Venosta Valley on 15.03.2024 | winterkind

Snow condition

We were ski touring in the Ötztal Alps on the South Tyrolean side on Wednesday and Thursday. By Wednesday morning, up to 5 cm of fresh snow had accumulated at the starting altitude of 1900 m, which quickly rose to up to 20 cm with increasing altitude. On the north side there is an excellent base (4 stars). The situation is different on the south side. Due to the angle of the sun and spring-like temperatures, activities up to an altitude of approx. 2300 m + will soon only be possible to a limited extent. The bottom line is 3 stars.

Snow quality

A dream on the north side! Beautifully settled powder in wind-protected locations. However, the snow quality will deteriorate due to the very sunny and warm Thursday.

On Tuesday, the NW wind blew quite strongly more or less all day with poor visibility on the ground, and it moved the snow to the high altitudes. As a result, we limited ourselves to the altitude range below 2800 m, where the impact was ok except for a few exposed spots. On Wednesday, there were isolated areas on the ascent in terrain <35° where the fresh snow lay on a thin cover and had no connection to the old snow cover. There was loose snow under the cover again (from an altitude of approx. 2500 m upwards). Due to the well-known old snow problem and the findings in the first ascent, we spent both days in the cruising area.

Overall impression

Two absolutely rewarding days of touring in a fantastic setting. The weather could have been better on Wednesday, but there were equally rewarding runs in the forest. But on the second day, the weather was perfect.