It was a shock to the system, albeit not entirely unexpected given the regularity of snowfall in Austria in late August. Nevertheless, it is always a treat to see the first incarnation of winter arriving after such a hot summer.
All the Austrian glacier ski areas received a good cover of snow from the weather system, with the snow line reaching to about 2000m. Still too early to make a big difference to the glacier ski area opening times, the snowfall was however welcome, and should it be followed by big falls in September then the October glacier ski area opening times could see some great early conditions.
A number of the glacier areas have adopted snow storage schemes whereby spring snow is humped together and covered in protective sheets, leaving large quantities available for the season opening preparations, where it is redistributed to the none glacier pistes and connections. This combined with natural snow can ensure some epic October skiing.