Snow report Bregenzerwald, 12/28/2014

Snow condition

It's the first snowfall and it's very heavy. In general, it is still below average. The lack of a base in particular is still making off-road riding much more difficult. Ground, stone or root contact is unavoidable. In Mellau (700 m) it is approx. 50 cm and up to the tree line (approx. 1,700 m) it is already almost 100 cm. Above that it varies greatly.

Snow quality

It's perfect in areas sheltered from the wind. Fine, airy, cold snow. However, the lack of a base still significantly spoils the fun.

Above the tree line there are clear signs of wind and with the amount of fresh snow (approx. 100 cm in the last 72 hours) a 3 is certainly normal. Below that it is the finest cold fresh snow without binding. As it is the first snow below (1,600 m) there are no weak layers. In steep terrain (>35°) the sluff could become unpleasant.

Overall impression

It was nice to ski in cold fresh snow again. Due to the limited visibility, not much was possible and the variant and non-variant terrain (closed forest areas) was more or less a mogul slope in the evening. It is Christmas after all. The photo with the small skis shows the amount of fresh snow in the valley at around 400 m. Tendency: it's getting warmer, then the whole thing can settle down.