Snow report Obertauern, 04/21/2017

Snow condition

We started at about 1600 m on the north side. Sufficient snow at this altitude and the track depth was up to 40 cm in the wind-protected forest area! Decent for the end of April. Clear wind tracks above the tree line. As the altitude increased, the wind became stronger and stronger, so we ended the tour shortly before the summit. There is almost no snow in high alpine wind corridors (see pictures). However, the snow conditions were perfectly adequate for our descent.

Snow quality

There was beautiful powder snow in the forest. Fantastic to ski. In the wind-protected alpine terrain, the quality was just as good. Where the wind had left its mark, there was a mixture of drift snow, wind cover (stable) and sometimes icy sections. Fortunately, the good sections clearly predominated.

The main danger today came from drift snow. Steep gullies and hollows should be examined critically. An early start is necessary. By the time we got back to the car at around 11 a.m., the sunlit snow was already quite wet. With the sunshine, avalanches from steep, rocky terrain and sliding snow slides are also an issue alongside the drift snow. During our descent today, we could see tourers who had perhaps only completed 1/3 of the ascent. They started much too late. We are no longer in the middle of winter, even if it looks like it in places.

Overall impression

We had a good choice of tour today: pretty good snow and hardly any people on the way. Only the wind with increasing altitude was a little annoying.