Snow report Montafon, 04/18/2014

Snow condition

At around 1,800 m, you can just about make a comfortable start on the north side. Above 2,000 m there is still good snow if you choose a good route. All in all, it's certainly below average for this time of year, but it's been worse. Overnight it snowed about 15-20cm with little wind. In shaded and wind-protected areas above approx. 2,400 m, there is a soft snow cover of approx. 30-40 cm.

Snow quality

Above 2,400 m, it was a real pleasure to surf through the snow. Finely packed powder snow. With the sun's rays, the snow underneath quickly became damp, but in shady areas it was still easy to ski up to around 1,900 m. Below that, it's plodding.

Stage 2: As long as the snow is soft, the situation was very relaxed. Small drift snow packs have formed on the ridges. Below 2,400 m, the top layer slid from steep terrain at almost every turn from midday onwards. Many loose snow slides spontaneously detached themselves from steep rocky terrain.

Overall impression

The conditions were great for mid-April. Tomorrow, soft snow will only be found in very high north-facing and sheltered locations > 2,500 m. In many places there will be a layer of melted snow, which will probably be unpleasant to ski on. I'm surprised that so few CRs have been written. It hasn't just snowed here, has it?