Tobias Kurzeder

"Said is not heard, heard is not understood, understood is not agreed, agreed is not applied, applied is not retained" (Konrad Lorenz) Everyone who is out and about in the mountains is familiar with the situation of having to decide whether to ski down a slope or not, whether to continue or turn back. In the worst-case scenario, this seemingly unimportant decision can mean the difference between life and death.

In recent years, we have been on the road again and again on our mountain bikes. Not only in the European Alps, but also in the Himalayas, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Lebanon, Iran and many other places. We've experienced a lot along the way: we've ridden magnificent trails, seen impressive landscapes, got to know foreign cultures, literally sunk into the mud, almost been eaten by leeches and, and, and? Now the time has come: our book "From Everest to Atacama", a photographic account of the best adventure tours, is available in stores.

Have you decided to buy a new avalanche transceiver? Then the current avalanche transceiver market overview can help you decide. A few tips in advance:

The touring trail of the Swiss Avalanche Research Institute SLF/Davos leads from Tschuggen (1964 m above sea level) on the Flüela Pass road to the 2827 m high Sentischhorn (Route 531, SAC Graubünden Ski Touring Guide). It is suitable for all ski and snowboard tourers who want to be able to ski independently in the backcountry and would like to expand their knowledge of tour planning and its implementation in the backcountry with the help of the tools offered on the trail and online.

The tour from the Jungfraujoch (Bernese Oberland) over the Jungfrau and Aletsch glaciers via the Lötschenlücke into the Lötschental (Valais) is a wonderful "tour to copy". The ascent is very easy thanks to the Jungfrau Railway and the journey alone makes the trip worth every franc! There are probably few high-alpine "walks" in the Alps where you can enjoy a comparable panorama (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Fresh snow on the Arlberg, blue sky, freezing cold. The last ice crystals float to the ground, glistening in the morning sun. Even the rugged rocky peaks above St. Anton are covered in a thick layer of snow. A dream day for winter sports enthusiasts, especially deep-snow skiers and freeriders. Around a hundred of them crowd into the first gondola that takes the powder-hungry athletes into the ski area. A tense atmosphere.

Berg Heil! is the traditional mountaineering greeting from the old, intact(?) mountain world. But does this mountain world of old still exist, or did it ever exist? Don't mass tourism and the pursuit of profit rule today? "I certainly didn't want to do the hundredth reportage. Along the lines of: I'm going to go to a ski resort and photograph a few snow cannons and a few lifts and then raise my index finger?" says photographer Uli Wiesemeier, who comes from Murnau (Bavaria).

When it comes to avalanche and freeride products, the Snowpulse backpack from Switzerland is the product that is causing quite a stir.

Breathing under the snow. AvaLung is intended to delay death by asphyxiation so that rescuers have more time to search for and dig out the victim.

The avalanche airbag can prevent burial. The purpose of the ABS system (Avalanche Baloon System) is to prevent you from being buried in the first place.

The AvalancheBall: the rediscovery of the avalanche cord. The aim of the AvalancheBall is to find the buried victim directly without the need for technical locating systems.

Basic avalanche equipment is essential as soon as you leave the secured pistes. But just as skiing in open terrain requires a certain level of skill, you also need to know how to use avalanche search equipment.