Sebastian Müller

January is over, but the winter is still not very wintery. A few short episodes of fresh snow made for spectacular images - especially at the Freeride World Tour in Val Thorens, which will be remembered for its impressive lines and deep powder. Nevertheless, the snow conditions are below average in many places. There is hope for a sustainable return of winter, but the weather situation remains complicated.

It won't get any more wintry in January. Apart from low pressure activity in the Thyrennian Sea, not much precipitating weather is to be expected. Although the western Alps will get some snow again at high altitudes, there will also be some rain. We believe that the main reason for the uneventful westerly weather is the stability and positioning of the polar vortex. Is the winter weather dead and if so, when will it rise again?

The Kilo from La Sportiva is a newly developed ski touring boot that is named after its weight of one kilogramme and promises strong downhill characteristics despite its lightness. Here we present the boot based on initial but not yet ultimate impressions.

Sport Conrad's Snow Safety Days are aimed at budding freeride and ski touring enthusiasts and are a first introduction to lifelong learning about avalanche danger. The theory was first crammed into the head office in Penzberg and then put into practice the next day on the Zugspitze. The program was spiced up with the best advice on avalanche safety equipment.

The Scandinavians lead the way once again. Trygg Lind and friends are a feast for the eyes and ears, and Antti Autti finds the best spots and lines, and simply tells the story so well. Carlikolumna also proves with her ConditionsReport that dream conditions are currently prevailing. So, at least for now, don't head south, head north!

All good things come from above, but our weather mostly comes from the west. Cyclones and troughs form in the Atlantic and then wrap around the Alps with fronts and cold air intrusions. Or warm air simply rushes in from the Azores High and puts the brakes on all skiing fun. The Atlantic is Europe's weather kitchen, it's still feverishly warm and there's a bit of everything this week.

The heavens have given us plenty of presents for Christmas. It's still cool at the moment and there's still plenty of powder under the northern slopes of the Alps. But we are also thinking of all those on the southern slopes of the Alps who are unfortunately more likely to go for a walk in the foehn this year.

Sport Conrad is a partner of PowderGuide and has almost everything we would still need in our equipment cupboard. But Sport Conrad also cares about safety and invites us to the Snow Safety Days. On Friday in Penzberg, you can inspect new avalanche safety equipment with advice and in the evening, experts will give talks on tour preparation, risk management and weather forecasts. On Saturday, we'll then head up to the Zugspitze with mountain guides to put theory into practice.

In many places, the Alps are a winter wonderland. Nevertheless, we have a mixed assessment of the start of the season. There has been some nice precipitation, but none of it has been heavy. The snow conditions across the Alps are neither bad nor good for mid-December. The prospects for new snow are similar. I therefore describe the situation with the beautiful Spanish proverb: ni fu ni fa.

Last week's anticipation was followed by joy about the winter that has now begun both north and south of the main Alpine ridge, and about a very remarkable film. In the Dolomites, Marco Bassot puts the powder into moving images, and last year a Japanese ski and snowboard expedition travelled to the Karakoram and has just released the film. Ski film of the year? See for yourself! And the well-known Scandinavians Nikolai, Antti, Jacob and Krister also deliver!

A low pressure system from the Arctic hits the north coast of Germany, bringing gales, rain, thunder and lightning, but also snow and cold. The flow remains north-westerly and leads cold, moist air to the northern alps. With this first, cautious call of a winter onset, the PG WeatherBlog starts its weekly work. We are looking forward to put a snowy winter into words and graphics for you.

A WeatherBlog sparked by the circumsrtances; the first snow is falling in the Alps, and it's falling a lot. We take a closer look. Is that enough to go powder skiing already? Or does it at least provide a stable base for future snowfalls? We also clarify the status of our current weather service and give an outlook on new developments for the winter.