Snow report Upper Black Forest, 03/20/2019

Snow condition

The snow melt is progressing. There is still a continuous blanket of snow on the Rinken, which could last until the weekend without a short ski carry. From Stollenbach it looks different, the Toter Mann descent to Hüttenwasen is history, there it looks very much like ski carrying. Otherwise, the shady slopes still have good snow cover and skiing is usually possible without stone contact.

Snow quality

The fresh snow is still preserved in the wind-protected shady slopes on the Zastler and Baldenweger, great for skiing if you choose the right route. Otherwise there is some bare ice, steep descents are best practiced so that there are no surprises.

Looks quite stable at the moment, I couldn't detect any fluoroscopy today. The big cornice overhangs are in the Zastler and Baldenweger below, pay attention to the route choice on the former, the bolts are frozen hard and crossing an avalanche field is no fun.

Overall impression

Better than I expected, as it looks like it should be fine until the weekend, despite the progressive warming, and in addition to firn there should even be some nice powder fields to be found. Unfortunately I left my camera and cell phone behind today, the picture was taken on the approach.