Gepatschferner

The planned glacier developments are subject to an EIA. The article shows how project applicants tried to circumvent this assessment, provides insights into the court hearings and highlights the importance of protecting high alpine landscapes.

The climate crisis concerns us all and is forcing us to scrutinise our actions. At the same time, winter sports are often criticised because of artificial snowmaking, energy consumption and the impact on the environment. So isn't it hypocritical to criticise ski resorts and at the same time enjoy skiing yourself? As passionate freeriders, we have to think about the decisions we make and how we can practise our hobby in the most reflective way possible so that we can continue to enjoy the incomparable days on the mountain with a clear conscience.

Not only the early start to the Alpine Ski World Cup season in Sölden, but also the recently announced development plans for the Gepatschferner and around the Linker Fernerkogel have attracted a lot of criticism. In this article, Benjamin Stern, a member of the Austrian Alpine Club's Spatial Planning and Nature Conservation Department, explains what construction measures are planned in the Pitz and Kaunertal valleys, where glacier protection is lacking and what modern solutions the Alpine Club would like to see.

Wildspitze and Weißseespitze can now be climbed as short day tours from the nearby glacier ski areas. In 2017, these peaks can be reached by an ascent of significantly less than 1000 vertical meters, as you can read here in the PowderGuide freeride tours Weißseespitze and Wildspitze. 100 years ago, the highest peak in Tyrol and its western neighbor were still extensive "snowshoe hikes", which Franz Tursky reports on in the 6th part of the Anno dazumal series.

In the fifth part of Anno dazumal from 1916, Franz Tursky reports in two parts about past snowshoe trips in the Ötztal Alps. The article was printed in 1916 in Fraktur font and caused some problems for the Alpenwort project, as the Optical Characzer Recognition (OCR) caused some "fails" during digitization. So if you find errors in the text - you can be happy to be better than the software ;) In any case, we hope you enjoy the well-formulated stories about today's "high tour classics"!

After a few dry, clear days, a change in the weather is on the horizon and fans of thunder and lightning are looking forward to the start of the thunderstorm season. The medium-term outlook is uncertain, but at least there is no threat of midsummer yet. Also: The Alpine Association presents its glacier report for the 2014/15 season.

Visible from afar, the Weißseespitze rises above the Kaunertal glacier ski area. The north face is often climbed in early summer and is also extremely popular with ice climbers.