PowderGuide

"Bike-to-ski" is somehow trendy, although not too many skiers or ski tourers actually get on their bikes to reach the lift or starting point for a ski tour. Of course, the place of residence plays a major role here. The journey to the railway station or bus stop can also be covered quickly by bike in some circumstances and helps with the environmentally friendly journey to the snow.

Freeriding will become an Olympic discipline from 2030, as the IOC and FIS announced today at a joint press conference. The competition format will be slightly adapted, but the "spirit" of the sport will be maintained, assured FWT CEO Nicolas Hale-Woods.

The Black Diamond Recon LT avalanche transceiver can unexpectedly switch to search mode even though the rotary switch is in the transmit position. The malfunction can be rectified by updating the device firmware to version v1.3 or higher. Black Diamond is conducting a voluntary recall for the device.

The SLF avalanche warning service regularly explains various aspects of avalanche prevention in the "AvaLounge". Another exciting livestream will take place tomorrow (14 March). Topic: No risk, no fun - is there anything to it?

According to Mammut, there may be problems with the locking mechanism on some of the Alugator Ride 3.0 Hoe and Alugator Ride SE shovel models. These are only products produced from November 2021 onwards.

Since this winter, the SLF has categorised the danger levels with intermediate levels. What do you think? The Swiss Avalanche Warning Service would like to know, and is asking the target group of ski tourers and freeriders to complete a short questionnaire.

Next weekend the Climb The Mountain (CTM) Splitboard Festival will take place on the Bielerhöhe in the Silvretta. We are giving away 2x2 tickets for participation on Saturday, 28.1.23. Who would like to come along?

As every year, the SLF Winter Report provides a comprehensive review of the past snow and avalanche season in the Swiss Alps. The weather conditions and the development of the snow cover are presented in detail. Avalanche accidents in the 21/22 season are listed in tabular form, and some selected accidents are analysed in more detail.

Ortovox is recalling the Litric airbag backpacks. In some cases, the recently introduced electronic airbags have problems with the blower unit. For this reason, Ortovox is voluntarily recalling all Avabag LiTRIC models (Avabag LiTRIC Tour, Avabag LiTRIC Freeride, Avabag LiTRIC Zero) including the zip-ons.

The 2022/2023 season is currently in the starting blocks. The first snow has fallen, but there's not much going on in the terrain yet. Nevertheless, Christmas is already approaching, more or less suddenly! As suitable gifts for freeriders and ski tourers is always welcome, we are once again presenting the PowderGuide editorial team's Christmas wishes this year.

The Austrian Alpine Association is once again offering the Avalanche Update this year, and we are pleased to announce that there will once again be more than 20 live presentations in Austria. We can expect the latest developments in practical avalanche awareness and rescue techniques, which will be illustrated using avalanche accidents from the previous season. A lecture for everyone who wants to get to grips with snow and its dangers again and prepare for winter in the mountains!

Today (Monday, 7.11.) from 12-13:00 Peter Plattner and Walter Würtl will ask the question: "Are you prepared for winter 22/23?" at the ÖGSL's Schnee.Semmelnar. After an introductory talk, there will be time for discussion with the speakers and the community.