Johannes Wolf

We were at OutDoor in Friedrichshafen for you again this year and kept an eye out for the latest trends. Here you will find a brief overview of the trends and new products from the hardgoods, clothing and accessories sectors.

The warm and snow-poor winter in the northern Alps shortened this season enormously, which is why we decided to head north. Norway had been on my to-do list for a long time, but where to go? As the country is not exactly known as a bargain paradise and our budget was also very limited, this made our planning more difficult. So we decided on a trip by car and tent to the Voss, Sogn and Jotunheimen regions. Ten days in Norway on a budget. In mid-April, we drove across Germany to Hirtshals, Denmark. From there we took the ferry to Bergen, where our real adventure began.

As more and more freeriders are planning their routes on computers and using GPS devices and smartphones to find their way around and navigate the terrain, the electronic freeride map has been available since December. With the "Scout App" (available for Android and IOS) and the tour planning software "Tour Explorer Live" from MagicMaps, it is now possible to plan your route in advance and be navigated by the "Scout App".

Who hasn't experienced the downside of a beautiful powder day? You're cruising comfortably down the slope and then suddenly it happens. A fall or an incorrect release of the binding - and the ski has disappeared under the blanket of snow... As beautiful as the white rush is, in these moments you usually curse it. Instead of continuing to ski, the first thing you have to do is search for skis, and that takes time. Although there are some search tactics to keep the unpleasant search operation as effective and short as possible, it usually costs valuable time. Deep snow bands can help here. This season I was able to test the deluxe model from SkiFi, the skiFi ProRider XC, on a few tours.

The organizers SPURart - Design your line, SAAC - snow & avalanche awareness camps, Projekt Berg & Freeride-Map invite you to an avalanche lecture entitled "Die Lawinen reissen an" on Thursday, 27 March 2014.

There are now plenty of ways to bring your body back to a comfortable temperature for all those who are cold. For those who still like to be out and about on the mountain even in icy temperatures and are reluctant to get lost in one of the frequent heated party mushrooms in the ski resorts, the Heat Pack pocket warmers offer a good and, above all, inexpensive alternative for warming up again on really cold days.

The organizers of the Nebelhorn Classics have had to cancel the premiere of the planned freeride festival around the traditional Nebelhorn Classics.

As we do every year, we present the entire "splendor" of ISPO 2014 in pictures. After all, what is more meaningful than the impression of your own eyes.

One focus of ISPO reporting this year is, of course, the development of the market for safety and emergency equipment. The most important part of our multi-part ISPO special comes at the end: Here you'll find what's new in safety equipment.

The PG team has also explored the fashion facets of the world's biggest sporting goods fair for you. It goes without saying that the style factor naturally carries much more weight here than in other areas. Nevertheless, we also focused on function when it came to clothing. To cut a long story short: here you'll find the latest clothing innovations that won't let you down off the slopes and in the park and, ideally, will also make you look good.

Mammut has discovered that parts of the batches 12/12 & 03/13 of the newly developed "RescYou" crevasse rescue device may fail.

The Freeride Survival Handbook by Melanie Schönthier and Stephan Bernhard is packed full of knowledge on its 144 pages; because in the mountains you should be prepared for everything.