Snow report Montafon, 01/21/2017

Snow condition

2-star classic. You have fun and can find good descents in open terrain. However, the sharks are still there and the adrenaline sometimes kicks in when you shoot towards unexpected bumps at high speed, and in the lower elevations in the area from 1500 m, the first grassy areas come through again in the sunny areas. Some of the classics in the area can be done slowly but are noticeably curbed by undergrowth, which is still missing for unrestrained shooting.

Snow quality

Everything is there. As the temperatures at 1500m this morning were almost 15 degrees above the valley temperatures (-16 in the valley and -1 in Gargellen), you can also find everyone higher up. The fun is now over on the sunny slopes. But you can't really stick to the rule. We also had descents today that still had perfect powder on the east-facing slopes, and on the descent from Jöchl we had everything from powder snow, drift snow and hard wind cover up to 50m. Until yesterday, the snow structure was very even in some of the popular touring areas in the region, with no cover or intermediate layers. Today everything was different - pay attention to your line choice.

Attention, the situation is extremely varied in the region. The bad guy at the moment is the wind. While there was hardly any wind in some areas yesterday (Sonnenkopf/Brand), today on the Madrisarunde you could see some very heavy loads. The deposits are not only near the crest but could be seen over entire sections of the slope, which is difficult to assess at the moment. On one slope there are self-detached snow slabs - 100m further on there was a crack caused by a skier about 50m away - 200m further on you can ski big mountain lines. (see pictures) I am currently rather critical and stay in flat touring terrain.

Overall impression

Nice day, even if I just don't want to warm up to the season. You can have fun! Of course, I'd like to see supplies coming in slowly.