Snow report Kaunertal, 05/17/2026

Snow condition

Probably the best snow conditions of the season on the glaciers. There was over half a meter of fresh snow at the top. Descent towards Fernergarten up to 2150m, the last gully before the parking lot is still possible. But soon you will have to walk from the glacier. The closed pistes can also be skied as far as Ochsenalm. Glockturm also doable.

Snow quality

On the north side it was still good at midday, everything else got a sting in the morning due to the high position of the sun even above 3000m. Things went better than feared down below

Critical amount of fresh snow exceeded, drifting snow, strong warming. More details on the avalanches in the overall impression

Overall impression

It started wonderfully: Sunshine, fresh snow, probably the best snow conditions of the season up here. I was out on my own, as no one was available at short notice. I thought to myself: I'll take a look at the situation. And yes, of course I speculated that I wasn't the only one attempting the Weißseespitze. I was aware that the amount of fresh snow and the drifting snow that I saw through the binoculars made it borderline and that I might have to turn back. There were two groups ahead of me. One opted for the north flank below the Zahn, the other for the ascent via the ridge from the Nörderschartl. I opted for the ridge, as I thought it would be too dangerous if a group of five (I think) stayed above me for a long time on the up to 45° steep slope. So to the ridge, mega scenery. There I quickly caught up with the group of 4, as there was quite a bit to track. Many thanks for this! They also offered to rope me up on the glacier. At the end of the ridge, we briefly analyzed the situation and decided together to try the traverse northeast of the tooth, with safety margins. Just before the exit, the slope is just over 35° according to the map, but perhaps it is even steeper now due to the receding glacier. Four of us waited in front of the steepest part, while the first one worked his way up the avalanche slope. About halfway up, the feedback came that it didn't feel so good, the fresh snow was slipping away a little. In the end, he wanted to take a few more steps and make the first hairpin bend. I think it was shortly after the hairpin bend, I don't remember exactly, that it happened: a slab avalanche straight out of a picture book. Width about 60m, length about 150m, thickness about 40cm. I was in last position and for me the avalanche was very quiet, just a gentle roar. Fortunately, the avalanche only broke below the person who triggered it, so he stopped right at the trigger point. Everyone took a deep breath. The first one waited at the release point, the rest went back on the ascent track to the last safe point. Briefing: What next? In the end, there were two options left: continue a little further along the ridge, as it seemed feasible, and descend via the northern slope that the other group had previously tracked in, or retreat directly via the longest but safest option via the Rauhekopfhütte to the Fernergarten. We opted for the second option, which turned out to be one of the right decisions of the day. To be on the safe side, we roped up directly and descended the 200 m in a wide arc towards the Rauhekopfhütte. From there to the end of the glacier beautiful slopes in still good snow, then partly traversing, partly ascending, partly running back to the road. After we went back up to the glacier, we immediately noticed the north-facing slope: an avalanche here too, much larger and obviously triggered on the descent. The estimated thickness of the avalanche was up to 1.5m, and it is possible that the initial avalanche broke through into the weak old snow after a few meters. The avalanche flowed over 400m, a flat section and a break-off down to 2900m. However, it seemed that the outcome there was also mild, at least we didn't hear a helicopter or see any traces in the deposit. If that was the case, it is incredibly lucky that nobody was on the large slope. It is interesting, however, that the direct north face and other variants were climbed where nothing came off. Conclusion: A day that will remain in my memory and also makes me personally ask myself the question: What would I have done if I had been alone? Would I have crossed into the slope? Would I have followed the other group if the ridge hadn't been groomed? I would probably have to say yes, because the stoke was high. The problem of the slope was recognized and discussed in the group and the right measures were taken to minimize the risk, but in the end it was a wrong decision, which had no serious consequences and thus offers us all the opportunity to do better next time. One point that, according to my memory, was only really noticed after the avalanche was that the sun was in this slope right from the start. Whether this was the cause is not clear. As there was also an avalanche on the other slope, it has to be said that it was generally extremely risky to even attempt it. The right decision from the start, which I should have made straight away, would have been to stay in the well-known freeride terrain in the area yesterday (tunnel slope etc.), as it looked very good there too. Finally, thanks again to Maxi, Johannes, Samu and Niklas for tracking and then taking me along in the rope team!