Snow report Stubai Valley, 01/16/2021

Snow condition

Descent theoretically also possible off-piste to the parking lot. At the top 50cm+, even at the middle station still a good 30cm, but especially in the denser forest on a mixed base. Further up, everything can be skied regardless of the snow conditions.

Snow quality

Fine, cold powder snow. Not bottomless but not much is missing ;-) For skiing in flatter sections but actually almost better this way!

Let's now turn to the other side of the coin: those responsible have been talking about a "tricky foursome" for the past few days and anyone who has been out and about with any sense of reason should be able to confirm this. Breaks, settling noises and slopes were the order of the day. Of course, this didn't deter people from skiing all the lines that were even remotely possible, traversing under steep slopes and entering into blown-in slopes in packs. So it was only a matter of time before something happened: https://tirol.orf.at/stories/3085234/Um 11am was the time and at times there were more helis in the air than lifts open. Thank goodness there were no casualties here (as on the Stubai Glacier & in Kappl), but with the snowfall forecast for tomorrow, the situation will certainly not change or ease much and anyone who wants to ski for a few more years should definitely hold back at the moment.

Overall impression

The overall experience and the quantity and quality of snow were in stark disproportion today: on the one hand, the descents that you could (most likely) make in terms of avalanches were a dream, on the other hand, you can only shake your head at what went down in the Schlick today - and that doesn't just mean the numerous smaller and larger avalanches.

The parking lot was almost completely full at the start of the lift, every inch of the piste was dug up and restraint and consideration were out of place. In crossing passages, you were made fun of or skied right over, you had to wait briefly at a safe spot until the skier in front of you was out of the passage etc. etc.

Of course, the hype is there when there is 30 cm of snow in the city, even in Innsbruck, but it really doesn't have to be that way.