Snow report Alpenostrand, 03/02/2019

Snow condition

If you could hardly believe how much snow there was here in mid-January, now you practically can't believe how much has thawed again in February, disguised as April. On the whole, there is still just enough snow up to around 1000m (depending on the exposure, of course), which is why I give it another 3 stars. But it probably won't stay that way for long, especially as you can't expect too much snow cover growth at lower altitudes in March.

Snow quality

Rain in the valley, changing to sleet and snow from around 1000m. So below about 1200m it was slush, above that wet fresh snow. Above 15000m, just under 10 cm came together, which was heavy but no longer completely wet, so it was quite nice to ride. Even the wet fresh snow further down was actually still ok.

Difficult to judge, hardly any visibility at the top, and the wind wasn't exactly gale force, but it was strong, so you should watch out for snow planks above the tree line. The high temperatures and the wet snow seem to combine well, but it rained a lot last weekend and in many places the base is a brutally hard rain crust, so you should also bear that in mind. Caution is advised here, but firstly, there is not as much snow as there was a few weeks ago and secondly, a lot of sliding snow avalanches have already gone and there hasn't been any significant snow for a long time, so the risk should be manageable here too.

Overall impression

Thought about leaving it in the morning in the pouring rain in the valley, but it was actually quite nice after all. The piste and right next to it in the empty ski area with wet fresh snow, not great conditions but it was still fun for a few hours.