Kitzbühel

The Line of the Year Awards were presented for the first time during the Kitzbühel Freeride Weeks. The jury and audience had previously made their decision and Sandra Lahnsteiner and Fabi Lentsch were delighted to receive the wooden chamois buck and a number of prizes.

Following the successful premiere of the film and photo contests at the Kitzbühel Freeride Weeks last year, film and photo teams will once again have the chance to win some impressive prizes this year. If you would like to take part and have the chance to win the "Line of the Year" title with your work, you must register by December 3, 2014.

Okay... I have good news and bad news. You want it like in the action movie? The bad news first?

The Tyrolean meteorologists are more important these days than at any other time of the year: the Hahnenkamm race at the weekend needs to be looked after, with precise forecasts and nowcasting thanks to weather stations set up on the Streif.

The new PowderGuide book "Tirol - The best freeride tours" presents 50 selected deep snow tour destinations with short ascents and exciting descents on 184 pages. From pleasure slopes to challenging steep terrain, there is something for everyone between Kitzbühel and St. Anton. The tours are accompanied by detailed route descriptions with topographical maps and all the important information, as well as many high-quality freeride pictures that will make you want to follow them.

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".

Easy freeride variant to a very popular ski tour summit in the Kitzbühel Alps with several downhill options.

Last week's suspected change in the general weather situation is a thing of the past, the western slide is doing well and Fabienne is on the way. After a few fantastic winter days with freezing cold postcard weather, the next batch of powder is just in time for the weekend.

A look at old ski atlases proves that Kitzbühel was considered a deep-snow resort long before the freeride boom began. This has not changed even in the age of fat skis. Many powder fans are drawn to the Kitzbüheler Horn or the slopes of the Steinbergkogel. If you venture deeper into the extensive ski area between the Gamsstadt and Mittersill in Salzburg, you will inevitably reach the Pengelstein, another sub-area with great freeride potential.

Kitzbühel has always been a top spot for deep snow skiers. However, if you talk to many Kitz powder junkies about the exact place where they prefer to draw their lines in the snow, the answer is often: "Yes, at Pass Thurn of course!" Reason enough to pay this spot a visit.

25 centimetres of fresh snow have been reported for the third weekend of Advent. What hardly allows for a descent in the rocky high mountains can be a lot of fun on grassy mountains: the best conditions for making the first powder turns of the season in the snow of the Kitzbühel Alps.

The Kitzbüheler Horn usually only attracts a lot of attention due to its striking shape with the antenna visible from afar, which makes the 2000-metre-high mountain appear a few meters higher. Skiers in the Gamsstadt concentrate entirely on the Hahnenkamm, which is a real stroke of luck for freeriders. Because as long as the piste fanatics are shredding down the slopes on the Hahnenkamm, the Horn is virtually peaceful.