Although this winter trip has been a firm fixture in the diary for those involved for a year, it is not uncommon for everything to be called into question again shortly before departure due to work or family commitments or changes. So far, however, we have always set off anyway and usually with a handful and a half of people. This time, however, only six of us had arrived in Leutkirch in the Allgäu. To be precise, there were only two of us at first, as some of us had travelled there by train and Deutsche Bahn is usually not very punctual on main and especially secondary lines. So there was still time for extensive familiarisation with the two campers we had hired from Sunlight. And for an intensive study of the by then freshly programmed weather and snow maps on PowderGuide.com.
Winter 2023/24 practically only started for the south at the beginning of February 2023. But then Mrs Holle produced three heavy southern storms within three weeks, all of which managed to be mentioned as PowderGuide PowderAlerts. So the snow conditions were ok for the trip planned for the second week of March. Certainly not exhilarating, but just for the first weekend, the fourth PowderAlert was declared within a very short period of time, and the anticipation was great. The bigger issue was the fluctuating and unpredictable snow line over the next few days.
It is important to note that the period and the destination are always announced on the last night of last year's trip. That was in Armenia in 2023. It is a fixed ritual that an 'external lottery fairy' has to draw the suggestions submitted by those present - and this gives rise to some interesting stories. To visualise a picture and to anticipate the end of the Südstau trip just a little bit: This time, by chance, we found ourselves in the only traditional Bavarian Gasthaus still open in Nesselwang. Not even google could warn us that the tenant had changed shortly before and that we were on our way to a medieval-style pub. The food and beer were delicious, but the lottery fairy was strangely dressed - but more on that later.