Lorenzo Rieg

With the Vanguard, La Sportiva is launching a long-awaited boot onto the market that utilises an innovative design. While the trend in ski touring boots is moving towards the "overlap" design familiar from alpine boots, La Sportiva has optimised the more classic "convertible" design with the Vanguard. We tested how the boot performs uphill and downhill.

Faction is now well established as a pure freeski brand, but is still an (almost) unknown agent in the touring ski sector. With the Agent series, Faction now has an interesting touring ski line in its programme, although it is perhaps worth noting that the models marked with an "X", i.e. Agent 1.0X, Agent 2.0X and so on, are basically the same skis.

ISPO, an interesting but also very exhausting trade fair, has been postponed from January to autumn. However, at PowderGuide we still do our best to provide you with information about the material for the coming season. However, the information is largely based on information we received from manufacturers - after all, we weren't able to scrutinise the new products ourselves at ISPO.

Aconcagua fleece jackets from Mammut have been around for a really long time. At least I imagine I owned one about 15 years ago. Of course, the models change over time and there is currently a whole range of Aconcagua jackets and trousers. What they all have in common is the high-quality Polartec® Power Stretch material and their existence as a mid-layer.

With the A.LIGHT, ABS has launched a completely redesigned backpack system onto the market. The release system with the two balloons, the familiar cartridge and release unit remains the same, but the backpack concept has been completely revised. There are currently two zip-ons in different sizes for the base unit, which contains the airbags, release unit and cartridge. We tested the backpack with the larger TOUR attachment.

While the winter of 2021/2022 somehow doesn't really want to get going, even at the end of January, the new 160-page Downdays book arrives. This time without a year in the title, but simply titled "Volume 3", it is once again a loose collection of interviews and stories that are roughly divided into three sections.

Ortovox is launching an innovation onto the market with the Diract Voice. In search mode, the avalanche transceiver provides spoken instructions to help you find buried victims as quickly as possible.

Messyweekend is a young manufacturer of sunglasses and ski goggles from Denmark that is characterised by eye-catching designs and affordable prices made possible by direct sales. We have extensively tested the Float II goggle.

The Patrol series from our long-standing partner Evoc probably needs no further introduction on PowderGuide. In a nutshell, these are practical and well thought-out toploader touring backpacks with a large opening for side access, which have been available in different versions and sizes for years.

With the new Radical Pro, Dynafit presents a new high-end all-round boot that is designed to impress both on the ascent and the descent. We tested how it performs in practice for you last spring.

The new PowderGuide partner UYN (which stands for Unleash Your Nature) is probably unfamiliar to many PG readers. However, the popularity of the high-tech underwear from Italy can be seen, for example, in the fact that almost all World Cup skiers from various countries are wearing UYN equipment. We have tested how the EVOLUTYON shirt performs in freeride and touring use.

The relatively young but already well-established PYUA brand is not only worth a look because of the practicality of its garments, but also because of its strong focus on sustainability.