Lukas Zögernitz

Völkl promises "the optimum balance between ascent and descent performance" for the VTA 108. This balance between low weight on the ascent and stability as well as maximum length and width for the descent has been the holy grail of freeride ski manufacturers for a few years now. We tested whether Völkl has found the holy grail with the VTA 108.

A tragic accident during the preparation meant that a winner who was not on the podium, favorite victories and top placings for the Austrians became a minor matter.

Since the 2017/2018 season, LWD Tirol has been offering the option of automatically receiving the daily avalanche situation report and new blog entries in the form of a Whats App subscription. This service has proven to be very useful in practice and is therefore our Gear of the Week.

With the Shaxe, BCA implements the "2 in 1" principle for avalanche shovel and ice axe. We tested how practical this combination is and whether BCA's implementation meets the quality requirements for this safety equipment.

The new 16/17 season K2 Marksman is designed as an all-mountain freerider with a penchant for freestyle. The ski, with a center width of 106mm, was developed together with K2 Factory team boss and freeride legend Pep Fujas in the K2 development laboratory with the marketing idea "Area 62". The idea of a universal "shred ski" that is fun in powder as well as on runs on and off the piste is appealing and in times when more and more skis with a 102 mm center width are on the move in the parks, it seems that its time has come. In the following gear reviews, we'll let you know whether the Marksman delivers on its promises.

Lighter - tougher - more agile. This seems to be the credo of the hour for freeride boots. The boundaries between freetouring and downhill-oriented boots with a walking function are beginning to blur. The Italian boot specialists from Tecnica are also consistently following this trend and, with the Cochise 130, are delivering a downhill-oriented four-buckle boot that doesn't need to hide away on the ascent either.

With the "Big 40", the German goggle specialist is expanding its range to include snow goggles that have been specially designed for freeriding. In line with the trend for oversized powder goggles, the focus is not only on the design but also on many technical details. We tested the goggles in various conditions to see whether the features and design were convincing.

Whether the designers K Hagberg / M Hagberg had any idea that they were creating part of the basic equipment of many athletes when they created a shopping bag for the Swedish furniture giant decades ago probably remains their secret. What is no secret is that their Frakta creation is now an integral part of climbing gyms, bike park parking lots and many other sports facilities. That's why the blue and yellow all-rounder at a competitive price is more than deserving of our Gear of the Week this week!

Who wouldn't want to escape summer in Europe to find their beloved snow in the southern hemisphere? But somehow summer activities like biking are fun too. So why choose just one option? Word has spread to Europe in recent years that New Zealand is also a great place for biking. We used our ski trip to the other side of the world to explore New Zealand's excellent trails by bike. Here are our experiences, the advantages of a combined bike & ski trip to NZ and what you should definitely bear in mind...

The location of the ski resort at the entrance to Mt. Aspiring National Park near Wanaka is breathtaking and so is the freeride terrain in the area itself. The modern lifts and the favorable location for snowfall in the west of New Zealand's South Island make Treble Cone, or TC as the locals call it, one of the best freeride spots in the southern hemisphere. Reason enough to give TC a thorough spot review!

The traditionally ascent-oriented brand Dynafit has also committed itself to the freetouring trend and has been offering freeride outfits and skis as well as the Khion touring ski boot trimmed for downhill performance since the 15/16 season. We tested the carbon version of the boot over the course of a season in all types of freeriding and ski touring. Find out in our test report whether the time of compromises between uphill and downhill performance is finally a thing of the past with the Khion.

Thanks to a combination of lift and bus connections, the tour to the Gamskogel from the Axamer Lizum allows you to collect plenty of downhill meters without having to exert yourself too much on the ascent. In addition, the tour offers many options that can be combined as the mood takes you and, thanks to the shady orientation of the slopes, good snow can often still be found a few days after the last snowfall.