ST Large hatchet on 02.01.2022 | Sumedum

Snow condition

Better than feared but still bad - it was just enough for the tour. With lower starting points and other exposures at the bottom, it's time to carry.

Snow quality

Above about 1900 meters there were some nice turns in preliminary stages of firn. However, the time window was probably quite short (we left at 11) as it wasn't frozen through. Even the unthawed harsch cover was ok to ski. The main advantage compared to the last few days was that it was easy to see what to expect on the next turn and the conditions were consistent on the same sections of the slope. :-) The snow surface is no longer completely smooth from the rain, but that's not a problem at the moment. Below 1900 meters we were on a forest road with deep holes left by snowshoe walkers - rather a turn-off, and the many old sliding snow avalanches from western slopes only increased the fun to a limited extent...

No significant observations - seemed very stable as described in the LLB. However, due to the lack of snow quality, there is little point in attempting steep routes.

Overall impression

Super Wetter und tolle Stimmung fast alleine am Berg - von dem her eine wirklich gelungene Tour :-) Skifahrerisch oben einige ganz gute Schwünge und sonst leider nur besser als zu Fuß absteigen...