Berchtesgaden Alps on 04.04.2022 | bergjunge

Snow condition

Yesterday it snowed all day, with Friday's snowfall there is a solid 30-40 cm of fresh snow at 1600m, less at the bottom and in dense forests. In sheltered cirques there are still banks of old snow over a meter thick. The higher elevations look much better. From 1400 m on the shaded side there is a relatively reliable layer of old snow, from there it's carefree, but I wouldn't make any big jumps. Below that, you have to expect constant contact, but you can slide down to 1000m on suitable ground.

Snow quality

It's great to ride in the shade, often quite deep, flowy, awesome. Occasionally you get through to the old snow layer, but the good areas predominate. You have to avoid the sun at all costs, as the powder is immediately gone.

There were several small loose snow slides to be seen and it also moves quite quickly on the steep sections. The sun was very strong for the time it was there. There was little wind at the bottom, but the high peaks were getting a lot of snow. It's going to be warm tomorrow, so that's something to keep in mind.

Overall impression

Insanely beautiful winter's day, with incredibly demanding track conditions. Unfortunately, it was quite stubborn in the sun. But the skiing and terrain were great, especially in the larch forest zone. Today would actually have been a better day for shooting in one area, but nothing is open here and I didn't have enough time to sit in the car any longer. Unfortunately it will be warm tomorrow.