the start due to wind, we had to set off from the valley with skins. Fortunately, we made it into the terrain just before the first lift riders. The descents were less than we had hoped for, but all in all it worked out well.