Snow report Zugspitz Arena, 02/28/2018

Snow condition

Even if there is a thick blanket of snow right down to the lowlands, it is still partly snowy on the south side between 1000 and 1300m. On the north side, the snow cover grows considerably from 1500 m. From the Biberwierer lifts, you can set off directly from the parking lot. No stone or root contact even in the denser forest.

Snow quality

The manageable fresh snow of the last few days is very loose and powdery. The only thing that clouds the assessment is the snow cover you can get through. In even higher altitudes and on the north side there are still great conditions to be found

Approx. 10-15 cm of well-preserved and building powder lies on a moderately friable harsch cover. Little wind influence except in the ridge area and on terrain edges. Fresh snow packs were very ready for release and brittle, which coincided with the observations in the LLB, and I found it difficult to assess the bonding of the individual layers underneath the harsch cover and the compact old snow cover, as a little digging also revealed cup-shaped crystals here, of which there was nothing in the LLB. Also impressive were the large, lightly snow-covered wet snow avalanches from the south-west sector on the ascent.

Overall impression

North-facing and sheltered from the wind, it's quite rewarding despite the low temperatures, provided you can still find an untracked corner. All other exposures are less fun in terms of snow technology unless you find firn instead of broken snow