Engelberg

After we were able to test the "The Freeride" of the small ski manufacturer NORSE in 192cm last year and presented the construction of the ski in more detail, we were excited to see the second ski in the still small product line. "The Enduro": a ski that bears its area of use in its name and has been recognised as a true all-rounder in various ski magazines.

There's something to win! Together with the PowderGuide partners in Engelberg, we are giving away two days in the Swiss freeride mecca! Ski tickets and accommodation with breakfast are included, the winners only have to take care of the après-ski entertainment themselves!

They ensure the safety of winter sports enthusiasts every day - one for around 8 guests a day in an unsecured area with all the dangers of the Alps, the other for up to 8,000 people on secured slopes. We are talking about ski and mountain guide Christian Räss from "Engelberg Mountain Guides" and Christoph Bissig, head of the Titlis piste and rescue service for 20 years.

A small ski manufacturer in Sweden. In view of the many craft ski manufacturers that have sprung up recently, that alone doesn't sound very special. However, NORSE's developments have received very promising feedback in the die-hard internet forums. What makes NORSE's skis so special is the very complete development approach. Once I had familiarised myself with the core technology used, I was keen to test the ski.

The community of Conditions Reporters is a central part of PowderGuide. After all these years, it's high time we got to know our CRers a little better! Over the next few weeks, we will be introducing some of our community members in short interviews. We'll start with Chris Berner: The ex-windsurfer is now back on the water in a solid state, preferably on the Titlis.

In Steinberg, where dozens if not hundreds of freeriders are out and about on good days, a huge avalanche broke loose. Fortunately at night, otherwise it could have ended in disaster. PG Conditions reporter Christian Berner describes his impressions.

The Engelberg ski resort in central Switzerland is now well known to every freerider. This has the disadvantage that the first-line jostling for the first gondolas can be quite stressful. If the classic variants Laub, Steinberg, Jochstock or Galtiberg have usually turned into moguls after just one day, the descents in particular, which require a little effort (ascent) or alpine know-how, offer lonely descents and are still easy to ski days after the last snowfall. One of these freeride tours, the Titlis circuit, has been considered a classic since the 1990s and every freerider should have done this tour at least once. There are many reasons for this: a magnificent 2700-metre descent, impressive views from Tödi to Finsteraahorn or alpine adrenaline when abseiling are just some of them.

As the little brother of the well-known freeride ski area on the Titlis, the Brunnibahn in Engelberg also offers some interesting downhill options and definitely less crowds. When the slopes in the shadowy area around the Trübsee have long since been groomed, you can still find the odd patch of untracked powder snow on the "sunny side of Engelberg". Among other things, the variants with the ascent towards Rigidalstock and the west-facing descent through Ober Stoffelberg are popular. If you like it a little more alpine and are not afraid of a via ferrata passage with skis on your backpack, then you should take the 700 meters of ascent to this summit in your stride, because the descent has it all.

From January 13 to 15, 2012, the time had finally come: the legendary BigLePowSki-Tour 2011/2012 opened in Engelberg (Switzerland) in good off-piste conditions. Perfect mountain weather and the odd untracked slope made for a great atmosphere. With 35 participants each, the workshops were fully booked on both days and the test equipment from Black Diamond, Arcteryx, Fritschi and Pieps found plenty of takers.