Snow report North chain, 12/28/2019

Snow condition

The measuring station at the Seegrube measures 2m of snow, of which just under 150cm has been added in the last 7 days. At the Seegrube and above it looks really good in the meantime. The variants at the top are easy to ski. You should generally still be careful on ridges, these are rather blown away, the mountain pines are not yet completely closed, so you should still avoid fields of mountain pines that are too dense. At the Hungerburg there is a cosmetic 3cm of snow. However, you can ski down relatively far without suffering any damage. The 3-person descent takes you to just below the Umbrüggler Alm, the last section has to be walked.

Snow quality

Everything from 2 to 4 stars depending on exposure and altitude, with poor snow quality of course in the blasted avalanche cones. At the top you can clearly see the influence of the wind in the snowpack. From about 2100m upwards, the snow became less wind-affected and fluffier. As the sun had been shining on it since the morning, the snow became heavier in the course of the morning despite the not so strong sun and the actually cold temperatures. In the middle slopes, where the sun shone later or not for so long, it was nice and fluffy powder snow, but for good snow you should avoid the south and southwest exposures tomorrow.

The blasting masters on the Nordkette have let it rip again today and blasted a few considerable avalanches. Virtually all the gullies came down and the slopes between the cirque and cable car gullies also had many avalanche edges in them, so the drift snow was probably relatively good and could be triggered over a large area. In addition to the large avalanche cones, there were also a few gliding snow mouths above the Höttinger Alm and a few gliding snow avalanches have already come down.

Overall impression

The ski season on the Nordkette is open. You can like it, but you don't have to. There are generally a lot of freeriders out and the tourists also make for longer waiting times.
All in all, a good day on the Nordkette. There were fewer great lines on the Hafelekar today than we had hoped for, but we did find some good lines in beautiful powder snow away from the hustle and bustle.