Marius Schwager

Over 2000 spectators watched a great freeride competition on the Wildseeloder in the Tyrolean ski resort of Fieberbrunn. The fifth tour stop was perfectly organized in almost perfect contest conditions with sunshine and 20cm of fresh snow on Saturday 10.3.2012.

The German freerider Pia Widmesser started the 2010/2011 season from the German national ski cross squad into the FWT circus. PowderGuide accompanies the athlete at the FWT tour stop in Fieberbrunn. Read all the information about the fifth tour stop in Fieberbrunn from March 9-11, 2012 as well as a short interview with Pia about the "Riders Special" here.

The Black Diamond AMPerage is supposed to be one for all freeride situations. Decent width, twin tip, modern shape. The PG editorial team took a close look at whether the "AllMountain" freeride ski from Black Diamond can really handle all areas of use, from the piste to backcountry freestyle sessions and deep powder, in a practical freeride test.

Spring has arrived in the Alps, but this week's online finds are still as wintery as ever. This week with video snippets from Japan, Hochfügen, Vallnord, Andermatt, everywhere else, a Jim Jack tribute and a brief foretaste of the upcoming surfing summer as eye candy - we winter fans can treat ourselves to a bit of summer too.

The Mammut Ride R.A.S. 30 is part of the new generation of avalanche airbag backpacks. The replaceable and interchangeable airbag unit should make it an all-round talent for freeriders and ski tourers. The PowderGuide editorial team tested the backpack in practice on the mountain over around 20 days of freeriding.

Sölden. A place name that is as well-known to skiers and snowboarders as Paris is to city travelers. Experts talk shop about whether Sölden or Ischgl is the number one après mecca. We try to take a look behind the scenes of the party metropolis. Does Sölden perhaps offer more than masses of drunken skiers, overcrowded pistes and mountains filled with pop music? A look at a topographical map could provide a possible positive answer. We took the plunge and paid a visit to the après-ski stronghold in Ötztal.

This week's video finds are led by a new round of Salomon Freeski TV with great impressions from Kashmir. Furthermore, an extraordinary video entitled "Glowing Man" and a snow shoveling video game in the vastness of the net were deemed particularly worth watching.

Winter all year round: Who doesn't dream of freeriding all year round? Even pro riders go to university or work in the summer. Miles Clark, a ski bum from California (USA), is living his dream. He lives in Squaw Valley in winter and spends his summers in the Argentinian Andes. PG spoke to him (over a bottle of Argentinian red wine) in Bariloche (Argentina) about his life in permanent winter.

There is a new addition to the Völkl freeski category. The Shiro should delight all speed fans who position themselves between the wide Kuro and Katana. A continuous rocker should ensure all-round suitability despite all the hardness and stability. The PowderGuide team tested the Shiro in practical use on the mountain.

Despite the carnival crowds, we can't resist a round of freeride net finds. Once again, the filtered weekly brew in a nutshell.

The Dynafit patent on the low-tech bindings expired a few years ago, the logical consequence being replicas. We tested whether the Plum Guide is more than just a replica and offers better performance for freeriders and chased the binding through the powder slopes of Tyrol and other parts of the Alps.

New freeride net finds. New in 2012 is that Red Bull and Travis Rice claim to have found out what snowboarding is really all about after redesigning an entire slope for a contest. More videos from the Freeride World Tour Qualifier Hochfügen, a sit-ski backflip and the now average madness from Tyrol and the (almost negligible) rest of the snow world.