Lorenzo Rieg

We at PowderGuide have a long-standing partnership with the binding specialists from Fritschi in Switzerland. Fritschi is (and has always been) an important player on the touring binding market, which is why we are always happy to test the new products from the Kandertal. For the current season, Fritschi has significantly revised its range, which is why we are testing the latest generation of the Tecton.

With the Backland 109, Atomic has added a very wide, downhill-orientated ski in the Backland freetouring line. With the HRZN 3D on the shovel, it is reminiscent of the Bent Chetler series, but in terms of weight it is a Backland. We tested how the wide freetourer performs in action.

With the new Crux series, Head is launching a very light freetouring ski onto the market, which are intended to stand out from the competition in particularly through its downhill performance. At the same time, Tyrolia is launching new pin bindings. We have tested how the widest ski in the series, the Crux 105, mounted with the top Almonte 12 PT binding performs on snow.

Our partner Roeckl Sports has a whole range of interesting gloves in its programme, which are not only of high-quality workmanship, but are also often made from the most sustainable materials possible. We have tested how one of the top models, the Mieders GTX, performs in practice.

The electronic LiTRIC airbag relies on supercapacitors to inflate the airbag, which enables a very lightweight electronic airbag system. Of course, the system also offers all the familiar advantages of an electronically operated airbag, such as being very easy to carry on the aircraft, problem-free test deployments and, last but not least, no need to dispose of and procure cartridges.

As already mentioned in the short-term gear review at the end of last season, the Tigard is probably one of the ski touring boots with the best downhill performance on the market. And so it is certainly worth writing a full test report after a longer period of use!

With the Draco, Black Crows is bringing out an unusual ski. Although it is part of the "Freebird" touring series, it is still a very solid ski with a twin tip that is more suited to big mountain lines and those odd tricks.

With the new PowderGuide website, we are also presenting our community with a completely new weather service: the PG-ICON weather. Sebastian, who is probably best known to most readers from our "Videos of the week" section, is in charge of this. Sebastian holds a doctorate in meteorology and is currently researching tropical precipitation in high-resolution global climate models at the University of Trento. We are very happy to have Sebastian as a specialist in our team and are delighted to be able to introduce him and the new PG-ICON weather with an interview.

The Tigard (a mixture of Tiger and Leopard, by the way) is the new top boot from Dynafit. At approx. 1.5kg, the Tigard is a relatively light touring boot. Thanks to the carbon-reinforced Grilamid, overlap construction and the massive Hoji-Lock locking mechanism, it still has a real flex of 130.

For some years now, ATK has had pin bindings with a high Z-value and very low weight in its programme, which are aimed at ambitious ski tourers. This season we were able to test the ATK Raider 13 Evo, which also offers an adjustable DIN setting on the toe piece.

With the Scott Superguide LT 95, Scott is endeavouring to produce a ski that uses as few resources as possible. This is why not only the base and edges are made from at least partially recycled material, but also certified wood for the core and bio-based material for the topsheet.

With the Freeguide Touring, Scott has a new ski touring boot in its programme. The shell of the Freeguide Touring is identical to the Freeguide Carbon, but is softer and slightly lighter due to the use of Pebax material, and the boot is also cheaper than the carbon version.