Totti Lingott

The GIBOARD from Gibbon has been in our office for some time now and is enjoying a lot of use. Whether you use it to prepare for the ski season, perhaps prefer yoga exercises or want to keep fit for other sports such as mountain biking, surfing or climbing - the handy GIBOARD offers all kinds of individual exercises and can be taken (almost) anywhere.

This winter - and half of the last one - has been very special. But who am I telling? That's probably how the majority of our articles started. And yet I want to emphasize this once again. For whom has this strange situation not led to change? I can't imagine that there are many people around the world who haven't had to adapt at all as a result of the outbreak of this Covid-19 pandemic.

The new PG clothes are finally here! In collaboration with the small Swiss company Penguin, who are doing a lot of things differently in the textile industry, we have found just the right partner! We want to celebrate this with you and are giving away high-quality Penguin and PowderGuide clothing! Just read on and answer the questions...

Last year was a bit special and unfortunately, for the first time in PG's history, we didn't have the opportunity to meet our partners directly at ISPO. Nevertheless, we caught up with our partners to get information on new products and highlights for the 2021/22 season and to give you a small and fine insight into the new products for the next powder season. The general trend towards sustainability is unbroken - please read the details!

With the thaw of the last few days, the fantastic winter landscape in the Black Forest has unfortunately been washed away for the time being. For over a month, the conditions - apart from a brief warm period - were almost Canadian. At least the fir trees looked like deep snow-covered Sitka spruces in Canada the whole time. And the snow quality was most reminiscent of North America, but certainly not of the Black Forest - synonyms such as "Baden Columbia" or "Little Canada" were heard again and again.

A varied round tour with a detour to Italy - one of the classics from the Forno hut. If you're not just interested in the big peaks, you should plan this circular tour. Val Bona often offers good snow conditions (mostly on the lee side) and rewarding downhill terrain. The ascent into the basin between Monte Rosso and Cima di Val Bona is just as much a ski mountaineering highlight as the summit of Val Bona.

The Proton LT Hoodie from Arc'teryx has been around since last winter and since then it has been my all-purpose jacket for skiing, ski touring and as a lightweight jacket for the city. Due to its high wind and vapor permeability, it is certainly not designed as a particularly warming layer, but except on very cold days, it can be worn in any weather. The water-repellent layer works surprisingly well during short rain showers or longer snow showers.

As every year, we report on the most important ISPO highlights from the PowderGuide partners. The second part is about women's one-piece suits, an avalanche backpack from a backpack specialist, extremely light insulation jackets, equally light ski touring bindings and carbon skis and even more safety equipment. Some of the products will be presented as tests early next season. Have fun browsing!

The granite giants in pre-Gallia stand ruggedly. However, they were only able to withstand the Romans until around 100 BC, when they passed under Roman rule. No, this is not about a new volume of Asterix and Obelix! It's about the Bergell, whose name was originally derived from the Latin word Praegallia (pre-Gallia). Today, Bergell is mainly located in the southern part of Graubünden. The wild mountain peaks form the border with Italy.

Actually, we've all remained a bit of a child - luckily! - and so we always get that big grin at the first powder turn of the winter, which children experience hundreds of times a day. So that they can keep it outside in the forest, in the snow and in the mud, there is also clever outdoor clothing for children. The polar bear brand from Sweden (ISBJÖRN of Sweden) has been producing high-quality clothing for the little ones for almost 15 years, without any environmental toxins.

What could be better than travelling in the mountains with the whole family? Even in winter, this is possible with a converted bike trailer! To anticipate an outcry: We are not going on a normal ski tour here, but rather ski touring in very moderate terrain, i.e. on prepared winter or unprepared summer trails. Whether this is acceptable for everyone is up to you.

For historical reasons alone, you should take the old cogwheel railroad from Davos to Schatzalp once in your life. By the way, with what is probably the cheapest tour ticket in Switzerland, you also gain a good 1000 meters in altitude and thus save yourself a good portion of climbing effort. Although the whole undertaking is not quite as healing as it was for the guests of the old sanatorium, which is why Thomas Mann, among others, wrote a book or two here, ascent-supported ski tours in this climate certainly have a healing character.