Lea Hartl

Since the beginning of the week, the very mild phase that has kept us busy recently has come to an end. High pressure still prevails in the Alpine region and the weather is autumnal in character, with high fog in many valleys and sunshine for those who make it out of the fog. A change in the weather is on the horizon for the weekend, which should make the whole Alpine region feel much more like winter.

Today, we are not so much concerned with the future as with the past when it comes to Snow of Tomorrow. The French oil and gas company Total is the fourth largest player on the market after ExxonMobil, Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell. Total's management was demonstrably aware of the negative effects of burning fossil fuels on the climate over 50 years ago.

There will be little change in the weather until the weekend. High fog will dominate in many valleys and in the Alpine foothills, with sunshine above. Snow is not in sight for the time being. There are options for winter over the course of next week in the crystal ball range, but this cannot be relied on yet.

The WeatherBlog kicks off the season and gets in the mood for the approaching winter in the autumn sunshine. Initially, there will be little change to the established general weather situation. The forecast becomes uncertain at the weekend. A cold front is likely to bring cooling. There are moderate precipitation options for the Alpine region, but they are on shaky ground.

Last spring, the inner shoes of my ski touring boots started to show signs of disintegration. I get blisters relatively easily and started taping my feet where the chafed inner boots rub so that I don't lose more skin with every tour.

A subjective selection of current studies in the field of snow and avalanches, this time with a focus on the connection between avalanche frequency and climate change. For those who want to read further, the scientific publications are linked in the text.

The Bella Tech LS is a thin merino longsleeve for "multisport" use in warmer temperatures. Thanks to the well-known, pleasant material properties of merino, it is comfortable to wear even when wet.

Steffi from SnowFlurry recently asked the group at the final PG meeting how long everyone's ski season is. There were as many different answers as there were people in our "circle". The ski season is not tied to the meteorological or calendar winter and just because the WeatherBlog goes on summer break doesn't mean that the skis are summerized.

Before coronavirus, the monthly "SchneeSemmelnare" events organized by the Austrian Society for Snow and Avalanches (ÖGSL) were small lunchtime events in a seminar room in Innsbruck, usually with speakers from Tyrol. Since the switch to a digital format due to the pandemic, it has been possible to watch from anywhere and the speakers have also become more international: Manuel Genswein recently gave an update on companion rescue.

PA 15 had it all. The fact that a continuous blanket of snow forms in April even in the valleys - even if only briefly - is not completely unusual from a climatological point of view, but it is rather unexpected. Especially if you were still wearing a T-shirt just beforehand! What's more, it snowed both north and south of the main Alpine ridge! What was going on?

April weather lives up to its name and brings us a late PowderAlert after the first days of summer in March. A combination of high pressure over the Atlantic and a pronounced low pressure complex over northern Scandinavia is pumping cold polar air towards us.

Canadian Eric Hjorleifson, better known as Hoji, has been shaking up the freeski scene for 20 years. He first made a name for himself as a young talent in MSP's films, but is now increasingly drawn towards material development. We spoke to Hoji about his beginnings as a pro, current developments in the sport and, of course, about equipment.