Tobias Kurzeder

The three renowned Swiss avalanche researchers Stephan Harvey, Hansueli Rhyner and Jürg Schweizer have written a new, at first glance somewhat inconspicuous avalanche textbook. "Lawinenkunde" is the name of the 192-page work, which has been published by Bruckmann Verlag.

In addition to the skiing ability of the winter sports enthusiasts involved, the avalanche danger is the first factor that determines which slopes can be skied on at any given time. Werner Munter's motto "The steeper the better, the quicker the avalanche will release" sums it up: we freeriders have to adapt our choice of terrain to the avalanche situation.

Like all other visitors to the mountains, freeriders use – topographical maps for orientation in the terrain. Detailed topo maps on a large scale are the basis for planning all freeride tours and are often an ideal source for finding interesting lines. Here is an introduction to the basics of map reading.

Perfect deep snow days are relatively rare in most winters. This is especially true if you understand "perfect" to mean the ideal mix: enough fresh snow of good, or even better, very good quality. Of course, this also includes good weather and great, varied ski terrain that suits your own requirements and abilities as well as the current avalanche risk.

Livigno is only known to a few freeriders. Although you rarely find steep slopes here, there are other delicacies waiting for those who make the arduous journey. One of these highlights is the freeride variant into the Vallaccia valley. Whether with a short ascent or directly from the lift, the well-traveled freerider can expect a leisurely slope that promises fresh tracks even days after a snowfall.

This is the second edition of the winter report jointly compiled and published by the avalanche warning services of all Austrian provinces. As expected, the reader will not only find an interesting and extremely profound review of the miserable (freeride) winter of 2011 in the 2010/11 winter report, but also lots of other interesting information from the avalanche warning centers of the respective warning services.

The first Downdays Freeski Journal of winter 2012 (which is still stubbornly refusing to finally begin) has been published. The 4th edition of the thick and elegantly designed book-like magazine is the so-called Storybook. It is actually clear that it mainly tells freeskiing stories in text and picture form. The fact that they are told very skillfully is also very good.

The first impression of the book: a not very lovingly designed, old-fashioned reference book in curriculum style; and even the pseudo-modern 3D glasses included, with which some photos can be viewed three-dimensionally, do nothing to change this. If you are not put off by the initial impression, the "Freeriding simply" syllabus still offers a lot of high-quality information and can serve as training literature for beginners and newcomers, as well as a reference book for advanced skiers.

In 2011/12 there will be four powder events with the Dude. Planning ski tours and freeride days correctly, mastering the search for avalanche victims, correctly assessing the terrain and finding the optimal ascent and descent line. This is what the four The BigLePowSki events are all about. And above all, the powder events are designed to teach participants how to minimize their risks off-piste.

All compressed gas steel cartridges for the ABS avalanche airbag with a filling date between September 1, 2008 and April 15, 2010 for the ABS TwinBag must be replaced.

The large-format, illustrated bike guide describes 100 tours and descents in the Swiss Alps as well as some in the foothills of the Alps and the Jura. The book impresses with its rich and mostly successful illustrations, especially because the photos reveal the character of the respective tours.

On April 1, 2011, the 23rd Derby de la Meije Freeride Inferno race took place in very good conditions and, as always, sunny weather. And even in this rather modest winter, Mrs. Holle did not miss the opportunity to cover the almost 4000 m high La Meije with a load of fresh snow before the race.