Freeskier Patrick Fux comes from the Valais ski resort of Grächen and lives in Zurich, where he sometimes works and from where he has been traveling the (snow) world on skis for nine years now. Over the past few years, he has not only logged around 600 days of skiing, but has also taken countless impressive photos from all corners of the winter sports world. PowderGuide: Hello Patrick! Who are you and what draws you to the snow for fifty days every year? Patrick Fux: A working Swiss like almost all of us, only with the difference that I do everything "for the snow". In summer I work almost day and night so that I can get as much snow as possible in winter. Otherwise, I'm just a normal guy who is a bit addicted to deep snow, even though I don't like the cold at all... PG: How many years have you been traveling Europe, North and South America and Japan with your skis? Patrick: It all started nine years ago when I went heliskiing in Canada for the first time. After the first run, I knew that I wanted to revive my old hobby of skiing, only this time off-piste. Since then, I've been drawn to faraway places every year. PG: You call your trips snow safaris? What do your snow safaris look like? Patrick: The word safari has something adventurous about it. That's exactly why my snow safaris came about. Basically, I haven't planned anything for six years. Just the flight, the first night in a hotel and a car. Lots of equipment and a notebook in my luggage. As early as December, I monitor the snow reports in the countries I'm going to visit. Then, on the day of arrival and every day thereafter, I spend at least half an hour, often longer, studying the weather maps and planning the trip for the next 1-5 days together with friends. I usually spend one to two hours a day on my notebook and route planner. The aim is to be one day ahead of any low pressure area and then really enjoy the deep snow. Long car journeys, 500-1000 km, are often the result, but it's worth it and the highways in the USA are super well developed and easy to drive PG: Do you always set off alone - and how do you find reliable ski partners on site, without whom it is notoriously difficult to carry out activities in the backcountry?
Patrick: It wasn't always easy at the beginning. Nobody knew me and in the first two years I wasn't really present on the internet with my snow safari reports. From the third year onwards, it quickly became easier. The reports in American and Australian ski forums drew the attention of many interested people and more and more followed the safaris and offered to explore the areas together and also to reveal one or two "local secrets". My always very openly expressed opinion on the respective ski resorts often led to discussions and these in turn led to new contacts. From the fifth year onwards, I hardly ever skied alone for a day. PG: How many of these snow safaris have you already been on? Patrick: The first two years were still "short vacations" so only 3-4 weeks with heliskiing in Canada and then a few ski resorts before and after. From the third year onwards it was 6-12 weeks each time and this was the beginning of the Snow Safaris. The eighth safari starts in Japan in January 2010. PG: How do you plan your tours? At short notice, according to the snow conditions, or well in advance?
Patrick: Always based on the snow conditions and the short and medium-term weather forecast. It has to be fresh snow - otherwise I get bored very quickly. I can usually plan 3-6 days ahead. This can sometimes go wrong, especially as the weather forecasts in the USA are not exactly the best. All these years have given me a lot of experience and so "bad decisions" are no longer so common. Nevertheless, things can go really wrong, like in 2008: from Utah to Banff in British Columbia in two days and no snow, from there to Vancouver after just one day. There was supposed to be snow either in Whistler or Mt. Baker. But there was only rain. After two long days in the car, back to the start in Salt Lake City and there was also snow. 4500 km for nothing? Bad luck?!
