Snow report Sölden, Ötztal, 06/10/2017

Snow condition

The snow conditions in the southern Ötztal mountains are seasonally very poor. Basically, the snow line has more or less retreated to the glaciers. Occasionally there are still snow tongues that reach a little further down. We were still able to ski below the Niederjochferner (below the Similaun) up to 2800m above sea level. On the Marzellferner, skis can be strapped on at an altitude of around 2700m. Of course, this meant extensive ski carrying or cycling. Nevertheless, the conditions on the glaciers were really good and the crevasses were still extensively covered in snow.

Snow quality

The snow cover froze solid at night on both Friday and Saturday. As a result, we mostly encountered perfect firn on the descents. Conditions on the north face of the Hintere Schwärze are also still good at the moment. There is a layer of snow about 5 to 10 cm thick on the ice. So it is relatively grippy on the ascent. But it was also hard on the descent, but still easy to ski.

Due to the long dry period and the good weather in recent weeks, the snow cover was stable and the risk of avalanches was low. There were a few old wet snow avalanches or wet snow slabs on the surrounding mountains. However, I can't say exactly when these came from.

Overall impression

We had a perfect ski touring weekend in the winter room of the Martin Busch hut with the best weather and brilliant tours. And the Hintere Schwärze could perhaps be worth another 1-2 weeks. We lost a carabiner with an ice screw in the Schwärze (top view of the lower right section of the wall). Maybe someone will find it.