Snow report Arlberg, 01/01/2014

Snow condition

In general, the snow conditions at the moment can be described as rather poor****en. Stone contact can be avoided on the slopes with a little caution, but stone contact is unavoidable in the terrain. Some of the ridges and crests are completely blown off and the snow cover is not really there. In deeper gullies and leeward areas, there are sometimes substantial drifts due to the wind, which also cause the risk of avalanches.

Snow quality

The snow quality is difficult to judge when there is hardly any snow. Where there is snow, the snow is acceptable for the time of year, just not enough.

The greatest danger comes from snow-covered gullies and hollows, in which unstable snow packs lie and can be triggered by individual skiers. Otherwise, the danger is limited due to insufficient snow.

Overall impression

The overall impression for us freeriders is rather bleak, as there is simply too little snow in the area. There's no thought of drawing a line, it's more like "poking around" between stones and, as the last report said, "sacrifices have to be made". If you really want to get out on the boards, I would choose the piste to give the sports equipment another day of use afterwards. Never before have I encountered such poor conditions at the beginning of January.