Snow report Pitztal, 04/14/2018

Snow condition

Snow conditions are average I would say. The descent from Mittagskogel looks visually feasible and is white all the way down. Crevasses look closed. But there are still some places where the bare ice comes through, like on the north face. The glacier has receded quite a bit overall. Nevertheless, the snow conditions are good enough for normal tours

Snow quality

About 20 cm of fresh snow by Friday. Above 3000 m it was still loose, no champagne powder but usable fresh snow due to the warmth. In some places, however, it was still/again icy like the upper part of the north face (bare ice, not continuously skiable)It's worth not taking the ski depot and taking the gully between the peaks.

Daytime warming is certainly the main issue. The descent over the Taschach Glacier should only be attempted in the first half of the day, if at all. In the rocky slopes next to the Taschachwand, a large snow slab has presumably fallen on ice without any external influence. In the middle section of the Wildspitz north face, slabs of hard snow or bare ice underneath are also very easily detached. Stupid on the ascent and not recommended

Overall impression

The descent variant below the north face was hardly frequented today compared to the normal route and the descent was excellent. If the weather is right, it will certainly be fine for a while yet. For all the lower descents, however, more snow is needed as soon as possible