Glacier days

Here's a long summary of my first skiing days of winter 2018/2019 on Austrian glaciers.

Kaunertal opening, mid October 2018

Kaunertal opening is usually a nice event with park jibbing and often decent snow conditions on the glacier. Not this year; snow conditions were horrible but with some kind of magic they managed to build a nice park.

On the way, Germanys highest peak Zugspitze and no sign of snow.

Fernpass road and summer weather at 1200 meters altitude and mid October.

Staying over in Imst again and evening feels like hot indian summer.

Drive to Kaunertal glacier shows that dam pool is full of water for once but there isn't much white snow in the horizon...

Sure enough, it hasn't snowed properly at all yet and glacier looks dire.

Fun park looks like white strip in moon landscape, and is full of jibbers.

Jib, jib.

View from 3100 meters towards Italy doesn't show any snow.

Crowds at the top.

"Nice" snow.

Hiking a bit away from the park crowds..

No snow on the ridge.

No snow on this short video either:

Sölden, November 2018

The Alps got no new snow until mid November. After one dump I decided to check out Sölden again and snow conditions started to look better though temperatures were still too high for this time of year.

A stash of soft snow.

Video proof that Sölden had at least some new snow:

Dachstein, December 2018

Beginning of December 2018 and still no snow below 2500 meters on the Northern side of Alps. For the fun of it we decided to check out Dachstein glacier in Salzburgerland.

First proper winter conditions this year! The glacier ski area isn't too big so we decided to follow a trail to the side country. Skins on!

Ski patrol or Bergrettung people practicing glacier rescue techniques.

A reminder that we are on a glacier: watch out for crevasses!

A nice new hut was just being prepared for the season on the ridge, maybe 20 minute mellow hike from the lifts.

Views from the window are nice! Would be nice to stay the night here and ski the terrain in proper winter conditions!

The mellow glacier ski area.

Those were the glacier days of this autumn. Now conditions have improved and also lower elevation ski areas are open, and there is natural snow for tours. More about those later.

Happy holidays everyone!

-Mikko