In February, a group of 9th generation EAGLES went on a field trip to Zugspitze. Before embarking on our journey to the Schneefernerhaus, a detailed pre-planning meeting was held. The tasks ahead were discussed, the food supplies were planned, and, of course, the weather forecast was checked in the hope of good conditions for drone flights.
On Monday morning, at 5:30 AM, our group gathered at the department, ready to set off. The first challenge of the day? Fitting all the bananas we had bought into the van— a difficult task due to the sheer quantity! With everything finally packed, we hit the road toward Schneefernerhaus, eager to begin our research.
Upon arrival, our first task was to hike to the area of interest (AOI). This gave us a chance to get familiar with the terrain and adjust to walking in snowshoes. After settling in, we held an evening planning meeting and got some much-needed rest in preparation for the next day’s measurements.
The next morning greeted us with a stunning sunrise and perfect weather—an ideal start to our fieldwork. We began by carrying all our equipment to the AOI with a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains.
The drone flights went smoothly, allowing us to collect the necessary data. We flew over the AOI in two iterations: the first flight was dedicated to capturing LiDAR data and optical data measurements, while the second flight iteration focused on collecting multispectral data.
Meanwhile, two dedicated students had the tough job of placing ground control points (GCPs) across the AOI—a physically demanding task, especially in snowshoes!
While drone operations were underway, the rest of the group took the opportunity to recharge at the Sonnalpin restaurant with food and drinks, while recharging the drone batteries.
In the early afternoon, after the drone flights were completed, we conducted snow depth measurements.
Unfortunately, as the day progressed, the weather took a turn for the worse. Clouds rolled in, the wind picked up, and temperatures dropped, making conditions more challenging. Despite the deteriorating weather, we successfully completed our measurements and returned to the station, satisfied that everything had gone according to plan. To celebrate our successful fieldwork, we enjoyed a well-earned lunch and a refreshing beer.
On Wednesday, we packed up and made our way to the Zugspitze summit. Unfortunately, thick clouds obscured the view, so we couldn’t fully appreciate the surrounding landscape. Given the conditions, we decided to begin our journey back to Würzburg. With a great music playlist and significantly fewer bananas than we had started with, we arrived back home, tired but fulfilled.
This field trip was both an educational and memorable experience. A big thank you goes out to everyone who made this field trip possible, with special thanks to Basil and Elio for their organization and support throughout the trip! All of us agreed that they would definitely return again in the future!
