Arlberg

It's that time again! The end-of-winter powder hunt begins these days and Ullr is spinning the snowfall limit roulette while turning on the precipitation hose at the same time.

In this rummage, we take a closer look at the so-called Arlberg effect and its impact on avalanche danger. As this effect does not only occur on the Arlberg, we refer to it more generally as the "effect of off-piste descents".

At the end of January, I was supposed to take part in the legendary White Ring, the ski and snowboard race through the extensive ski area of Lech. Unfortunately, the event had to be canceled due to the weather. The race weekend took a completely different but exciting direction. I got a little insight into the freeride history of Lech Zürs and was able to pick up a few powder turns.

The alarming title sounds like an arthouse adaptation of an Elfriede Jelinek book and evokes associations with chamber plays in which beer-bellied men in Burgenland struggle with their fate in dark pubs.

One of the most legendary ski races in the Alps takes place on Saturday, 21.01.2023. The White Ring - The race is a traditional ski and snowboard race in which all participants have to complete a lap around Lech am Arlberg as quickly as possible. On 22 downhill kilometers with an altitude difference of 5500m spread over six lifts, all ambitious winter sports enthusiasts can put their skills to the test.

In this alarm you can almost finally ski like in a normal season! Joy! The only downside: unfortunately only in Lower Valais and France.

This could be a great season if there is already so much snow in October. Oh wait.... The amount of CRs on PowderGuide makes the sad situation clear. Below 2220m there is virtually nothing and above that we are at 30-60% of the long-term average.

This freeride year is starting like the old one ended. Tough and with little snow. And Christmas brings little relief, because true to the motto "champagne or seltzer", seltzer or a shower is the order of the day for most of us. It rains all the way up and the almost non-existent snow cover continues to thaw. In the high mountains, the converted scrap is covered with drift snow. Fantastic views.... not!

Watch out! The season is already in full swing and before you know it, everything will be slush again! Just don't let the social media feeds tell you that you've already missed so much and stay calm and stoked! It's not too late yet! Let's go!

Long awaited and now finally here after a long, hot summer: the first snowflakes at below 2000m, sugared mountains, push messages from the avalanche warning services. Even with a lot of motivation, it's not quite enough for ski tours yet, but we're still happy about the first hint of winter mood.

Ullr wants to give it another go before most ski resorts slowly but surely close after Easter. And with the best 80s synthesizer fanfares, he bravely boxes on like Rocky in the big showdown, knowing full well that his time has actually come.

Winter. Endless boredom. These are the adventures of the PowderAlert spaceship, which is finally allowed to explore new slopes, deep powder and cool temperatures.