Hochfügen

Bergstolz's big ski test has been taking place every winter for years now - at the end of March 2025, we found the best freeride conditions in Hochfügen, Zillertal. At the end of the season, Ms. Holle meant good once again. Dozens of skiers tested freeride skis from over 25 brands in four different categories. We took a closer look at a few models from the large selection and summarized our impressions in this article.

The forecast a week before the event still looked like freshies were coming. It only snowed in the last few hours on Sunday, but we still had a great weekend in Hochfügen! The highlight at the end was handing over the main prize to the winner of our snow depth prediction game.

From January 18th to 20th, the new models for the 2027 season were presented in Zillertal. All the big names in snowboarding were there. A huge test area, inspiring talks with the manufacturers, an incredible number of visitors and exciting panel discussions make a visit to the "1st Try" store the perfect start to the event season.

The legendary PowderGuide snow depth prediction game will be held four times this winter at the Freeride Testival stops - and each time you can win great prizes. PowderGuide will be present at all stops to hand out the prizes directly. It starts with the stop in Hochfügen from January 23 to 25, 2026, where you can take home prizes from Korua, Head, Dynafit, Deuter and of course PowderGuide worth 1,400 euros!

Only the avalanche situation is more exciting than the weather. The dry early winter in the Austrian Alps is taking its revenge. A pronounced weak layer combined with wind and fresh snow has provoked a series of avalanche accidents and claimed several victims. Kamchatka was also badly hit, with huge snowdrifts burying homes and people. Europe is also facing a stormy week. Quo vadis 2026?

The Freeride Testival Tour 2026 is in the starting blocks and promises an exciting combination of equipment tests for the next season (free of charge), professional coaching and a real community vibe. Whether you're a beginner looking to gain your first off-piste experience or a pro looking for the perfect setup - the tour stops in Hochfügen, Silvretta Montafon, Warth-Schröcken and on the Stubai Glacier offer the right skis, course and terrain for every level. We from PowderGuide will also be there in person on all four weekends to talk to you.

We from PowderGuide were at the TouringPreview 2025 in Hochfügen - an exclusive event where specialist retailers and experts can discover the latest freetouring and freeride highlights for the 2025/26 season. In a relaxed atmosphere, we tested skis, bindings, avalanche equipment and more, gaining exciting insights into the innovations of the coming winter.

From cycling in the valley to mountain biking on the mountain - from relaxed walks across green meadows to challenging trail runs. Whether cross-country skiing on the trails in the valley or powder skiing on the mountain - the Zillertal, located south of the Inn Valley, offers an impressive variety of activities. Known for its numerous ski resorts, it invites you to explore with varied powder runs and ski tours in unspoilt nature. Every outdoor enthusiast will find the right adventure here, whatever the season.

The Zillertal, situated between the Inn Valley in the north, the Zillertal Alps in the south, the Kitzbühel Alps in the north and the Tux Alps in the west, is not only one of the largest and most populous valleys in Tyrol, but also a sunny tourism hotspot. Nevertheless, there are countless interesting peaks and slopes for ski tourers and freeriders between Strass and Hintertux.

Every year, the Splitboard Festival and Testival takes place on the Tyrolean fjord, halfway between Munich and Innsbruck, in the cold hole of the northern Alps, in the snow-rich Karwendel, more precisely in Pertisau at Lake Achensee. Splitboard enthusiasts come together - whether they are experienced splitboarders, beginners or newcomers. Old-school hands who still saw their boards by hand and manufacturers and providers of splitboard tours and camps are also present. This year for the 10th time - congratulations on the anniversary edition. I want to check it out, it's a first for me.

Once again this year, SNOWHOW is offering free avalanche workshops for beginners and slightly advanced avalanche experts at the start of the freeride season. The one-day practical workshops are kept small with a maximum of 7 participants per mountain guide and the theory is applied and practiced directly in the terrain. The kick-off event will take place on December 2nd at 19:00h in the Carat Congress Center in Gurgl, Ötztal, in the form of a theory lecture.

With the Powder Calendar, there will once again be plenty of powder action within your own four walls all year round in 2019.