Firn

Things have been getting warm here lately. The trend that started as I arrived has continued throughout the week. Chalky snow on southerly aspects gave way to the melt/freeze trend and turned bulletproof. On the other hand, east and north aspects warmed with the sun for great corn skiing in the mornings. By afternoon, the heat would take hold, and conditions trended towards slush in the sun, but the shaded aspects would be skiing nicely. It's pretty perfect for a resort with no shortage of terrain on almost all aspects.

The day after skiing the northeast face of Shirouma promised for optimal weather. We decided it was time for round two. Burning the candle at both ends with these long days, I couldn't help but allow 'Brown Girl in the Ring' to creep into my head while walking in the dark. Sunrise couldn't have come soon enough.

One cool thing about Hakuba is that many of the biggest, most aethetic lines are clearly visible from town. Every sunny morning, one can scan the surrounding terrain for signs of instability for the day ahead. While doing this, we usually dream about making turns on many of these lines. Shakushi's Southeast face, and its spines catch the eye very quickly, though the right opportunity to get on this face has eluded us for years. In late March, an opportunity finally presented itself.

A beautiful firn classic through an imposing wall. An undertaking not to be underestimated with an approach that is not easy to find. However, you will be rewarded with a sunrise and a wonderful descent with magnificent views of the distance and depths.

We had an all-round good end to the season in the winter and northern summer in Las Leñas, Argentina: the weather remained good and the spring temperatures spoiled us with the best firn every day. After a long week of big tours, we took it easy on the last few days of the season and skied the countless variations in the ski resort.

Last week we were spoiled every day with great weather, lots of sunshine and little wind. We were finally able to ski the peaks in the touring area around the ski resort. At high altitudes, we found set powder snow in all exposures and top-quality firn in the lower half.

It wasn't that giving chase to the dark horse was wearing me through. And by no means did I feel I'd explored most of what it had to give. Sometimes, one needs to take a step back, and regain appreciation what they already have, no matter how fickle its tendencies.

Due to the poor conditions and the growing boredom, we decided to move on to the next valley for a few days. The "Valle Hermoso" ("beautiful valley") bears its name for good reason, I have rarely seen anything so beautiful.

A brilliant April is coming to an end. Snow down to the valleys and cold, wet, zero-visibility powdery weather are over for now: because midsummer is looming this weekend!

The Hochkönig, a magnificent massif in the Berchtesgaden Alps with its high rock faces on the south side. In the middle of this magnificent sight lies the Lammkopf at 2846m. The summit has something special about it, the Weißkar stretches southwards to this Weißkar: a classic among the steep face descents in Salzburger Land.

It seems like worlds have passed since my last visit to the Kitzbühel Alps a few weeks ago and the weekend just gone. From the depths of winter straight into midsummer. To my great surprise, I discovered one thing: the conditions between Hahnenkamm and Pass Thurn are still perfect. No powder, but "perfect spring snow".

White mountains guard blooming flowers in green valleys, those who forget their sunscreen will regret it and early birds catch the firn.