Snow report Kitzsteinhorn, 11/01/2014

Snow condition

Due to the current situation, I divide this point into 3 areas: groomed ski slopes, freeride and ski routes. Groomed ski slopes (***) At the moment, good snow conditions can only be found on the groomed slopes. At the moment, you can officially ski down to the 6-seater chairlift (Kristallbahn) below the Alpincenter, which is a whopping 600 meters of descent. The big dump for a few days was urgently needed. From midday onwards, the stones appear in exposed places. The Schmiedinger has only been rolled once. Here you will find good terrain to hone your technique. The park is perfectly shaped with various rails, kickers and other obstacles. A short ski cross course is new. This is a great way to pass the time until the next decent snowfall. Freeride routes (*) Outside the secured area, meaningful freeriding is out of the question. Above approx. 2,200 m there is a snow cover worth mentioning on the shaded side. At higher altitudes, the influence of the wind during snowfall is clearly visible. If there is snow, it is either wind or sun-harsh. Nevertheless, all possible variants above 2,500 m are heavily tracked and some are already moguls. Piste ski tours (**). Peaks such as the Kitzsteinhorn and the Maurerkogel are climbed in caravans. The fact that piste ski tourers have been welcome here since last year is clear to see. It is currently possible to ascend from Langwiedboden.

Snow quality

The pistes are fine and powdery in the morning; great for carving and making long turns - as the day progresses, it tends to get icy in all exposed areas and below 2,500 meters. Sunny slopes become slushy as the day progresses. Off-piste, the snow cover will be mostly hard packed. At these temperatures, the melted snow cover will also continue to form on the sunny side.

No activity was observed. Stones, crevasses and the risk of falling in extremely steep terrain currently represent a considerable potential danger. The drift snow seems to have settled well, but danger spots should still be assessed locally. In these conditions, the accumulating transformation can progress well, which is not a good basis for off-piste skiing.

Overall impression

A late summer mood prevails in the valley. Despite the snowfall, only piste cruising and piste tours are currently possible. There are currently two piste touring routes of approx. 500 m and approx. 900 m. The number of pistes is varied and 600 m can be skied continuously. All off-piste runs are officially closed, although all possible routes above 2,500 m have already been properly groomed and some have already turned into moguls. Despite all this, we will have to wait for the next one or two heavy snowfalls before the open terrain on the Kitzsteinhorn can be skied. http://www.kitzsteinhorn.at/ http://www.kitzsteinhorn.at/de/skigebiet/skitouren-herbst