In winter 2013/14, 20-year-old freeskier Adrian Sauter completed the first three camp levels of the Austrian Alpine Club's freeride training program - Risk'n'Fun. On PowderGuide, Adrian reports on his second camp, the five-day 'Next Level', which took place from February 12 to 16 on the Kitzsteinhorn. Here you can find Adrian's report from his second camp participation ...
At around midday on the day of arrival, we meet at the valley station of the cable car to the Kitzsteinhorn. I meet the first other participants of the Risk'n'Fun Camp 'The next Level' in the gondola. I quickly get into a good mood because, as I can see from the gondola, the snow conditions are not as bleak as I initially feared. Once we reach the top, we check into our accommodation. We are accommodated in the Kitzsteinhorn Federal Sports and Leisure Center, which is located at an altitude of over 2000 metres.
As soon as we arrive, we get started: as a warm-up, we carry out an avalanche search exercise in groups. And the frequent practice during the previous training session pays off: within a short time, we locate the transmitters to be searched for. After dinner, we sit together in the fireside lounge and plan the day ahead.
The next morning, we head straight into the extensive backcountry of the ski resort. It quickly becomes clear how many variants and tour options the terrain on the Kitzsteinhorn offers. It is therefore hardly surprising that the density of freeriders here is correspondingly high.
Today, terrain assessment is on the agenda - and we quickly find some great lines. During a two-hour ascent, we work up a slight sweat while our ascent technique and equipment are put to the test. Fortunately, our mountain guide Berni provides us with active support and our trainer Ursl is also on hand with lots of good tips. Time and again, she encourages us to take note of the terrain around us. Where are the safe spots and where could it be particularly dangerous? And it quickly becomes clear: it always pays to pay attention! In addition to countless wind signs and drifting snow packs, we discover an attentive chamois eyeing us suspiciously. The subsequent descent leaves nothing to be desired and the scrambling four-legged friend must have become envious of our skills by now at the latest.
Map reading is also part of today's program, which I find particularly interesting. Despite some previous knowledge, I'm pretty impressed by how much you can read from a 1:25,000 map. This will be particularly useful for planning the next few days' tours.
When I look out of the window the next morning, I am delighted! Mrs. Holle brought us around 20 cm of fresh snow overnight and a wonderful sunrise sweetens the morning. Due to the excellent conditions, we change our plans for the day and instead of the planned tour, we enjoy our runs near the lift. The finest powder snow is just flying around and the endless grins on our faces don't even go away during the lift ride. With so much fun on the slopes, theory and good intentions are quickly forgotten. But thanks to the buddy system and by keeping to the obligatory release distances, we reduce the risk of triggering an avalanche or even getting buried. We later find our ideal practice area in a valley below the middle station. There, for example, we simulate an avalanche and "act out" an avalanche rescue in a (practiced) emergency. Then we deepen our know-how in terms of terrain assessment: in particular, it's about correctly recognizing and estimating slope exposure and steepness. What I can take away as practical snow-how is that the slope gradient can be estimated quite reliably and, if necessary, you can remeasure your estimate with the poles (pole pendulum trick). After a search exercise, we then ski up again and head back to the ski area.
The next day is my personal highlight during 'The next Level' camp. It turns out to be very challenging, but just as instructive. The aim is to carry out a self-planned tour to the nearby Tristkogel. In small groups, we had previously thought intensively about the possible routes to the summit. Nevertheless, it is a great challenge to carry out the ascent independently. Our mountain guide deliberately takes a back seat and so we have to make many decisions ourselves, which is not always easy for us. We benefit from the fact that we are already a well-coordinated team and include every participant in the discussion. When it's my turn to create the trail on the ascent, it's not easy for me at first. We have to stop again and again, discuss strategies and assess the individual slopes. Never before has an ascent been so challenging, as the tour proves to be multi-layered and complex. And never before have I understood the Risk'n'Fun motto "perceive, assess, decide" as well as today!
After the phenomenal descent and great powder photos, there is a lot to discuss in the evening. Our mountain guide Berni liked our very cautious behavior in the tense avalanche situation. We go into more detail and analyze the decisions we made. I found the good communication in the group to be very positive the whole time. This is also noticeable after dinner, when we have a panel discussion. The topic is "Freeriders - punish or educate?"; interesting approaches and controversial opinions characterize this evening. Our discussion is spiced up with a healthy dose of humor and irony. All in all, a very successful evening!
We actually wanted to round off level two with a few turns in untracked powder, but on the last day, and luckily only then, the weather didn't play ball. But actually, that's just what we ordered! Because what is still missing from our skills list? Navigating with a map, compass and altimeter. And that in real conditions with miserable visibility and icy winds. After determining our position on the edge of the glacier, we get a little insight into the complex world of navigation. Even without GPS and a smartphone, a lot is possible with good navigation skills and we put what we have learned into practice straight away. We gather in the middle of the terrain, take off and drive off in thick fog. It's a queasy feeling, as you can't recognize a single terrain shape and can only feel your way down slowly. But there couldn't be a better way to complete the Next Level. Nobody will forget the Next Level that quickly, because we had excellent conditions and were a great crew.
And the conclusion of my participation in the Risk'n'Fun project, the Chillout? Of course, I can hardly wait for that.
