Schmirntal on 19.12.2023 | chevchelios

Snow condition

Good snow conditions in the Navistal, especially on the north side. A descent down to the valley is possible via forest paths/sled runs. At the bottom it is a little icy in places, as it has been cleared. Further up, the terrain is good-natured and doesn't need much snow anyway. The rocky terrain on the summit slope has enough snow. It looks much worse on the south side, but is not recommended anyway due to the many sliding snow avalanches.

Snow quality

Finest pimple powder, fantastic for skiing! Only at the very top near the ridge on a few meters of altitude was there a bit of wind, otherwise good powder snow on the north side all the way down. Despite the warm temperatures, it held up very well on the shady side, but on the sunny side it was much worse and not very recommendable.

The main danger at the moment is certainly from sliding snow avalanches. A lot has already come down on the sunny side, but some mouths are still open. Areas with sliding snow cracks should be avoided as a matter of urgency. A few fresh avalanches could be seen, some of which have covered uphill and downhill tracks to a considerable extent. On the shady side at higher altitudes, drift snow can still be prone to disruption. We were only on the move up to an altitude of just over 2400m, where the snow cover was already well established on the north side.

Overall impression

We made good use of the last day of good weather for the time being and found fantastic pimple powder in beautiful ski terrain.