Patrick Wehowsky

Small and compact packable insulation jackets are one of the best developments of recent years. The Down Sweater from Patagonia is one of them.

For the average winter sports enthusiast on one or two boards, ski goggles are a necessary but rather unloved piece of equipment that is usually only used in the worst weather conditions. In fine weather, however, the respective sunglasses model of the season is preferred to ski goggles, after all, with rather narrow sunglasses, the surface area of the face to be tanned can be maximized, which is one of the main interests of the common winter sports enthusiast. For freeriders and freestylers of the younger generation, on the other hand, functional ski goggles are the means of choice in all weather conditions. The significantly enlarged field of vision, the reduced risk of fogging and, last but not least, the obligatory snow owl goggle face as visible proof of a good winter season are all positive factors here.

Deeluxe Spark XV - the first of its kind? A snowboard boot for freeriders and tourers

After a number of interesting and sometimes innovative books on the subject of avalanches have been published in recent winters - such as the book by Nairz/Mair on hazard patterns - a new avalanche book has now also been published by the renowned mountain publisher Rother: "Lawinen: Verstehen - Vermeiden - Praxistipps". The author is long-time ski tourer, mountain rescuer and physicist Eike Roth.

Slideways is a four-part series in which Wolle Nyvelt, an Austrian snowboard pro from the Zillertal, wants to explore the "soul" of his sport. The series is broadcast on Fridays on Servus.tv and is available to watch online afterwards.

For a long time, splitboards were frowned upon by touring snowboarders in Europe. A splitboard was said to be too heavy and therefore too sluggish on the descent. Far too much weight per foot had to be dragged up the mountain compared to a touring ski setup. And then there are the problems caused by the wide skis and soft boots when traversing on hard ground. The European solution of choice was short skis plus a normal freeride board.

Have you ever got cold teeth from the permanent grin? If not, or if you feel the need again, put on your skins and head up to the Heimspitze. This northern descent from the Heimspitze into the Valisera Valley offers pure freeriding pleasure. At around 700 meters in altitude, the ascent is easy to manage, even with heavy equipment.