PowderGuide

The first autumn snowfalls have brought at least a brief chill to the glaciers, you need a headlamp again for your after-work bike tour and there is pumpkin soup everywhere - that can only mean one thing: winter is just around the corner. PowderGuide is also starting the season.

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Another mixed winter season comes to an end. After a late start, there was another good load of fresh snow in April - probably more than the entire winter. And at the weekend there's more to come. We are pleased that our visitor numbers don't fluctuate as much as the amount of powder in recent winters. We have also grown this winter and this encourages us to keep putting more and more energy into the PowderGuide project. But now it's time to call it a day for the 2016/2017 season.

Every year at the end of the season, PowderGuide invites all authors, ConditionsReporters, testers, snowstormers, PowderAlerters - in other words, the large PG community - for a weekend in the mountains as a thank you. It's not just about socializing, but also about sharing and discussing, as well as reviewing the season with all topics related to freeriding and ski touring - and of course being out in the snow. On Saturday, it is a tradition to offer one or more workshops - this winter, PowderGuide was able to win over snow rummager Lukas Ruetz, Lorenzo Rieg and Fabiano Monti and Walter Steinkogler from ALPsolut. This time they were invited to the very cozy Stuibenhütte, beautifully situated below the Alpspitze.

Freeriding as a women-only domain is a long outdated cliché. Men are confidently conquering the powder, the industry is offering more and more products that are specially tailored to men's needs and there are also more and more freeride camps where men can keep to themselves, hone their skiing technique with professional help and learn to push their limits. As a counterpart to the very successful Kästle Powder Department Ladies Days on the Stubai Glacier, we will be offering the PowderGuide Powder Department Gentlemen Days next winter!

Ski touring has changed dramatically in recent years. Whereas 10 years ago, the "supreme discipline" of winter sports was still largely in the hands of mountain dwellers, took place in spring and was mainly for early risers, today there are so many facets that we can't even list them all. From freeriders who often only make short ascents with skins to get to certain lines, to "classic" ski tourers who are all about experiencing nature and summits, to the ever-increasing number of "speed" tourers who focus on fitness. In recent years, this development has led to a veritable diversity of materials, which has not even stopped at bindings.

For the fifth time in a row, the Back On Track Freeride Contest 2017 will feature freeride action, hut fun, breathtaking scenery and friendly people in and around the Saarbrücker Hütte. This somewhat different freeride contest is built on the three cornerstones of "sustainability, nature compatibility and community spirit". The focus is therefore not on the sickest line, but on having fun together on the mountain - whether in the hut or on a ski tour on the surrounding slopes.

Steep larch forests, couloirs and descents of up to 2,000 vertical meters make La Grave one of the top destinations for freeriders in the Alps. The future of the ski resort is uncertain - 2017 may be the last winter in which the freeride Mecca still exists in its current form. Long-time PG and mountain guide Stefan Neuhauser is offering a freeride camp in spring, where you can get to know La Grave in its original state.

Last Friday, the Freeride World Tour stop was held in Vallnord-Arcalís. This was followed by events from the FWQ and FJT series in Austria at the weekend.

After eight tips, the mountains are white, but the weeks of high the snow cover. Time for an interim result. We Ullr disciples are of course optimistic and hopefully there will be plenty more opportunities to tip: It's still worth entering! Huge prizes await the best new-snow scout!

What should we take a closer look at for you? In order to offer our community added value beyond simply presenting the interesting new products, we want to ask you specific questions and take photos of what you are most interested in. Send us your questions as a comment on the article by Saturday, February 4, 2017!

Winter has now arrived in most of the Alps and we are once again organizing a photo competition this year, in which not only a photo of the week will be chosen every week, but there will also be three main prizes at the end!