Sebastian Müller

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.

A short while ago we were water-skiing or riding bikes, and now, at the end of April, we suddenly find ourselves in winter. How could this have happened? It's cold throughout the Alps and it's snowing quite a lot, especially on the northern slopes. If you really missed it, 2 PowderAlarms and rows of 4-star ConditionsReports should be enough proof. Powder skis should be the first choice up to and including the weekend!

To be honest, we only managed the VdW every fortnight this season. But not true, we had some nice films! And now, at what feels like the end of the season, we still have something to offer. Hedvig Vessel's great film, a bit of Antti and a king line in the Pyrenees! The VdW wish you a good end to the high-speed season and hereby close the shop.

The Xtreme Verbier took place, everyone arrived safely at the bottom and it was really great fun. Then suddenly people turn up who we've been missing all winter: Markus Eder, Cody Townsend and Yann Rausis!

A lot is falling from the sky again across the Alps at the weekend, and at least in high Alpine locations you can expect the snow conditions to improve and some powder. Winter is far from over, as there will also be precipitation next week. For lovers of apocalyptic news, we also have the finest entertainment, the Atlantic is boiling over!

We've reached the autumn of the season, so to speak, and more and more of the films that we presented as trailers in the spring of the season are now appearing: The Hagens, Continuum, Sänkyøu. We reap what we have sown! We also offer you the best amateur vloggers - Marco Bassot and Gerhard Wiedemann - with a bit of FWT risk management and a good podcast with Maxime Chabloz at the end.