PowderGuide Seasonal Meeting 2024/25 | Engelberg

Welcome to the seasonal meeting in Engelberg

A seasonal meeting of PowderGuide took place again this year. From March 13th to 16th, 2025, over 40 ski enthusiasts met in Engelberg. We were accommodated in a cozy vacation home near the valley station, which offered enough space for everyone. After a sometimes long, sometimes short journey, we arrived one by one. While the snow began to fall outside, the best cheese fondue put us back into winter sports mode. Here in Engelberg, you can almost forget that the last few weeks have been filled with spring fever in many parts of the Alps.

After more than a month without any significant precipitation, rain and snow finally set in - perfect conditions for a weekend full of fun, games and excitement. Thanks to the generous support of Destination Engelberg, the seasonal meeting was able to take place on the Titlis once again this year. In addition, there was a cooperation with the Engelberg Mounten Guides, so that some groups were accompanied by experienced mountain guides to go off-piste together and explore the Titlis mountains.

The Engelberg Freeride Days also took place at the same time during the seasonal meeting - a varied program with courses for beginners to advanced skiers. PowderGuide had the opportunity to take part in various courses. The courses covered a wide range: from basic off-piste techniques to more complex skills such as abseiling down gullies using a piece of an old bedrail or a found stone. This covered a wide range of skills and knowledge, so that both beginners and experienced skiers got their money's worth and everyone was able to learn something new.

The snow was fluffy and light - fun to ride in.

Alex Zolotykh

Engelberg-Titlis

Sarah-Louise Schaary

Perfect conditions on Friday

On Friday, the conditions were ideal for freeriding: 15 to 20 centimetres of fresh powder snow, which fortunately fell without strong winds. The avalanche situation was therefore relatively stable, so you could move around the terrain without too many worries.

The snow was fluffy and light - fun to ride. However, visibility was not always so easy. While you could still marvel at an impressive sea of clouds at the top of the Titlis, you were quickly greeted by fog on the descent. The rock faces and the humps that formed over the course of the weekend provided orientation. The fog was barely penetrable at the height of the last traverse to Trübsee, but did not detract much from the fun.

On Friday evening, as part of the Freeride Days, there was an interesting talk by Janic Cathomen (Armada athlete, project manager at Wyssen Avalanche Control and expert in snow research) on the risks in steep terrain with gradients of over 30 to 35 degrees, where risk assessment using the graphical reduction method reaches its limits. The Graphical Reduction Method (GRM) is a simple risk check by linking avalanche danger level and slope inclination in unfavorable exposures. The method is easy to understand and practical for planning, but ignores important factors such as terrain shapes and details of the avalanche bulletin. Despite certain application difficulties, it remains a key tool for newcomers and provides an initial overview of existing risks.

The presentation provided valuable insights into risk assessment, snowpack analysis and key factors such as weather, snow conditions and individual slope assessment. The human factors - group dynamics, experience, mental and physical condition - as well as the terrain were also discussed in detail.

Back at the accommodation, we feasted together as the cooking team conjured up a fabulous menu - as they do every evening. Afterwards, the successful season was reviewed over a beer or two. PowderGuidlers from different generations and regions grew together more and more into a close-knit community.

Thank you to everyone who was there, participated and organized, we are already looking forward to next year!

Alexadra Zolotykh

Engelberg Titlis

More highlights on Saturday

On Saturday, we were once again able to split up into groups and take part in the Freeride Days. Some took the opportunity to explore the slopes on their own, others were once again in the terrain with guided groups. A special highlight of the Engelberg Freeride Days was the Women Only Couloir & Steeps Freeride course with Flurina Bieger and guide Dani Perret, in which a group of young women got together to abseil down an icy waterfall into a couloir. Flurina, a very friendly professional freerider from Switzerland, takes us into the terrain and explains safety techniques in the snow, jump turns and rope handling when abseiling. At the end of the day, everyone came back with a big smile on their faces. The weather had been kind to us on Saturday, so the sun was usually shining in all its glory a few meters above Lake Trübsee. Another highlight was the Freeride Village of the Freeride Days, where various skis and snowboards from different brands could be tested - an offer that was very well received. Those who needed a break could relax with a Freiburger Bierle or Radler at the PowderGuide stand and talk shop about the best lines or the weather.

A quiet end to Sunday

Sunday was a little quieter. After the last breakfast together, the accommodation was left swept clean - at least to the best of our knowledge and belief - before we hit the boards one last time.

The weather unfortunately showed its gloomier side - dense fog banks made for poor visibility even at higher altitudes. However, this didn't dampen the mood and the skiing continued, albeit less in open terrain, as the runs were already quite rutted and visibility was poor. Instead, we hung out at the PowderGuide stand in the Test Village and spent the last day together, taking it easy on our legs before heading home.

Conclusion

All in all, it was an all-round successful weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to meet new faces, catch up with old friends and exchange fresh ideas between experienced PowderGuide members and newcomers. And so we made our way home with many good memories, sore muscles and the anticipation of next year. A huge thank you to the organizers and the support of Engelberg-Titlis Tourism Association, the Engelberg Mountain Guides and Freiburger Bierle! We can't wait to come back!