Snow report Stubai Valley, 11/15/2018

Snow condition

You can ski down the piste to the middle station. Off-piste, the snow conditions vary greatly depending on where the snow has blown away. In general, the snow conditions are relatively good on the north-facing slopes, but very poor on the south-facing slopes, and the summit flank of the Schussgrubenkogel has quite a lot of snow at the top. Access is possible directly from the small pass next to the summit. Further down, the compact snow cover without rock contact extends into the lower part of the Warenkar, and the gullies on the apery Pfaffengrat don't look bad at all in terms of snow conditions (see photos).

Snow quality

Very dependent on exposure and altitude. On the Schussgrubenkogel there was good powder snow on the summit flank (north/northwest side). A little further down, you can already find a snow cover on the sunny side, and with good timing there is also firn on the south side. In the shady gully on the apery Pfaffengrat there is also still settled powder snow. So relatively far up and on the shady side you can still find powdery, settled snow that is easy to ski. thanks to lukas_pg for the last CR from the Stubai Glacier. It helped a lot with tour planning, especially the details on snow quality.

The main danger at the moment comes from crevasses. Smaller avalanche cones from wet snow slides in sunny, rocky terrain could be seen. Otherwise, the snowpack makes a well-settled impression.

Overall impression

Two beautiful tours in the area of the Stubai Glacier, combined with an overnight stay at a well-located campsite :)
On the first day, a leisurely tour to the Schussgrubenkogel with a beautiful descent. You should be sure-footed on the ridge to the summit. Otherwise, an easy tour with an ascent via the Warenkar and Windachferner back to the ski area.
On the second day, a little steeper and a gully on the rough Pfaffengrat. Good conditions at the moment. On the ascent you don't sink in too deep thanks to the settled snow cover, and on the descent the settled powder snow is also good for steep stuff.