Lawinensicherheit

The Barryvox Element is the new entry-level device in Mammut's Barryvox series and therefore the little brother of the Barryvox Pulse, so to speak. PowderGuide Japan correspondent Patrick Fux tested the avalanche transceiver in practice between North America, the Swiss Alps and deep Japanese powder.

All was still right with the world on Monday. Perfect weather and great snow for two runs far away from the pistes. The weather forecast was very unfavorable, so we had to hurry. By midday, the powder fun was over and 35 mm (= 37 liters / sqm) of rain in 24 hours was the result of a warm front. Snow was already falling again on Wednesday, but unfortunately it got very cold first and so everything was frozen solid.

"Go out and Ride" is the motto of the third competition phase of Mountain Mastery 2012. Or to put it another way: Thinking is silver, freeride tours in powder are gold! In this competition phase, the 13 teams still in the title race will put their theoretical knowledge into practice.

I thought I had perfected the cat-and-mouse game with the Skipatrol by now: but this year the cat is doing better. The same Skipatrol caught me twice in the same place within a week. Luckily I was wearing different clothes each time and so he didn't recognize me. Uffz, otherwise that would have meant the withdrawal of my season ticket. I can probably put this downhill route out of my mind for this winter and watch my colleagues from afar while they continue to make their turns there. Everything else seems to be a little more difficult this year with the boys in red.

"Find the best snow" in the current ideal freeride spot is the motto of the first Mountain Mastery 2012 competition. Your task is to find the best freeride area for you: There are two time periods available for selecting the area: 21-22.01. or 24-25.01.2012.

For the second year, Diamir and other partners are offering the Freeride Education Camp. This coming weekend (January 7 & 8, 2012), everything you need to know about freeride mountaineering will once again be taught in a rustic atmosphere at the Cabane Mt. Fort and in the excellent off-piste terrain of Verbier. After the first camp (Galtür) had to be canceled due to a lack of snow, Verbier now offers great freeride conditions. And the next dump is coming up just in time for the weekend.

Avalanche safety and stylish freeriding combined to perfection; the revolution for freeriders! Reduced to the essentials and with innovative safety features, the Bro-Tector® takes avalanche safety to a new level: stylish helmet camera videos and avalanche safety perfectly combined. Thanks to the Double-Safety® feature, the Bro-Tector® offers optimum safety for less experienced riders, even off the secured ski slopes.

When analyzing hundreds of mostly tragic avalanche accidents, Rudi and Patrick discovered that most accidents occur in typical, recurring hazard patterns. They therefore developed 10 typical, particularly accident-prone and frequent hazard patterns. Recognizing these avalanche hazard patterns should help winter sports enthusiasts to behave with appropriate caution – and thus avoid accidents.

Rudi Mair and Patrick Nairz are the avalanche warning experts from the Tyrolean Avalanche Warning Service. In their bestselling avalanche book "Avalanche. Die 10 entscheidenden Gefahrenmuster erkennen", the two avalanche experts present a new, complementary approach to avoiding avalanche accidents. When analyzing hundreds of mostly tragic avalanche accidents, Rudi and Patrick discovered that most accidents occur in typical, recurring hazard patterns. They therefore developed 10 typical, particularly accident-prone and frequent hazard patterns. Recognizing these avalanche hazard patterns should help winter sports enthusiasts to behave with appropriate caution – and thus avoid accidents. Here we present the 10 key hazard patterns in brief.

The first impression of the Ortovox 3+ is appealing and the device makes a handy impression. The positive first impression is also confirmed in practical use. With a total weight of 315 grams including the carrying system and battery, the 3+ is about as heavy as the old M2 from Ortovox, which accompanied me for 10 years, and is therefore slightly heavier than stated by the manufacturer.

After the avalanche accidents at danger level 4 in the high winter of 09/10, the discussion about possible criminal prosecution of freeriders and tourers has once again flared up in the media. Lawyer and mountain guide Dr. Stefan Beulke explains the extent to which freeriders can expect criminal prosecution in the event of an avalanche accident.

What goes on in an expert's mind when skiers or snowboarders ski down 40-degree deep snow slopes at avalanche warning level four? Martin Engler: It leaves me breathless at first. Last week, I was out touring on the Riedbergerhorn and saw people with binoculars at Fellbühl, an area above Riezlern that is popular with freeriders. It wasn't just a few individuals, but many. And that at warning level four. The slope is over 40 degrees steep at the top. I am clearly against the demonization of deep snow skiing and against bans. But when I see something like this, I shudder.