Lawinenkurs

Every year, the snow often comes faster than you think - and the last avalanche safety training usually a lies whole year in the past. Here's a friendly reminder: it doesn't always have to be an organized course. It's often enough or at least a good start to get to grips with your equipment again and do a bit of digging with friends.

Sport Conrad's Snow Safety Days are aimed at budding freeride and ski touring enthusiasts and are a first introduction to lifelong learning about avalanche danger. The theory was first crammed into the head office in Penzberg and then put into practice the next day on the Zugspitze. The program was spiced up with the best advice on avalanche safety equipment.

Sport Conrad is a partner of PowderGuide and has almost everything we would still need in our equipment cupboard. But Sport Conrad also cares about safety and invites us to the Snow Safety Days. On Friday in Penzberg, you can inspect new avalanche safety equipment with advice and in the evening, experts will give talks on tour preparation, risk management and weather forecasts. On Saturday, we'll then head up to the Zugspitze with mountain guides to put theory into practice.

Who's ready for winter? Fancy honing your off-piste technique this season? Do you want to expand your mountain knowledge or are you simply a mountain freak and are looking for others who will shred with you and show you the best descents? Then this is your chance to take part in the pre-season camps in Engelberg.

More and more adventurers are fascinated by the idea of exploring unspoilt nature away from the crowded pistes. However, the pursuit of freedom and adventure on the mountain requires an intensive examination of avalanche risks. Following a comprehensive revision in 2023, the Safety Academy Lab Snow from Ortovox offers a valuable and free resource to raise awareness of risk management.

More than 40 different courses were on the programme at the Arc'teryx Freeride Academy from 1 to 4 February 2024. PowderGuide was able to attend the Avalanche Awareness & Mountain Safety Clinic with Recco at the Arc'teryx Freeride Academy on a sunny and cloudless day. The avalanche course took place in a group of six participants plus two mountain guides in the terrain of the St. Anton am Arlberg ski resort. The course was designed for all levels of skiers/snowboarders and yet each person was able to expand their knowledge and skills individually. The exact daily programme of the Arc'teryx Clinic and the most important aspects and procedures of an avalanche search can be found here.

The Arc'teryx Freeride Academy will take place for the third time in 2024 from 1st to 4th of February in St. Anton am Arlberg and offers a varied programme of courses, workshops, film evenings, parties and other opportunities for exchange to all freeriders. From beginners to experts, everyone is welcome at the Academy, so exciting days in the company of Arc'teryx team riders and other snow sports enthusiasts are just around the corner. We will be there, live with PowderGuide, taking part in various practical training sessions and workshops over the four days and report back to you!

The backcountry weekend in the legendary winter sports destination of Davos will take place for the 9th time on the last weekend in January. The Backcountry Week 2024 offers a comprehensive and varied program. Participants of all skill levels will get their money's worth as part of various guided ski and splitboard tours, technique and avalanche courses.

The Safety Academy Lab Snow has been revamped by our partner Ortovox and offers multimedia, high-quality avalanche instruction for all skill levels. We spent a weekend gaining an insight into the digital realisation of avalanche training and learning about the latest findings in person from mountain guide and co-developer of the Lab Snow, Chris Semmel.

The Snow Safety Sessions organised by our long-standing partner Mammut have kicked off this season and we were there, live in the Allgäu! The event focussed on safety on the mountain - whether for ski touring or freeriding. Avalanche awareness is refreshed directly in the terrain! During a joint ski tour with state-certified mountain guides and Mammut safety experts, search scenarios are discussed, tried out and emergency equipment is tested.

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.

On the weekend of 10.11-13.11, the annual Intersport Snow Days took place on the Stubai Glacier. Under the motto "Rent what you can", visitors were able to test the new products for the 22/23 ski season. Up to three items could be borrowed at the same time for a period of 90 minutes. A total of 36 outfitters gathered at 2900m at the Eisgratbahn mountain station and offered everything winter sports enthusiasts need, from ski goggles and helmets to equipment for their feet.