Marius Schwager

Oh, is it winter again? Sapperlott that was quick. The outside temperatures have already dropped to 20°, wePowder has already announced the first epic Powdays (including a "winter break"), so you might as well watch ski videos again and lick an ice cream with relish so that your central body temperature doesn't rise too much in the heat of the moment. Well then, get the vanilla ice cream ready and off to the cabinet of curiosities.

As we all know, everything is new in May. Green meadows instead of a snow-covered winter forest. The last round of Videos of the Week once again brings the essence of spring and our favorite videos of the season mixed together.

Spring is probably the most varied season in the Alps for mountain sports enthusiasts. Here you can plunge into 1 m of fresh snow and barely make any progress with your powder skis, the other day you can practise racing hairpin bends and the rest of the time you can fall under the spell of summer sports.

One of the most overused fashion slogans among freeriders is: It's so deep. Sometimes you wonder what is supposed to be so deep. It's usually not the snow, nor the meaning. All that remains is the level. Speaking of level...

Mother Hulda has shaken her pillows just in time for the egg hunt. Large parts of the Alps shone in brilliant snow-white. Some knew how to make the most of this, while others were quite happy with the higher sun and spring-like temperatures in the lowlands. February 2015 is already a great month.

Every year, the Easter bunny reliably arrives relatively soon after the Christ Child. The first ski resorts close their doors, the sun gets higher and higher and the summer mood sets in. Nevertheless, a few powder turns and beautiful firn runs await the undaunted. Another fine round of VdW for the rainy downday ...

Every year... not only does the Christ Child come, but also the early summer wish. The Easter bunny is already peeking out of his hiding place, and the general desire for skiing, powder and everything associated with winter is already subsiding. Apart from the FWT, there's not much going on on the video side at the moment. Winter seems to be over ...?

Some things need few words: Candide Thovex's masterpiece Few Words, for example. His cinematic work is now available for free on YT. Actually, that would be more than enough epicness for your weekly video consumption, but of course you can still find a few smaller bites here.

As we all know, old men are usually a bit peculiar. Life has been lived, the young women and the exciting adventures are history. For some, old age comes earlier, sometimes even before adolescence, for some it comes very late. Some of the latter category are represented in this week's Videos of the Week. Hats off, Mr. Morrison. To still have such drive at the age of 41!

Avalanches are one of those things. They are a certain residual risk that freeriders (mainly) have to contend with. Some of us are a little more cautious in this respect, others are not. An (amateurish, but nicely done) analysis of an avalanche on the Arlberg shows some typical mistakes. Another, a possible form of escape.

The main freeride season for the current winter is slowly but surely approaching. The stars in the conditions reports are hovering close to the three-star mark with occasional outliers up and down. Of course, the Videos of the Week can't let up ...

Once around the world seems to be the word of the hour in the freeride world. What works, gets done - what doesn't, too. The Videos of the Week with a swing through freeriding around the planet. Luckily, there's also a local mountain that you can quickly ride during a cafe break. At least if you live in Innsbruck or similarly favored locations.