Snow report St. Moritz / Engadine, 12/21/2018

Snow condition

Start, 9h, 2,200m, -10°C, quite strong wind from changing directions. No fresh snow, but well-set pow, approx. 80cm. S and W expos already got a lid from the strong "mid-Dec sun" yesterday. Conditions are still very good in shady and non-windy areas. Skiing below 2,000m is no fun here. In wind-exposed locations (and ski resorts), it is certainly only above 2,200m.

Snow quality

The zero degree limit is likely to have been around 2,000m during the day today. Above that still best pow, with the restrictions mentioned. Still very good with the right eye for the terrain.

We skied and climbed steeper things several times today (>35°). We were able to observe the drift snow deposits mentioned in the Lawi-SLF on the ridges. However, these were all rather thin, but very easy to trigger.

Overall impression

Visibility very limited in places, snow quality varying. Above 2,200m generally still good and with the right eye for the line still quite feasible. The 4th star is missing today because of the weather.
From tomorrow the days will get longer again and "winter has already lost, although it doesn't know it yet!"
Unfortunately, the current westerly weather conditions and the Christmas thaw also fit in with this. My wish for Christmas is that it gets its act together again and finally provides good conditions in the Allgäu, Lechtal and Bregenzer Wald. HeliSkiing in CDN and freeriding in JPN are really not an option!