Snow report Berchtesgaden Alps, 03/12/2022

Snow condition

In sheltered, shady areas there is an average amount of snow for the time of year, around 1.5 m at 1600m. It is astonishing that despite the long, virtually precipitation-free period, people can still ski on shady forest paths down to relatively low altitudes, approx. 1000-900 m. In sunny locations and on the windward side, it is well below average.

Snow quality

It's surprisingly good in the shade, but a lot of it is already tracked. There is very settled powder down to deep layers, but it is very good to ski. Otherwise, there are also hard layers of melt and warm slush.

The situation is relatively stable, but the very dry powder creates a risk of slipping on steep terrain. The snow gets wet in areas with very strong sunlight, but there is usually not much left there.

Overall impression

Pretty cool in terms of the terrain and a lot of the snow. Due to the dry and still cold air in the shade, there is still a surprising amount of powder, which is nice and dry, but unfortunately not particularly deep. In the steep terrain, it was quite difficult to walk because the powder snow is very slippery. The contrast between sunny sides and sheltered shady areas is really stark. Tomorrow will be warmer and foehn, so it will tend to be worse.