Martin Hesse

When it comes to freeriding in the Salzburger Sportwelt, many riders focus on the highest resort of Zauchensee. However, the ski area that connects Flachau with its neighboring villages of Wagrain and St. Johann im Pongau is also home to a variety of interesting smaller spots, for which you generally don't even have to make any climbs worth mentioning.

When winter slowly but inevitably comes to an end in the Alps, perhaps the best season for skiing adventures begins in northern Scandinavia. We have eight days to find the most beautiful slopes on the Lofoten Islands, 200 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, with runs down to the seashore.

It seems like worlds have passed since my last visit to the Kitzbühel Alps a few weeks ago and the weekend just gone. From the depths of winter straight into midsummer. To my great surprise, I discovered one thing: the conditions between Hahnenkamm and Pass Thurn are still perfect. No powder, but "perfect spring snow".

We encounter almost no vehicles on the way from Baqueira-Beret in the Spanish part of the Pyrenees to Andorra. After two hours of constant ups and downs on the narrow roads over the Port de Bonaigua and the El Cantó Pass, the sea of lights of the duty-free shopping nirvana of Andorra shines out of the darkness deep below us.

The Pyrenees – For years, we have dreamed of making our tracks in the snow on the slopes of the border mountain range, which is up to 3,400 meters high and separates Western Europe from the Iberian Peninsula. This year it finally came true: seven days in four ski resorts in three different countries.

Westendorf is definitely one of the best freeride spots in the Tyrolean lowlands. Shady slopes, cliffs, long runs into the valleys, in short: here you will find everything a real freeride area needs. With 40 centimetres of fresh snow, we had the perfect timing in mid-February. A real blue-bird day in the Kitzbühel Alps.

Week after week, we are always on the lookout for a new powder mecca. Easy access, extensive terrain and few off-pistoholics - these are our criteria. Last week, all three points were exceeded. Where? In the Wildschönau, the quiet high valley in the middle of the Kitzbühel Alps.

The atmosphere in the Sitzmark Club, the bar at Alta Lodge, is unique: the guests I chatted to could talk for days about the adventures they have had here over the course of their lives. Almost all of them have been here several times. The mixture of a simple 70s hostel paired with Michelin-starred cuisine and a communal atmosphere like in your own four walls makes this location in the furthest corner of Little Cottonwood Canyon truly unique and worth a visit.

The Wasatch Mountains are the reason why skiers from all over the world come to Utah. From Utah's capital Salt Lake City, which is already 1350 meters above sea level, the Wasatch Mountains rise up to 2000 meters from the huge plateau.

The slopes of Deer Valley start right on the doorstep in the Silver Lake district. Among the three ski resorts around Park City, Deer Valley has a special status. The huge villas to the right and left of the slopes indicate that it is not exactly the penniless Americans who reside here. Strangely enough, snowboarders are denied access to the ski area from the outset. Only when the lifts close in April are they allowed to explore the slopes of Deer Valley.

We were really looking forward to our trip to Utah, the home of the legendary Champagne powder. We had to wait for months, but finally the time had come. A good year after leaving Silverton in southwest Colorado, we are back on a plane heading for the USA. Situated 1350 meters above sea level, the 2002 Olympic city is the ideal starting point for a road trip through the ski resorts around the Great Salt Lake.

A look at old ski atlases proves that Kitzbühel was considered a deep-snow resort long before the freeride boom began. This has not changed even in the age of fat skis. Many powder fans are drawn to the Kitzbüheler Horn or the slopes of the Steinbergkogel. If you venture deeper into the extensive ski area between the Gamsstadt and Mittersill in Salzburg, you will inevitably reach the Pengelstein, another sub-area with great freeride potential.