Denali

In spring of 2026 PowderGuide partnered up with endurance athlete Tobias Renggli, who, together with our friend and mountain goat Heli Hoffmann and polar guide Laetitia Lam, intended to scale, as the first of many mountains in America, Denali (6190 m.a.s.l.) in Alaska, the tallest of the USA, by bike, ski and foot. This is the story about how I became their expedition's meteorologist and how they summited despite non-ideal weather conditions.

April is known for the small battles between Ullr and Ostara - winter versus spring, cold versus mild, snow versus sun. At the beginning of the week, Ullr tried once again to make up ground. But it wasn't too successful: the PowderAlert station reported a decent 33cm, but the advance was limited to the higher elevations. Ostara is increasingly asserting itself in the valleys - but spring is holding out.

The risk in your head is one thing - but how do you actually survive at -40 °C when even walking outside your tent becomes a mini-expedition? In the second part, find out why Alexandre Marchesseau sacrificed his beloved monoskis for this trip, how to immerse yourself in an almost animalistic state of instinct after weeks in the ice and why hardened alpinists put on karaoke glitter on summit days.

50 days, 500 kilometers and the highest peaks in Alaska: Alexandre Marchesseau and his team searched for more than just descents in the wilderness. In the first part of the interview, the mountain guide reports on how you learn to pray under huge ice towers, why a moral "hostage situation" on Mount Foraker almost blew up the group and how, after weeks in the ice, you enter an almost animalistic state of instinct. An in-depth look into the psychology of an extreme crossing of the Alaska Range.

Every year... the European Outdoor Film Tour comes down to Earth's cinemas and has been doing so for over two decades. Each time it doesn't bring Christmas presents with it, but beautiful adventures by and with interesting characters who have been out and about in the snow, on the rocks, in the air or elsewhere. This year there are exciting stories from Alaska and Switzerland, but also inspiring films such as the one about Sheri, the 50-year-old dressmaker, or Elladj, who does his ice-artistic laps on frozen lakes in the Canadian wilderness. It's definitely worth taking part and watching! And it's definitely worth reading on and winning!

This week's highlights: Max Palm's new short film, which impresses with its versatility and cinematic style. The K2 team trip to Japan takes us to endless powder slopes and stylish park moments. And the Five Blind Mice venture into the absolute wilderness while snow camping in Alaska - six days, two tents, pure thirst for adventure. Finally, the recap of the Jossi Wells Invitational is also out and brings the incomparable spirit of the park directly to the screens

Overall, the weather will continue to be changeable and prone to precipitation, with a significantly fluctuating snow line. Over the next few days, Atlantic low-pressure areas will repeatedly reach us, which will be steered towards the Alps from the west. Due to the alternation of warm air at the front of the trough and colder air at the back of the trough, temperatures will be on a rollercoaster.

With yesterday's cold front, winter has returned, at least at higher altitudes, and the Sahara-dusty Föhn period has come to an end. Today's Saturday will start relatively friendly but cool, at least in the east, and the next front will approach from the northwest towards the evening, bringing the next wave of precipitation on Sunday night.

While Dynafit skis have usually been quite clearly oriented towards either uphill or downhill, the manufacturer is entering new territory for winter 2014/2015. With the Denali, a new ski touring model is coming onto the market, which should impress with both ease of ascent and high downhill performance.

17.05. Camp VI Tundra 22:45 750 m - We are somewhere between McGonagall Pass and Wonderlake. After leaving our campsite this morning, we made good progress at the beginning. We then entered a huge glacier break, with several small difficulties, including extreme rockfall, which we then bypassed. The Muldrow Glacier stretches on forever and if it were a bit warmer, you'd probably sink up to your knees in silt. You probably wouldn't be able to get back and forth. We reached the McGonagall Pass at around 18:00. The descent from the pass was brilliant. It saved us two hours of walking. Hiking through the tundra with our light backpacks and skis on the back is a special experience. I'm really glad we didn't do the whole thing in the other direction, because we wouldn't have got very far with our equipment. Swamp, dense bush, etc. Now, for the first time in a long time, we are lying in the tent without snow, without ice, without storms, without cold. We've hung the food up in a tree in case we get a visit from a bear. Now we are enjoying the evening atmosphere with the tent open.

We have reached our camp IV and are on the Denali Pass. If the altitude is correct, we are at about 5750 meters. It is now 22:30, the sun is setting and we are doing relatively well. It has taken us seven hours to get here from the last camp. We are very lucky, there is almost no wind. We are quite exposed, if the wind came up we would have big problems.

It is now 12.05.09, 11.00 am. ?so one day later: we are now lying in a tent belonging to the Americans. It's the only place where it's a bit warm due to the radiation...