Where is Tirol’s Snowiest Place of the Past 30 Years?
The snow falls softly… And here’s my ‚Who Wants to be a Millionaire‘ question for you: Where is Tirol’s snowiest place of the past 30 years?
Four possible answers are given:
A) Hochfilzen in Pillerseetal Valley
B) Hinterhornbach in Lechtal Valley
C) Leutasch near Seefeld
D) Obertilliach in East Tirol.
Well, did you guess Tirol’s snowiest place correctly or did you have to use the „Phone-a-Friend“ lifeline? Read on for the solutions!
A) Hochfilzen in Pillerseetal Valley clobbers the competition as Tirol’s snowiest place: When it comes to seasonal averages (1983/84 – 2012/2013), Hochfilzen has the most snowfall in Tirol — 671 cm of new snow per year. At an altitude of 960 meters, Hochfilzen is the snowiest but also the lowest of the four places listed above. Average maximum snow depth during the 30-year record was an incredible 134 cm. This makes it the snowiest inhabited place around Tirol. On average, Hochfilzen reaches 143 days with snow on the ground each winter. Quick question: Is there a place in Tirol where snow sticks around longer? Continue reading to find out!
B: Hinterhornbach in Lechtal Valley
Even though this village at an altitude of 1,101 meters has a population of only 90 people, it manages to set the record of being the snowiest place in Lechtal Valley. Hinterhornbach receives a 30-year average 507 cm of new snow per year (1983/84 – 2012/2013). Over the winter, the average maximum snow depth reaches 106 cm and there is snow on the ground for 141 days.
C: Leutasch near Seefeld
Leutasch averages 515 cm of new snow each winter (1983/84 – 2012/2013), and the average maximum snow depth reaches 107 cm. Lying at an altitude of 1,135 meters, one „number-one“ edges out the competition by a nose: Snow sticks around in Leutasch near Seefeld for an average 151 days per winter. That’s eight more than the days with snow on the ground in Hochfilzen!
D: Obertilliach in East Tirol
And what about possible answer D? Nestled at an elevation of 1,400 meters, the village of Obertilliach is the lofty perch on this list. An average of 388 cm of new snow is par for the course each winter (1983-2013) and the average maximum snow depth during the 30-year record was 93 cm. On average, there’s 146 days a year when snow is on the ground.
How did we come up with this list of Tirol’s snowiest places?
Ski tourism researcher Günther Aigner examined 30-year average annual snowfall data from Tirol’s climatic data center to come up with a study on that topic in fall 2014. Read the full report here: www.zukunft-skisport.at/das-pillerseetal-die-schneereichste-region-tirols (German 0nly).
When he is not working, Michael Gams is out exploring this beautiful country, hiking, mountain biking, freeriding and ski touring to the most beautiful spots in Tirol.
