Totti Lingotti

Construction worker gloves for tough guys? In the Gear of the Week you can win your own pair...

Slowly, all those involved have recovered from the after-effects of Ispo 2013. Some suffered from the well-known post-Ispo flu (mostly caused by an overload of the "I want to have" center in the freerider brain) and others had thick thighs because there was so much Canadian-light powder snow to track after the majority of potential trackers preferred to stay in the post-Ispo flu-infected exhibition halls in Munich. We take advantage of the calmed waters and present the new products from the PG partner forges.

As every year, we present the PG Partner news from Ispo 2013. Slowly, everyone involved has recovered from the after-effects of Ispo 2013. Some suffered from the well-known post-Ispo flu (mostly caused by an overload of the "I want to have" center in the freerider brain) and others had thick thighs because there was so much Canadian-light powder snow to track after the majority of potential trackers preferred to stay in the post-Ispo flu-infected exhibition halls in Munich. We take advantage of the calmed waters and present the new products from the PG partner forges.

Christine Hargin and Drew Tabke underline their role as favorites among the skiers on this year's Freeride World Tour. Jonathan Charlet wins on his home mountain, as does Laura Dewey among the snowboarders.

At the moment, the Freeride World Tour is going full steam ahead: the third tour stop in Chamonix is expected to take place on Saturday (26.1.2013). The second stop of the Freeride World Tour 2013 in Courmayeur on the Italian side of Mont Blanc was also a complete success. Now it's off to the shady side of the highest mountain in the Alps - to Chamonix. However, the competition will most likely be held again in the Brevent/Flegere ski resort at the Pentes de l'Hotel.

South Tyrolean Markus Eder and La Grave local Aurelién Routens win the second stop of the Freeride World in Courmayeur. The other skiers on the podium were Revelstoke winner Jérémie Heitz (Switzerland) and Swede Reine Barkered. Among the snowboarders, John Rodosky (USA) and Emilien Badoux (Switzerland) won the places.

Avalanche airbags are now regarded as useful additional safety equipment. The 2012/13 market overview will help you decide.

Warm insulating jackets with a small pack size have been popping up like mushrooms in recent years. The Atom SV Hoodie from Arc'teryx comes highly recommended.

The Alpspitze stands strikingly above Garmisch-Partenkirchen - so striking that it has become the symbol of the northern Limestone Alps. With its north face visible from afar and the dead-straight south-east ridge, the Alpspitze has long since overtaken Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze. Every ambitious ski mountaineer should have climbed the landmark of Garmisch-Partenkirchen at least once in their life - and ideally early in the morning before the lifts open, directly from the Stuibenhütte. The descent over the eastern flank with the sweeping view as far as the Bavarian Alpine foothills is breathtaking and unforgettable!

For the first time, the BigLePowSki tour made a stop in Scandinavia from April 13 to 15, 2012. The Dude also had the right nose for this fourth and final event of the winter in Sogndal (Norway), as the temperatures dropped to wintry degrees again just in time and it snowed the finest powder snow that you wouldn't expect even in Norway in April. The BigLePowSki-Happening is organized by Black Diamond and Arc?teryx and is supported by Fritschi, FreerideMap, Pieps and Polartec.

Not so long ago, people still went skiing and touring in the tried and tested woolen undershirts and pants. Nowadays, it's normal for ski underwear to be made from dozens of different textiles and adapted to the body's different requirements in terms of breathability and heat capacity. We put the Arc?teryx Phase SV Comp LS functional shirt under the microscope and subjected it to extensive wear tests during ski tours and freeriding.

The fourth and final BigLePowSki freeski happening of the 2012 season will take place in Norway. For the first time, the Dude is heading north from the European Alps and will be making a guest appearance in idyllic Sogndal from April 13 to 15, 2012! Once again, a series of workshops, testing opportunities and of course the legendary Dude Party await all participants. This time there will also be a photo contest under the care of PowderGuide photographer Baschi Bender. The BigLePowSki event series is presented by Black Diamond, Arc?teryx, Diamir Fritschi, FreerideMap, Polartec and Pieps.