The vastness of the net world is a veritable cornucopia of information for freeriders and for me it is an essential part of preparing for a freeride day: weather, snow conditions, conditions, tour descriptions, maps, travel options, accommodation, equipment issues - I consult the net for all of this. To be honest, I have no idea how I would manage without it. I don't even know if I would have become the freerider I am now without the net. I certainly would not have met many of my skiing friends and buddies without the net. And it is also a source of daily procrastination refreshment. Nude powder pictures, ski porn at its finest - I would hate to do without it at work.
There's an ode to the net world in this week's GotW: Yay, Internet!
You hardly need an introduction to the Internet. You're probably using it yourself right now. And there's no question that the internet is a veritable cornucopia of freeride-related information. Our sport is in the fortunate position of being based on an open, interested and very positive community. Information on every conceivable question and problem can be found in abundance, as well as plenty of entertainment. I would therefore like to simply introduce you to a few sites and links that I personally like to use a lot for everything to do with freeriding. So this is a subjective and by no means comprehensive selection with a strong focus on Switzerland. I bet you have a thousand other links that should not be missed either. Just post them in the comments.
Weather
Meteocentrale Schweiz - not the absolute weather crack myself, I like to check here to get a short and concise forecast. Somehow these guys are right more often than others.
snow-forecast.com - not the greatest site and certainly not the most accurate model, but the perfect quick color check for snow conditions during a coffee break. If pink lights up, the boss is warned about possible absences.
The GFS model on the weather center - it's often nice to have a look at the raw model data to get a better impression. There's certainly a few ways to do this too, I usually just look here. I only understand half of it anyway.
SLF snow info - Whether maps on the amount of new snow, snow depth or the current new snow data from the measuring stations, here's everything about the conditions for gliding
tours
Skitouren.ch - An excellent collection of tour descriptions and frequently updated summit book entries help you choose the right tour. The marketplace is also extremely useful.
Swisstopo maps - The excellent Swiss topo maps in the online tool. Outstanding options for tour and route planning. However, they do not replace the proper hand map, printed on paper in sections, you can sometimes end up on the wrong summit.
AMAP maps - the equivalent for Austria
Avalanche danger
SLF Avalanche Warning Service - Not only an excellent avalanche bulletin, but also maps on snowpack stability or the really informative weekly report on the avalanche situation are actually must-reads.
The European Avalanche Warning Service EAWS - there is an excellent map here that leads directly to all European avalanche warning services and the current avalanche situation reports
White Risk - very good knowledge portal about avalanche safety
Material
Wild Snow - This mostly very technical blog (unfortunately in English) offers incredible expertise on all aspects of equipment, especially when it comes to bindings
Blister Gear Review - No German-language tests on the desired equipment on the well-known portals or in the magazines? Blister probably has it. Some very good test reports
Prokrastination/Community
PowderGuide - actually belongs in all categories and probably doesn't really need to be introduced
freeskiers.net Forum - without the community on freeskiers, I wouldn't be who I am as a freerider, nor would this site be what it is today.
TGR Forum - The large community of Teton Gravity Research on the other side of the Atlantic has an answer to every question, even if only in English.
