Lea Hartl

Monday of this week, March 21, was Poetry Day, proclaimed by the UN. Tuesday was World Water Day and Thursday is World Tuberculosis Day and the "International Day for the Right to the Truth concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims". Between water and tuberculosis and the right to truth lies World Meteorology Day, which took place on Wednesday, March 23. The day has a specific theme every year, and this year's is "Climate for you". I think that's great, so I'm going to write to the WMO and make a few requests. If there is already a "climate for us", it should also be useful.

The past few days in the northern Alps have been characterized by sunshine and foehn winds. Low pressure system Yvan slowly moved from the Iberian Peninsula to the Mediterranean and provided the southerly flow that brought us gale-force gusts last weekend. Wind speeds of 140 km/h were measured on the Patscherkofel on Saturday (12.3), 115 km/h on the Zugspitze and an impressive 104 km/h in Innsbruck city center (station at the university).

Life without the internet is inevitably relaxed. If the only weather forecast option is a more or less attractive lady on TV who moves clouds and suns around on a vague map outline and comments on the whole thing in a foreign language, then you just get up in the morning and look out of the window.

After a fantastic powder day on Thursday last week (16.12.), we had slightly frozen noses and a little toe that didn't really want to thaw out. On Friday, a chairlift acquaintance complained bitterly about the weather in general and the snow in particular, saying it couldn't be that it had been snowing for three weeks and the wife at home in Germany had to clear the snow again. In fact, this is already the second ski vacation where the sun never shines and it is also far too cold and in future he would stay at home?

Last week finally brought the long-awaited onset of winter in the north. While the base in the south grew with every Italian low, the northern Alps have lagged far behind. All the more pleasing now is the abundant northern accumulation: on Saturday (11.12.), a warm front nestling lovingly against the Alps brought up to half a meter of fresh snow in the (eastern) northern Alps, in addition to the starter that fell the day before.

Last weekend was probably an absolute early winter highlight for many freeriders. Saturday (4.12.) was sunny and cold across the board – and a bit of fresh snow on a soft base made for excellent conditions. At around 2000 m near Innsbruck, it was minus 16° C on Saturday and even during the extra speedy ascent, fingers and toes didn't really want to thaw out. The descent was of course more than worth the effort, which is why we were back in the same area on Sunday. But in completely different conditions: A few layers of clothing already fell off during the first short ascent in the morning. The thermometer confirmed our sweating, at -4° it was a whole 12° warmer in the same place than the day before.

The season is still young, but a lot has already happened in terms of weather and, above all, snow in the not-yet-quite-winter. Motivated powder fans opened many a valley run at the end of October after a friendly combination of low pressure areas north and south of the Alps left up to half a meter of fresh snow in places. Subsequently, a low pressure system in Italy caused südstau and a slowly growing base on the main ridge, while in the north almost everything was swallowed up again by the voracious Föhn.

At the beginning of my trip to South America, the situation is bleak. The north is drying out and the south is sinking into the mud. At least the base in Bariloche is usable and it's not the first time I've had to sit out bad weather here. I'm good at waiting and drinking tea and otherwise all I need is a little faith in God that it will eventually get the necessary few degrees colder and one day you wake up and there's a meter of snow on your doorstep.

Find out more about Chile's volcanoes here...

Sometimes, when I see the weather,
I get violent fantasies, and the weather fairy
would be the first victim of my aggression,
although I know: what's the point,
if you take her at her word and force her
that she jumps into the North Sea in a bikini.
- Wise Guys, Now it's summer

The world of winter sports fans is notoriously divided into two camps: season ticket holders and road trippers. The former usually live in relative proximity to this or that ski resort and are happy to indulge in the occasional boredom of a fixed commitment, while the latter are flighty and faithless – always on the lookout for the perfect spot with the perfect conditions.

There is a lot of complaining at the moment in the illustrious circles of powder fans. Almost no snowflakes in sight; sun, sun and more sun. Is the umbrella bar and frustrating flirtations with bored housewives from the Ruhr really the only thing left to do between the years?