Lea Hartl

Salomon TV (formerly Freeski TV) heads to Greenland in the latest edition. In addition to the film crew and the team riders, glaciologist Alun Hubbard is also on board. The pros have a guilty conscience because they pollute the environment with their many flights to exotic destinations and hope that their conscience can be soothed by helping a scientist with his work. Meaningful research? Or is it more of a show? And what was the snow like? We asked Professor Hubbard and Salomon Pro Chris Rubens a few questions about the movie.

The telemark trend that seemed to be on the rise a few years ago may be over, but the scene lives on. You could even say that there is more going on in the area of material development for the free heel group than for the chronically uninnovative alpine bindings. The New Telemark Norm is already several years old and the latest news is more about tech-tele hybrid bindings, which are gradually making it from garage tinkering to market maturity. We took a look at the Meidjo from The M Equipment at the Telemark Opening in Hintertux.

Unlike the films from MSP, TGR and co. discussed here so far, the production company Troublehaus is not backed by a huge media company, but by Swiss multi-talent Marco 'Tribi' Tribelhorn, who produced the film at home with a few buddies. Riding Rhythms has no budget to speak of and no famous professional riders, but is far ahead in terms of likeability and the action (including that of PowderGuide event editor Tobi!) is also quite impressive. We attended the film screening in Innsbruck.

A generally mild fall comes to a sunny but cold end. While the south-western Alps have received a decent base over the last week, the Föhn winds in the north have taken away most of the snow again. At least it is now cold enough again to run up all the available snow cannons and get the slopes in shape for the Christmas rush. In light of the current situation: What is artificial snow?

The Alps are on the edge of a Western European trough in a strong southerly current. While it snows on the southern slopes of the Alps, at least at high altitudes, the Föhn dominates in the north. How does the Föhn work again? And what's next for the weather?

After the passage of a warm front today, the current will turn to the southwest. While it will be very mild in the north with a föhn wind, precipitation will set in in the südstau. Further disturbances will follow at the weekend, bringing a lot of precipitation, especially in the south, but with a higher snow line than recently.

Today's GOTW is dedicated to a versatile piece of equipment that may be small, but achieves great things. A timeless classic that impresses with its low weight and pack size and is hardly damaged by years of storage in the backpack: the tea light.

There has been concern about the legendary ski resort in the Hautes-Alpes for some time: since the closure of the Chambon Tunnel last year, visitor numbers in La Grave have fallen sharply. In addition, the lease for the gondola and ski area expires in June 2017. Many locals fear for the future of their local mountain if large investors from the neighboring mega resorts get involved.

Both the Austrian avalanche warning services and the SLF have now made their full seasonal reports available to download online. In both countries, the warmer than average 2015/16 winter season only really began at the start of 2016. The number of fatal avalanche accidents was slightly below the long-term average. In Austria, 14 people lost their lives in avalanches last winter, compared to 20 in Switzerland.

The Alps are caught in a north-westerly current that repeatedly brings disturbances to the Alps. From today, Wednesday, until Friday, there will be considerable amounts of fresh snow, especially in the west. From the weekend onwards, the forecasts are still rather uncertain. It will be milder but remain wet with a chance of an Italian low. We'll leave the details to the oracle this time, who will be in touch later today.

To kick off the 2016/17 WeatherBlog season, we are addressing a topical question from PG user Peleiade: "What do I need to read? The polar vortex is weakening, extreme mildness in the Aleutian Islands and there is even a threat of a polar vortex split in early November? What does that mean in terms of fresh snow?"

Tecnica presents an interesting new boot for the freetouring segment for the 2016/17 season. The Zero G Guide Pro is a solid four-buckle boot that scores points with its surprisingly low weight and wide range of use. We tested the boot extensively in the southern hemisphere winter.