Snow report Salzburger Land Süd, 04/28/2018

Snow condition

I was quite surprised today (in a negative sense) at what has happened since my last visit at the beginning of April. At around 1650 m, the snow depth has reduced by around 2 m (you can easily estimate the "new" snow depth from the boulders that are becoming snow-free again). During the ascent as well as the descent, you had to take off your skis for short passages from time to time. The situation didn't get any better with increasing altitude. All wind- and sun-exposed areas more or less dried out. There are massive wind tracks high up in the Alps, so a lot is exposed. However, today's north-east ski tour was still possible without any major problems. For the end of April, however, the snow conditions in this area are poor compared to the last few winters. You can feel the summer april and the influence of the foehn.

Snow quality

In the morning, right from the start, there was a supporting layer of melted snow, which became thicker with increasing altitude. On the descent shortly before 10 a.m. we had very good firn and summer firn on the last few meters. The wind delayed the firn a little.

Classic spring conditions, start early and finish early. Not everything is unloaded yet! In any case, wait for sunny nights.

Overall impression

Despite the limited amount of snow still available, it was another beautiful and, above all, quite lonely day of touring (we only met one other solo skier) with good firn on the descent.