Snow report Ammer Mountains, 03/20/2014

Snow condition

Of course, the amount of snow in the Ammergau mountains is very low and the warm temperatures of the last 2 weeks and the rain at the weekend had a negative effect on the conditions. You had to carry your skis for the first 150m. After that, however, the amount of snow was sufficient for the ascent and descent.

Snow quality

On the ski tour, the snow quality was very changeable and less good overall. After the warm spell and the rain, an icy layer of harsch formed, which was very slippery to walk on, but relatively grippy on the descent. Unfortunately, this load-bearing harsch alternated with large areas of firn (see photo), which made the conditions even more difficult. Another problem was the snow cover, which did not freeze through everywhere at night. For this reason, slopes exposed to the sun were already relatively critical in the morning. At the same time, however, the sun also provided some very nice firn on the descent.

Caution was required due to the unstable snow cover and the influence of the sun.

Overall impression

What started out as a hike turned out to be a thoroughly worthwhile undertaking. The Ammergau mountains are still interesting, especially in anticipation of fresh snowfall.