Snow report East Tyrol-North Carinthia, 02/17/2016

Snow condition

Quite ok thanks to the new snow. But you can't go full throttle. You inevitably come across stones again and again. Very poor on the south side up to high altitudes.

Snow quality

Quite warm today and heavier everywhere. But still nice to ski on the shady side. On the sunny side it's soft from midday and if you're lucky you'll find nice breaks right up to the higher altitudes.

That was a day today. We dug several times and found a weak layer close to the ground throughout from around 1900. From 2200 onwards there was often noticeable settlement with rumbling noises. Cracks forming continuously, often 10 m away. In all the tests we carried out, ECTP was consistently present in just a few strokes, and once it even occurred during sawing. Even with PST, breakage was consistent at less than 10 cm. We saw 4 self-triggered snowboards, another one triggered by a skier. (The old snow problem was more pronounced today than described in the situation report due to the increase in fresh snow and the strong warming and the critical area has started well below the indicated level. We have to be more careful in the area.

Overall impression

Impressive day, alarm signals all the time. The current snow conditions make defensive tours possible.