Due to the heavy snow falls this week we were happy to enjoy an early opening of the ski touring season around Vienna. I was studying various weather reports and data, webcams, internet forums etc. for the whole week to determine the location for our opening ski tour. Finally our decision was on the Niederalpl pass (1220m) in Styria (about two hours car ride from Vienna). There is a small ski resort on the pass and we thought that using the grassy pistes would be the best option for the limited amount of snow (30-40 cm).
October snow at the Niederalpl, Styria
The skinning was straightforward, just following the piste below the pylons of the chair lift. Since the snow fall was associated with heavy winds the region above the tree line was not really skiable. Most of the snow was blown away into the woods. Hence, after one disappointing excursion near the summit of the Wetterin (1530 m) we stuck to the piste.
Gerhard skinning at the Niederalpl, Styria
Given the time of the year conditions were quite good here and we got some nice turns in fresh, but somewhat wet snow. It was a real pleasure to be on skis again after four long months without the planks.
Fun with early ski turns in October at the Niederalpl, Styria
Plus, seeing first hand the arrival of winter was awesome. This early winter experience will help us for sure to get over the period of warm autumn weather which is forecast for the next week.
Winter Idyll in October at the Niederalpl, Styria
