Snow report North chain, 02/24/2019

Snow condition

The last few weeks have already allowed a bit of snow to thaw. As there really was a lot of snow before, it's generally still good enough for 4 stars. At the top, however, it doesn't look so good, many ridges have been blown away. There was a lot of wind on the north side, so you have to watch out for stone contact on steeper sections. Further down, the mountain pine fields are all still completely covered in snow. I didn't go all the way down to the Hungerburg today, it might be a bit tricky to get all the way down.

Snow quality

Departure at 11:45 from approx. 2400m. There was some fresh snow on Friday, which was already very wet on the southeast side at this time. On the south side it was fine, at the very top on the south-west side it was even hard, but the fresh snow means there is still no nice firn. On the south and southeast side, it didn't have a good top yet. All in all it was still okay to ski. At the bottom, in a short, completely shaded section, there was even some powder.

The drift snow has settled well due to the relatively high temperatures and the sunshine. On the south side, watch out for wet loose snow avalanches during the course of the day. And the problem of sliding snow will probably remain for the rest of the winter. Some of it has already come down well (in the run-out of the Diretissima, slopes west of the Seegrube), but some is still hanging in there.

Overall impression

Enough for just under 3 stars due to a small adventure bonus. The ascent today was certainly better and more interesting than the descent.
From the start of the Innsbruck via ferrata via the Seegrubenspitze and the eastern Kaminspitze to a small summit a little further west. From there there is a nice line to ski down towards the Parklift mountain station.
There is not much snow on the via ferrata due to the strong wind. The rope is not buried under the snow in some places. Nevertheless, you should take your own rope to be able to secure yourself in a few places. Towards the south, the ridge is heavily overgrown in places. Keep your distance from the cornices and also watch out for holes in the snow cover that you don't want to fall into.
All in all, a nice alpine adventure in the immediate vicinity of the ski area. However, you are almost always in fall terrain. You should be confident with crampons and ice axes in exposed terrain and bring your own rope for belaying.