Johannes Wolf

The Schafalpen are located between the Kleines Walsertal and the Stillach and Rappenalptal valleys and offer all kinds of challenging tours. The Roßgundkopf, which is part of the Schafalpenköpfe group, offers secluded descents in an impressive landscape, especially in the early season when the snow conditions are already suitable and the Fellhornbahn is not yet open.

Unusually early in the year, all well-known manufacturers presented their products at the OutDoor Show 2017 in Friedrichshafen this week. The four-day OutDoor is the most important trade fair for the outdoor industry in Europe. The PowderGuide team was also there and looked around for the latest trends and innovations for you.

The manufacturer Dynafit has had so-called freetourers in its range for several years. These are wide touring skis which, thanks to modern materials such as carbon, are light enough to master long ascents and still deliver good downhill performance in powder thanks to their width. The Meteorite is just such a free tourer. We took a closer look at the ski and tested it in various conditions.

For some years now, more and more manufacturers have been focusing on additional protective equipment alongside helmets. There is now a very large selection of protectors for all possible body parts. For many freeriders, back protectors in particular are now standard equipment. The choice is huge, from backpacks with integrated protectors to all kinds of protector variants for wearing under a jacket and airbag systems for alpine racing. In today's Gear of the Week, we briefly present the Hybrid 2.15 OTIS Body Vest from Marker.

This year's ISPO is once again all about ecological clothing and recycling in the textile sector. Like last year, the trend towards muted colors is continuing. As in previous years, the pioneers in the ecological clothing sector are the companies Vaude, Pya and Picture. In general, more and more manufacturers are doing away with harmful PFCs. In addition, more and more companies are trying to impregnate their clothing without fluorocarbons.

Avalanche dogs save lives thanks to their good nose: despite modern technology, they are still irreplaceable. Like other mountain rescue services, the Tyrolean Mountain Rescue Service trains the sniffer dogs. PG was on site and was amazed at how deeply the four-legged friends can sniff out scents.

It has to be small, light and practical - today's emergency backpack. In addition to the first aid kit, it should not be missing in your backpack, because the weather changes quickly in the mountains and you need a safe shelter in an emergency. The Ultra Light bivy sack is also a real emergency talent.

In the third part of our ISPO report, we present the new products in the textile sector. As we already saw last year, manufacturers are once again focusing on muted colors such as ochre and merlot. More and more companies are also attaching importance to ecological clothing and are using wool or recycled materials, for example.

Like many manufacturers, Salomon now has a number of freeride boots in its range. We tested the Salomon Quest Pro 110 for you.

In addition to the avalanche app from the Tyrolean LWD, there is now a quiz app from the same company with which you can playfully improve your knowledge on the subject of avalanches and snowpack structure.

In recent years, more and more manufacturers have presented wide touring skis that are also designed to deliver great downhill performance in powder. Thanks to modern materials such as carbon, these skis are also very light. Dynafit is also launching a real freetourer on the market with the Chugach. We were able to take a closer look at the ski in the local mountains and in the ski touring Eldorado of Norway.

The time has finally come: the Warren Miller Film Tour is touring Germany again. The motto of the 66th film this time is, as the title suggests: "Faster than your own shadow". To mark the start of the tour, we are giving away 4 x 2 free tickets.