Snow report Valle dei Mocheni, 01/29/2026

Snow condition

The weekend's and yesterday's snowfall sum up to up to 60 cm. With this we have a good enough base for the the easier skitours. So, graciously stars.

Snow quality

The fresh snow was powdery, though already compacted. It was not wet, nor wind-affected. It was deep and fast to ski, with wide enough skis

Difficult and dangerous. Like in Austria, the dry early winter caused a weak layer to form, hence a persistent layer problem is present. But, in merit of the 60 cm of snow on top of it, it is not easy to trigger the slab. We did 4 ECS tests, all of them positive, but they did only release after the last elbow clap mostly. But yes, avalanches might scale in size proportionately, and consequences were to be serious. We did discontinue the ascent of Pizzo Alto, as did all the other parties, due to these risks and consequences. Note, we did not see wind affected areas in our vicinity, but higher up along the ridges wind slabs might play a role, and also areas with changing snow depth should be particularly dangerous. Allover, a avalanches situation that is very tricky to judge, so better be very cautious. We have seen spontaneous avalanches higher up, cracks in the snow and WHOOOMPF sounds were terrifying. Be careful!

Overall impression

I had announced it and so the season in Valle dei Mocheni has begun. As anticipated, the avalanche situation is very tricky. But the snow on the gentle slopes was prime! Brilliant atmosphere and company! Only a handful of others on tour! Snow chains needed and successfully applied! Avalanche rescue trained and ECS tests executed. Valle dei Mocheni, a.k.a. Bersntol, always delivers! In company of Tim, Nia, Laura and Ilaria.