Kitzbühel Alps on 21.12.2024 | winterkind

Snow condition

The last snowfall on Friday with approx. 20 cm + is now enough to make a few turns in the terrain. Up to an altitude range of approx. 1300 m, this is possible in SE exposure if you choose the line optimally. Below that, it quickly becomes very thin. We didn't look at anything on the north side as we didn't have a good feeling about getting back into the area without a huge effort. The terrain is still quite uneven due to the lack of snow and all terrain traps such as streams, fences, stones etc. are only minimally snow-covered if at all. Downhill runs only make sense with pistes. The snow conditions should hopefully improve significantly over the next few days.

Snow quality

In the morning, the cold temperatures produced beautiful fluffy powder snow.

The main danger of terrain traps dominated in the SE exposure. On the short ascent, we found an ice crust under the powder snow on the shaded side (close to the ridge). As we were only a few meters on the shaded side (ascent), I can't say how pronounced this layer is. You should keep this in mind for the coming days. In the northern sector, you could see accumulations of drift snow close to the crest.

Overall impression

A first day with usable powder turns. Very little going on, perfect weather and no damage to people or equipment. Let's hope that winter will now also start in the east.