Berner Oberland

Splitboard tours are great experiences. Compared to the ascent with snowshoes, it is as easy as a feather and you don't have to make any compromises on the descent. However, the requirements differ significantly from ski tours, as flat sections are still a lot of fun on the descent and, depending on the conditions and equipment, you may have a little more trouble on the ascent than on skis. Overall, however, technical development has made a huge leap in recent years and splitboarding has become a serious alternative to ski touring.

It has already started to snow and the new alarm has to come, you think? Absolutely right, but you won't miss anything today, because this alert is for Thursday / Friday, as the alert amounts won't fall until tomorrow.

The time has finally come! The saga continues. I hope George Lucas forgives me for my entry and doesn't sue me. And no, I can't tell you if you can see Luke Skywalker's hand reaching for R2D2 in the trailer for "Star Wars - The Force Awakens", but I can tell you where it's snowing. That's what I'm here for and what we've all been waiting for.

White Hare is THE classic in Grindelwald. And the snow in the shadow of the north face of the Eiger promises powder fun until April. Even days after the last snowfall, the wide slope is still not completely covered because you can't get there without a 10 to 20-minute ascent. You can read how the route got its name in the book with the best freeride runs in the Jungfrau Region...

Well, it won't be quite that extreme, but Ullr is finally flexing its muscles in the north this winter and is guaranteed to lure most freeriders to the Alps. This alert is valid until Saturday and then theoretically part two ("The two dumps") should follow from Saturday to Monday, depending on marginal lows, for which it is not yet clear whether they will come at all.

I dust off my electronic parchment, sharpen my wit and am pleased to present you with the first alarm of the meteorological winter. Ullr has seen sense and we are finally switching from late October to winter. Oh wait, wrong... There was more snow in the northern Alps at the end of October.

Isn't this just another pointless gadget for the kitchen that jumps on the 'mountains are totally in' trend? My initial skepticism fades with every snack I make. The more often I prepare my ham in slices and cut my slices of bread with millimeter precision, the more I like the PanoramaKnife. And every time I think of this ridge tour on the Blassen...

Ascend 400 meters in altitude to descend over 2000 meters. And this in the midst of a breathtaking mountain panorama. From the Faulhorn, you have a magnificent view of the Bernese 4000-metre peaks and, in contrast, you can also see Lake Brienz and Lake Thun, 2000 meters below. Due to its southern exposure, this tour is often only recommended in high winter and when there is good snow cover.

After the dump bog of the last few days, there is now a full northern congestion.

The westerly drift is still alive and kicking and is once again providing us with a usable gliding surface!

Most people have noticed that winter is here. The mainstream and the media are also rediscovering snow and cold weather. And while the weather nerds are still debating whether this is real winter in Pusemuckel and Schloss Holte Stutenbrock (this place exists!) in the North German Plain and would rather have the horror winter of 10/11 (Oh God, no!), we ask ourselves: Uh, early December and third alarm.... Wasn't there something? That's right! We have a deja vue, because what's more important for us freeriders is that this week we're already seeing another intense north-westerly storm - just like 2011, only colder! So you've been good enough to light candles in the Ullrschrein! Very good.

Our Italian low has made its way north as a Vb low and is currently causing chaos in southern Germany – and is also bringing snow to the northern side of the Alps.