Daniel Schweiss

If Lyngen's geographical high point were in the Alps, the summit would certainly be notoriously overpopulated, but here in the far north of Norway you can be completely undisturbed even in perfect conditions in April. Although the ascent is long and involves a lot of climbing, it is generally not very difficult. The reward is Lyngen's longest descent in one go.

In the current 2016/17 winter season, Mammut is revamping the lightest member of its avalanche backpack line, the "Ultralight Removable Airbag 3.0". The suffix "3.0". The revised Removable Airbag System (RAS), which is housed in this lightweight backpack, has further improved the backpack's weight and space. With a total weight of just 1.5 kg including the carbon cartridge and airbag unit, the backpack turns out to be a fully-fledged minimalist among airbag backpacks. The fact that the compact and lightweight airbag unit can be interchanged between various compatible Mammut backpack models makes this specialist interesting for ski tourers who want to be light, fast and safe or just want to go downhill.

According to Arc'teryx, gloves are among the most demanding products in the entire range. This statement is quite understandable when you consider the performance profile of a glove in relation to the complex anatomy of the hand. As usual, Arc'teryx pays great attention to this insight. The expectations of us discerning consumers are correspondingly high. Will the numerous technical features pass the everyday test?

If you take the gondola to Gemsstock and look left in the direction of travel for potential outside the ski area, your eyes will inevitably be drawn to the NW and W flanks of the Rossbodenstock-Badus chain. While the steep western slopes between Rossbodenstock and Piz Badus in the Unteralp are off-limits in winter due to a wildlife sanctuary, the Rossbodenstock NW flank offers a multitude of "legal" lines, almost all of which are steep and interspersed with rocks. Thanks to Swiss engineering, the Rossbodenstock is also easier to reach than you would expect in Andermatt.

The most technical piece of freeride clothing from the fossilized and tusked shaggy animal comes with Mammut strength. Mammut's extensive experience in the development of technical mountain sports clothing reaches its peak with these pants. Probably the most interesting innovation is the fully integrated climbing harness, which you can't tell from the pants, but which nevertheless enables rapid abseiling without compromising on comfort and style. In addition, the pants feature a number of other useful details.

Anyone heading south through and over the Gotthard has to pass it: at 3073 m, it is not even particularly high, but at a dizzying 2500 m, it towers majestically over the flat valley floor of the Reuss valley in Uri. This fact alone, in addition to its prominence, beauty of form and steepness, makes it a dream destination. But one that is anything but a gift!

How can you further develop a backpack without getting lost in pointless details? With the lightweight "RANDONNEE 30" ski touring backpack, Salewa has opted for the pragmatic, tried and tested approach. The compact backpack has an attractive appearance without a lot of frills.

The Bedretto Valley just behind Airolo needs no introduction to the touring community. With excellent transport links, it offers a huge reservoir of touring opportunities on both sides of the valley. And since south-facing snowstorms have been a reliable part of the winter weather repertoire, this valley is blessed with impressive amounts of snow every year. Of course, these two facts ensure that the Bedretto is very busy, but fortunately the crowds here also move along the red lines on the ski touring map. Once you leave them, it quickly becomes quiet and usually rather steep...

In the far east of Switzerland, the Lower Engadine has long led a somewhat forgotten existence. Since the opening of the Vereina Tunnel, however, it is now within reasonable reach of urban centers. The contrast could not be greater! Scenic beauty and an almost un-Swiss expanse and tranquillity can still be found here in their original form and the mountains offer first-class skiing and freeriding tours when the snow conditions are right.

If, despite all caution, it does happen, a shovel and probe are part of your life insurance, along with an avalanche transceiver and personal know-how. No wonder, then, that the demands on robustness and user-friendliness are high. Can the new developments from SALEWA meet these requirements?

Preventing a burial must be the top priority for every freerider and ski tourer. Prophylaxis naturally starts with tour planning and appropriate behavior. In recent years, technical developments have brought additional progress in protecting against complete burial or reducing the depth of burial in the event of an avalanche. The leading provider of avalanche airbag systems, which has been operating since 1985, is ABS. SALEWA has been an "ABS Inside Partner" since 2012 and offers selected backpacks with an integrated ABS system.

The Pischa ski area has been marketed as a freeride area for some time, but has long been a hot tip among connoisseurs as a starting point for countless variants. One of the most beautiful and remote leads from the summit of the Pischahorn down the east side to Berghaus Vereina. Instead of hiking for miles through the narrow Vereina valley, the Wisshorn is another summit destination. But this summit has to be earned, without a doubt. But the effort will pay off many times over when you plunge into one of the two rarely used north- or west-facing variants. First lines guaranteed!