Snow report Montafon, 01/14/2014

Snow condition

Still well below average. Conditions were almost perfect today in shaded areas from 1,500 - 2,200 m, where the fresh snow fell on a powdery base. Here it was over 50 cm of fine, soft snow. On the sunny side, the snow is either lying on a layer of snow or directly on the ground.

Snow quality

On the shaded side it was fine, fluffy fresh snow and you couldn't feel any hard layers. In steeper terrain (>35°) there was usually a lot of sluff sliding along. On the sunny side, the snow became heavy during the day and already had a light layer of hard snow in the afternoon.

Level 3 > 2,200 m below level 2. Unfortunately, there was more wind than expected as the altitude increased. Accumulations of drifting snow in exposed locations and on ridges are still tricky and widespread here. From late morning onwards, huge snow plumes were visible and the wind (from the west) picked up briskly, which further exacerbated the situation. On the sunny side, many loose snow slides were also visible from midday. Artificial blasting has led to superficial slides. From what I saw, however, no deeper layers were swept away.

Overall impression

First powder day of the season! The near-lift off-piste terrain was finished by midday. Unfortunately, it will remain an intermezzo. Tours above 1,800 m would certainly be possible.