Snow water equivalent (SWE) is crucial for assessing snow properties in various fields, particularly on glaciers to quantify winter accumulation and ablation. Presently, the majority of glacier science relies on yearly manual measurements, given the limited techniques for continuous SWE monitoring and the challenging conditions in a high mountain environment. The Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensor (CRNS) offers sub-daily SWE estimates derived from neutron counts. Though CRNS’s potential was first identified in the 1980s, its deployment on glaciers remains scarcely studied. This research installed a CRNS on Hintereisferner (HEF), Austria, for the winter season of 2021/22. Comparing CRNS outputs with snow pit measurements, the results demonstrated a deviation of -7 % ± 10 %. With an additional snow depth evaluation at our station a snow density deviation of -10 % ± 8 % was identified when compared to field measurements. The CRNS showcased remarkable resilience in harsh conditions, providing nearly continuous data from October to July. Using daily SWE and snow depth data, we categorized winter days into mass gain, loss, and densification. Furthermore, the study analyzed the capabilities of SNOWPACK and ΔSnow models in estimating SWE against CRNS measurements. Although the SNOWPACK model, grounded in its physical basis, performed best, ΔSnow convinced with its simplicity of only needing a snow depth measurement. Small adaptation to maximum density in the setup of ΔSnow could improve it even further. Continuous SWE data also enabled the derivation of a precipitation scaling factor from four automatic weather stations in the Rofen valley. Although one winter seems to be too variable in single events to find a solid scaling factor, the method proved to be working and most likely would perform very well with multi year data. In conclusion, the CRNS offers significant potential for remote glaciated areas. With its impressive resolution of approximately 1 mm per counts/h, the CRNS is invaluable across varied terrains—from high accumulation zones like alpine regions to low accumulation areas such as the Antarctic Ice Sheet—enabling insights into high-frequency SWE changes.