Magazine

After the season is before the season. For most splitboarders, the season begins to wind down around Easter. Before everything gets stashed away in the cellar, it’s a good idea to take a moment and check the gear: What’s its overall condition, and is everything set for the next season? Because let’s be honest, we all want to be ready for the first fresh snow of 2025/2026, right?

Drei Worte fassen die Rose Merinounterwäsche von Kari Traa perfekt zusammen: weich, bewegungsfreundlich und wunderschön.

The season is coming to an end. Go out again and put your head in the snow! I've put together a few moving images to get us in the mood and round off the season, first and foremost a film about a skier with Down's syndrome, but also with well-known heroes.

Before we head into summer break, we’re checking in one last time with an update on the heavy snowfalls sweeping across Alaska. Since last Thursday, the snow has been coming down steadily—and there’s more on the way through Monday. For everyone in our community chasing the dream of "Back into the Wild" or those iconic ski film vibes, here’s a quick look at what the weather has in store over the next few days.

The cool, sunny spring weather will increasingly turn into summer temperatures with the onset of the Föhn wind. A late onset of winter is not in sight, but at least some precipitation is possible in the south after the long sunny spell.

Elan has relaunched its iconic Ripstick freeride series for the 2024/25 season. At its core is a “lightweight big mountain ski” with new carbon deck technology. Carbon tubes and transverse carbon inserts are built into a Tubelite wood core. This setup is designed to deliver strong rebound and high torsional rigidity. The result is intuitive handling and a smooth, confident ride. The new Ripstick line is available in six different widths and lengths. We had the chance to test the widest model—108 mm underfoot in a 189 cm length—as well as a 182 cm version for a short time. Read on to see how they performed throughout the winter!

Splittie of the Week is entering the season finale, but the current weather is driving the beads of rain onto the forehead of the author, who is mainly active in the Black Forest. The lexical re-creation of the oracle doesn't make the situation any better, but makes our reality all the more present. Thanks for that ;-)

Unfortunately, too much time has passed for many people since the last major snowfall in mid-January. Since then, a very stable area of high pressure has dominated large parts of Central Europe and ensured long-lasting warm temperatures. This triggered euphoria among some climbing enthusiasts, powder fans got long faces and yet not all freeriders lost their motivation, because the best snow after powder is known to be firn. But just as with fresh snowfall, there are a few things to bear in mind when there is no snowfall.

When the snow slowly disappears and the sun gains strength, it's Figl time again! Hardly any other piece of sports equipment symbolizes the transition from winter to spring in the Alps as much as the Figl - short for firn glider. What was once born out of necessity is now almost a cultural asset of alpine skiing.

Amidst the haze of the Freeride World Tour stop in Georgia during the first weekend of March, PowderGuide had the opportunity to sit down with Valentin Rainer, the 2023 men’s tour champion and a competitor in this year’s season. The 26-year-old Austrian rider shares an inside look at his life, both before and during the season, and opens up about his plans for the future. It’s an exciting glimpse into the world of a professional freerider, someone who relentlessly chases goals driven by intrinsic motivation and the pure joy of the sport.

The SLVSH Cup final is here—Max Moffatt faces off against Alec Henderson in an epic showdown! Plus, don’t miss an exciting podcast with Nick Russell as he dives into his unique backcountry approach, along with a sneak peek at Natural Selection Ski featuring Weazy. Meanwhile, Estelle heads to Alaska with Travis Rice—and she’s delivering big.