Snow report Kitzsteinhorn, 03/18/2017

Snow condition

There have been two more intense rainfalls since my last visit, so it now looks quite solid. Many rocks, especially in the direction of Langwied, have now disappeared and with knowledge of the terrain it is possible without any major rock contacts. The amount of fresh snow overnight is very difficult to estimate, as the wind has been working hard above the Alpincenter and the snow has become increasingly wet below towards Langwied. The measuring station at the Alpincenter shows around 30 cm of fresh snow. Some of the ridges and ridges are still very heavily blown or snow-free.

Snow quality

The snow below 2100 m was already wet in the morning. But it was still solid to ski. In the course of the morning, the upper sections were opened up and we found new/deep snow on the Schmiedingerkees that was heavily influenced by the wind but very good to ski. The sinking depths were manageable in this area. As the day progressed, the snow also became heavier at this altitude. It was ok until midday.

Avalanche activity could already be heard in the morning at the parking lot. Some larger wet snow avalanches could be seen on the lift ascent to Langwied (see also pictures). Below approx. 2100 m, you could already see numerous wet snow boulders in the early morning. The fog made visibility difficult today, so we were very passive on the way. We couldn't see any activity. A guided group with 5 participants skied one of the steeper slopes at the same time, despite two falls the slope remained stable... The ski area has closed off a Langwied variant at Lakarschneid level (see pictures). At the moment, you should watch out for drift snow above approx. 2300 m and wet snow avalanches below approx. 2100 m.

Overall impression

Started without expectations and it didn't turn out quite so bad after all. It was okay until midday. We heard the ultimate saying of the day during a descent: "Awesome powder today". There is no agreement from our side.