Snow report Arlberg, 12/27/2014

Snow condition

After it had been snowing heavily for the last 72 hours, the Arlberg (we were in Lech/Zug/Warth) was also given its fair share. From the valley to above the tree line, there was between 40 and 50 cm of fresh snow. However, the wind had worked hard so that differences in the individual slopes were recognizable. There were some accumulations of drift snow and some blown-off areas above 2000m. Today we had wind throughout, which freshened up a little at midday, which also had a negative effect on the cold temperature. As the base was still insufficient, there was still stone contact.

Snow quality

The snow was very loose and only weakly bound. The powder shot up to my chest/face as soon as I picked up some speed. It was very good to ride, provided the visibility issue is not taken into account.

The avalanche situation was critical as the drift snow slopes were not very easy to recognize as the visibility was not great throughout the day. We were mostly within the tree line or just above it. Above only in flatter areas. In shorter, steeper passages, the fresh snow came off very quickly.

Overall impression

Despite the poor visibility, it was a very successful powder day thanks to the fantastic masses of fresh snow. Unfortunately, there weren't many pictures as we were more focused on skiing down and keeping our fingers warm.