Snow report Sölden, Ötztal, 12/07/2014

Snow condition

As already described in several previous reports, quite ok. There is actually nothing below 2500m, so it's better to forget about skiing there. Above that, however, it quickly becomes more, and there was already less snow in February. All in all, not a huge amount, but above average for December in the generally rather snow-poor Ötztal.

Snow quality

Actually great (at least above 2800m). Great, cold powder, but windy in places and broken snow on steep sunny slopes, so one star deducted. In principle, however, the snow was great. Sunday and Monday brought another 10cm in combination, but then again with a strong northerly wind, so that a lot of snow was transported.

Difficult. At first glance, it looks quite stable, as only point-like cracks and loose snow avalanches were observed. However, the snowpack already has a lot of layers for early December, even in the soft snow (of which there is usually 20-30cm on a melt crust) there is a weak layer that is prone to failure. This means that in steeper terrain there are also the typical alarm signs such as cracks, rumbling noises etc. Surface rime is widespread in ridge locations. All in all, caution is required, especially now with the recent wind

Overall impression

Actually great, unfortunately Sunday and Monday quite limited visibility.