Andermatt

Dear Splitties, some mountains challenge, others reward. A bit pathetic, but La Rossa did both. I was traveling with my longtime touring partner and what was planned as a classic splitboard tour turned into an intense adventure in Alaskan scenery and solitude; and a great splitboarding terrain.

We three ladies don't know each other from the barbecue, but from Davos. We've lived there for many years. Why we have to go to Andermatt of all places, even though we have the Davos mountains on our doorstep, is easy to explain: firstly, we fancy something new and secondly, at home we rarely take the time to really ski for 4 days in a row. Especially since two of us have children.

With the Powder Calendar, there will once again be plenty of powder action within your own four walls all year round in 2019.

Last weekend, PG ConditionsReporters and editorial team members got together for the traditional end-of-season get-together. PowderGuide wouldn't be what it is without the dedicated input of the extended community and especially the ConditionsReporters, so it's always nice to get together once a year in as large a group as possible and talk about all sorts of things. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who couldn't make it to the meeting! Thank you very much for your commitment this season!

If you take the gondola to Gemsstock and look left in the direction of travel for potential outside the ski area, your eyes will inevitably be drawn to the NW and W flanks of the Rossbodenstock-Badus chain. While the steep western slopes between Rossbodenstock and Piz Badus in the Unteralp are off-limits in winter due to a wildlife sanctuary, the Rossbodenstock NW flank offers a multitude of "legal" lines, almost all of which are steep and interspersed with rocks. Thanks to Swiss engineering, the Rossbodenstock is also easier to reach than you would expect in Andermatt.

Freeriding has increasingly developed into a mass sport in recent years and it is therefore not surprising that more and more freeride contests are springing up like mushrooms. In Austria in particular, the Open Faces series of events has become one of the most important points of contact for all those who like to compete with other people. The makers of the Kick the Vik eco-freeride competition have been proving for years that there is another way...

Last week, after a freeride descent in the Disentis freeride area, we climbed over the Oberalpstock to the Cavardiras hut. This time we have the highlight of the tour: the Steintalrinne from the Fruttstock down into the Maderanertal.

The Gotthard, which is visited thousands of times in summer by pale-faced northerners who drive over this historic pass on their way to the southern sun, hides under a thick blanket of snow in winter and the humming engine noises are silenced. Only a few freeriders get to enjoy the many untouched slopes around the pass, even though we are close to Andermatt, where skiers and snowboarders compete with each other for the white gold. Reason enough to escape this ski circus and explore the quiet hinterland.

Nowhere in the Alps is there currently more snow than in the Gotthard region. And since no ski resorts are open apart from the glaciers, but glacier vultures are not everyone's cup of tea, the Gotthard region is once again a good choice. Because there is the small, fine red train (Matterhorn-Gotthard-Bahn) that takes tourers up quite far and cheaply. From the Oberalp Pass you then have a whole host of fine ski or snowboard peaks to choose from...

Everything pointed to a perfect day. I had been following the daily avalanche reports from the SLF and the weather reports for the Gotthard region since the end of January. After the heavy snowfall and strong winds, it was clear to me: wait for relief!